Florida Carry Lawsuit Ends With St. Augustine Pulling Visitor Center Gun Ban Signs and Paying $40,000

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ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — The City of St. Augustine has taken down signs banning firearms at its Visitor Information Center and agreed to pay $40,000 to settle a lawsuit from Florida Carry, which argued the signs violated the state law that reserves firearms regulation to the state. City commissioners voted 5-0 on Oct. 26 to approve the settlement, and the case was dismissed earlier this week.

Commissioners met behind closed doors to discuss litigation costs and strategy before the vote, and City Attorney Isabelle Lopez told them the $40,000 would cover Florida Carry’s attorney fees, as reported by the St. Johns Citizen. City spokeswoman Melissa Wissel confirmed that Florida Carry accepted the settlement, as reported by Jacksonville Today.

In exchange, Florida Carry agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice. That means the group cannot come back and file the same claims against the city again. Both outlets report the Visitor Information Center signs are gone. The Citizen reports the city took down firearm prohibition signs at public buildings more broadly.

Florida Carry did not start with a lawsuit. The group says it sent city officials a written notice in late February after learning about a sign prohibiting firearms at the Visitor Information Center on South Castillo Drive. It says it later learned of similar signs at other municipal buildings and of city employees enforcing restrictions on people carrying firearms. The city sent an initial response. Then months passed with no further action, according to the group. Florida Carry filed suit in St. Johns County Circuit Court in July.

The complaint included a photograph of the Visitor Information Center sign and alleged that similar signs were posted at City Hall. The legal theory was preemption, which in plain terms means the state has claimed firearms regulation for itself, so cities and counties cannot write their own gun rules on top of it. “Local governments are forbidden from regulating firearms in any way,” Florida Carry said in a press release quoted by Jacksonville Today. “The legislature, not the St. Augustine City Commission, decides where firearms are and are not allowed. Nowhere in statute are publicly owned visitors centers deemed prohibited places.” The group also sought damages and attorney fees and requested a jury trial.

The legal backdrop matters here. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in 2023 allowing Floridians to carry firearms without any training or a government-issued permit. Attorney General James Uthmeier went further after a 2025 appellate court ruling, saying Floridians could openly carry. The state does bar firearms from a list of locations, including schools, polling places, and places where government bodies meet, but that list does not cover all government-owned property. Private businesses can still ban guns on their own property. My guide to Florida concealed carry laws breaks down where the state draws those lines.

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No judge ever ruled on whether the signs were lawful. The case ended in a settlement and a dismissal. A city spokesperson declined to comment Thursday to the Citizen, and Florida Carry did not respond to Jacksonville Today’s request for comment.

Florida Carry’s own argument puts its finger on how an unlawful sign does its damage. The group said the signs discouraged its members from carrying on public property where state law allowed them to. A sign does not need a courtroom to work. It only needs a law-abiding person to read it and walk back to the car. Part of a serious carry mindset is knowing where the law actually draws the line, not where a sign on the door says it does.