FLORIDA Open carry is now effectively legal in Florida following a ruling by the states First District Court of Appeal and follow-on guidance from the states attorney general. The appeals panel concluded that Floridas long-standing prohibition on openly carrying firearms is incompatible with the Second Amendment, drawing on recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that reshaped the public-carry analysis. In the immediate aftermath, Attorney General James Uthmeier issued guidance instructing prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies to treat the decision as binding on Florida trial courts. While the statute that once prohibited open carry remains on the books unless the Legislature acts, the attorney generals directive and resulting enforcement posture have rendered it inoperative in practice. Technically, an appellate judgment is most directly authoritative within its own district, but the combination of statewide guidance and inter-agency coordination has broadened the practical effect. Law-enforcement leaders signaled alignment with the new posture, advising deputies not to arrest individuals solely for openly carrying a firearm if they are otherwise lawful possessors. That alignment means day-to-day encounters are already changing across the state, even as policymakers and agencies work through policy updates and training bulletins to ensure consistent application. The change does not erase Floridas location-based restrictions, and those long-standing rules continue to matter. Firearms remain prohibited in sensitive places identified by state or federal law, including schools and courthouses, as well as airport sterile areas and other specifically regulated venues. Private property owners also retain authority to set their own conditions of entry; a posted policy against firearms can still govern whether a patron may carry on the premises. In short, the ruling addresses how lawful possessors may carry in public, not where firearms are categorically barred, nor who may lawfully possess them in the first place. The guidance also emphasizes eligibility limits. The open-carry shift applies only to people who may legally possess firearms under existing law; it does not expand access for prohibited persons. Individuals who fall under disqualifying categoriessuch as certain criminal convictions or court ordersremain barred from possession and therefore from carrying, openly or concealed. For lawful carriers, the practical difference is that visible, properly holstered carry is no longer an arrest trigger by itself, provided all other legal requirements are met. For citizens and agencies sorting out terminology, open carry refers to a firearm borne in public view (typically in a holster), as opposed to fully concealed carry, which continues to be allowed under Florida law. The two modes now coexist under a clarified legal framework: open carry has been recognized as lawful for eligible persons, while concealed carry proceeds under the established rules that residents and visitors have followed for years. Agencies are translating this into updated dispatch protocols, roll-call briefings, and public messaging to reduce confusion and unnecessary calls for service. Operationally, the next steps are administrative rather than dramatic. Expect policy memos that distinguish lawful open carry from criminal behavior such as brandishing, and outreach that reiterates sensitive-place rules to the public. Retailers and ranges may see increased interest in holsters and training focused on retention and safe display, while local governments and private businesses review signage to communicate their own policies clearly. The statewide landscape is therefore shifting by guidance and practice more than by immediate statutory edits, even as lawmakers consider whether to harmonize the code with the new constitutional reading.