Publix, one of Florida’s most popular grocery chains, is now allowing customers across the state to openly carry guns due to a recent court ruling, employees say.

Florida began allowing open carry on Sept. 25 after an appeals court overturned the state’s ban on openly carrying firearms, deeming it unconstitutional. Under the law, businesses and other private property owners have the option of banning open carry.

Publix, which has a large presence in Florida with more than 900 stores, has opted to allow it, according to many of those who work there. Call a local Publix and you’re likely to be told people can now carry guns into the store.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel contacted eight Publix stores in South Florida, including locations in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Davie, Miramar, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Coral Gables and Homestead. All eight confirmed they are allowing open carry due to the recent ruling.

Four Publix stores in Central Florida also told the Orlando Sentinel that customers are allowed to openly carry firearms.

Lindsey Willis, a spokeswoman for the Lakeland-based grocery chain who represents South and Central Florida, did not respond to three phone calls and three emails made since Sept. 29 asking about open carry. The Sun Sentinel on Tuesday also reached out to spokeswoman Hannah Herring, who represents Central and North Florida for Publix, but did not get a response to an email and two phone calls.

Sheila Alu, a former Sunrise commissioner, contacted the Sun Sentinel after calling her local Publix and being told they were no longer banning open carry.

Alu says she is a supporter of the Second Amendment right to bear arms, but plans to avoid any grocery store that allows customers to open carry.

“Open carry in a grocery store or in a mall will frighten people,” Alu told the Sun Sentinel. “(Publix) is not an establishment that I or my family will be patronizing.”

Ana Campos, a private investigator who lives in Fort Lauderdale, has a different take.

Seeing someone carry a firearm into Publix might shock the average shopper, Campos said. But she says she’d actually feel safer seeing someone with a gun.

“That’s assuming the person is a responsible gun owner,” she said. “And if there’s a problem, they will be there (to respond) before the police show up.”

Readers shared with the Sun Sentinel the emailed response they got from Publix after they contacted the company with their concerns about open carry:

“Thank you for taking the time to share your comments with us. We appreciate the trust you have placed in us to address your concern. Treating Publix customers with dignity and respect is a founding belief at Publix, and we follow federal, state and local laws.

“As is true for many issues which arise every day, Publix leaves it to the discretion of store managers to determine if a customer is creating a threatening, erratic or dangerous shopping experience — whether they are openly carrying a firearm or not — and engage local law enforcement to protect our customers and associates.”

Winn-Dixie, Walmart and Sam’s Club say they plan to continue to prohibit open carry in Florida stores despite the recent ruling.

“Our priority is creating a safe and welcoming shopping experience for all customers and associates,” according to the parent company of Winn-Dixie, Southeastern Grocers. “As a private business, our policy remains unchanged: We do not permit open carry of firearms inside our stores. We respectfully ask customers to secure firearms safely before entering, and we appreciate the continued cooperation that helps us maintain an environment where everyone feels comfortable.”

Walmart, a chain that also sells groceries and produce, doesn’t allow open carry either.

“Driven by our commitment to maintaining a safe environment in our stores and clubs, we ask that customers refrain from openly carrying firearms into Walmart or Sam’s Club locations, except where permitted for authorized law enforcement officers,” a company spokesman said Tuesday.

The Sun Sentinel also sent requests for comment to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Aldi and Target. As of Wednesday, they had not yet replied with a statement about their policies.

When the Sun Sentinel contacted Publix stores throughout South Florida to inquire whether they are allowing open carry, several employees replied they weren’t sure and checked with a store manager.

One customer-service employee at a Publix in Fort Lauderdale said she already knew the answer: “There’s a law now, so we can’t tell people they can’t bring their guns into the store.”

A manager at a Publix in Davie said open carry is now allowed as a result of the new ruling. “It’s OK as long as they are not causing a disturbance,” he said. “If they are, we will contact the authorities.”

A customer service representative at a Publix in Miramar transferred the call to a store manager.

“Publix does follow the law and we do allow open carry,” the manager said. “The only time we would intervene is if someone is acting outside the parameters of the law.”

A manager at a Publix in Hollywood said the store was allowing open carry, but had yet to see anyone walk in openly carrying a gun.

An employee at a Publix in Boca Raton checked with a store manager, then came back on the line to say: “Yes, customers are allowed as it aligns with the new state law.”

In Delray Beach, a store manager confirmed Publix was allowing open carry. “In general, I think every store or supermarket is following the new state law,” she said.

A manager at a Publix in Homestead said they, too, are allowing open carry. “As long as it’s not causing a disturbance in the store, it’s allowed,” he said. “Otherwise we can tell them to leave the premises.”

A customer service employee at a Publix in Coral Gables said he wasn’t sure of the answer. Twelve minutes later, another employee came on the line to say he had gotten a recent email about open carry from the store manager. “If a customer openly carries into the store, don’t take action unless you have concerns about the behavior of the person,” he said, reading from the email.

In Central Florida, eight Publix stores in Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties were contacted by the Orlando Sentinel.

Four Central Florida stores confirmed customers are allowed to openly carry firearms, though some noted caveats. A manager at a Publix in Kissimmee said law enforcement would only intervene if that person was suspected of a crime.

Another in St. Cloud said staff are not allowed to approach customers solely about their weapons. In that store, the manager said customers are allowed to openly carry “as long as the customer is respectful to others and not causing a disruption.”

At two stores in Lake County, the instructions given to workers were not as clear-cut.

A manager at one Publix in Tavares said the store allows open carry.

But a customer service representative at a store in Groveland said that as of this week, they are operating under “the old directive” that bans open carry but permits concealed carry.

Three Publix stores in Sanford, Lake Mary and Orlando gave a virtually identical response, saying their policy on open carry is “whatever Florida law is.” A manager at a Publix in Ocoee gave a similar answer but said staff would intervene if a customer complains.

(Staff Writer Bill Kearney contributed to this report.)

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