BRADENTON – On Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission will return from summer recess. The agenda includes a vote on an ordinance that would allow county employees with a concealed weapons permit to carry while on duty.

The ordinance was proposed by Commissioner James Satcher (R-Dist. 1) in May. The county has historically not allowed its employees to carry a weapon while working, although they cannot be prevented from allowing them to keep a firearm locked in their car while at work.

In a memorandum to commissioners included in the agenda packet for the meeting (click here to view), the county attorney’s office said that while not required under the second amendment, the county does have the authority to make the change in policy but warned that doing so could result in greater legal liability and higher insurance premiums. The CAO was able to identify 14 Florida counties that have ordinances allowing employees to carry while at work, while the vast majority do not.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has recently pledged to implement "constitutional carry" throughout the state, which is a form of open carry that does not require a permit under the theory that it is a right inherently protected by the 2nd Amendment, which, depending on how it is structured, could be a factor in the county's ordinance if passed by the legislature.

The increasingly partisan and politicized commission will also issue a proclamation that July 26, 2022 is "Victory for Life Day" in celebration of the SCOTUS's overruling of Roe. V Wade. The board will also have an invited guest read the pledge of allegiance at the top of the meeting. That guest will be Manatee County Commission District 6 Republican candidate Jason Bearden, who has previously been endorsed from the dais by several members of the board.

Bearden is challenging incumbent Carol Whitmore in the GOP primary on August 23. The board previously passed a resolution stating that veterans would be invited to read the pledge, and Bearden is a Marine Corps vet.

BOCC to Vote on Allowing County Employees to Carry Firearms