WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — The City of Winter Garden removed a sign prohibiting firearms at Tucker Ranch Recreation and Nature Complex after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the restriction violated state law.
Uthmeier sent the city a letter saying Florida law gives the state exclusive authority to regulate firearms and prevents local governments from adopting or enforcing their own restrictions.
“Florida law declares that the regulation of firearms, including possession, is entirely preempted by the State,” Uthmeier wrote.
The attorney general gave Winter Garden until Aug. 15 to confirm that the sign had been corrected and that the city would not enforce an unlawful firearm regulation. His office warned that it could take legal action if the city did not comply.
City Manager Jon C. Williams said Winter Garden acted after receiving the letter.
“The City of Winter Garden is aware of the sign referenced in Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s letter,” Williams said. “We have already taken action and the sign will be removed no later than August 1, 2026.”
The city’s Parks Department later confirmed that the sign had been removed.
Attorney Lonnie Groot, who has practiced local government law in Florida since 1985, said state law leaves cities with little ability to defend local firearm restrictions. He said local governments could also face financial penalties and legal costs for violating the state’s firearm-preemption law.
Groot said the dispute reflects a broader tension between state authority and local governments seeking to regulate activity on city-owned property.
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