Publix, the Florida-born grocer with locations across Miami-Dade and Broward counties, appears to have quietly reversed its open-carry policy. No announcement, no press release. Just a new stance rolling out Tuesday through customer service reps and its own chatbot.
The news arrives one day after Publix dropped to fourth on America’s most trusted grocer ranking, behind Whole Foods, Kroger, and QuikTrip.
The Tampa Bay Times was the first to flag the change, and Orlando’s News 6 confirmed it after reaching a customer service representative who explained that new guidance had been issued: only law enforcement would be permitted to openly carry firearms inside Publix stores. The company’s online chatbot backed that up…