BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. – As part of a settlement in a lawsuit over firearms policy, the Bradford County Fair Association has agreed to permit the open carry of firearms at the county fairgrounds to the fullest extent allowed under Florida law, court documents show.
Under the settlement, the association also agreed not to adopt, enforce or maintain any policy that would prohibit or restrict lawful open carry at the fairgrounds in a manner inconsistent with state law.
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The agreement said it does not require defendants to permit conduct that is unlawful under Florida or federal law. Defendants also agreed to pay the plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees and costs totaling $5,977.50.
The settlement follows a complaint filed in March by Christopher Rose, who sought declaratory and injunctive relief after encountering prominent signs at the fairgrounds stating “open carry prohibited.”
Rose alleged the signs and related policy violated section 790.33 of the Florida Statutes, which governs firearms on certain public properties.
“I complied. I wasn’t exactly sure whether I was on public property or private. So, first things first, I complied. But I was curious about it,” Rose said back in March, describing his initial reaction when he saw the signs.
Rose said he checked the county property appraiser’s website and concluded the fairgrounds parcel is owned by the Bradford County Commission. He said deputies and fair officials told him a sheriff’s order had authorized the signs.
Rose returned the next day and said a fair manager warned that openly carrying a firearm would prompt a call to law enforcement.
“We found ourselves in no other alternative than to follow a lawsuit, to try to stop this from happening again,” he said.
Rose’s attorney posted on X that “Local government and other statutory entities have NO authority to ban open carry in Fl.”
Court documents tied to the settlement cite legal principles recognized in McDaniels v. State and GOA v. Del Toro, decisions that have been invoked in litigation over whether state law preempts local or entity-imposed restrictions on open carry.
Rose said he hopes the litigation will produce a court order clarifying whether Bradford County or entities that operate public property may lawfully restrict the open carry of firearms.