Nearly two years ago, Florida’s legislature enacted a law that banned any city or county from enforcing gun and ammunition restrictions. This law lifted long-standing ordinances banning weapons in public places, such as parks, beaches and government buildings. It also imposed fines and even threatens to have local officials removed from office if they try to restrict guns in public places.
As Palm Beach County’s Constitutional Tax Collector, I’m concerned this law will jeopardize the safety of our 289 employees and the 4,000 citizens who visit our service centers daily. Anyone with a concealed weapons permit can walk into any of our service centers carrying a loaded gun.
As an elected official responsible for the collection and processing of billions of dollars a year at eight locations, safety is my utmost priority. As a direct result of the legislation, I made a decision to staff armed law enforcement officers at all my service centers. This added security precaution has unnecessarily increased staffing costs by $289,000.
Senate Bill 1340 and House Bill 1087 have been filed this session to ban guns from public buildings and daycare centers. It’s important for the safety of all that this legislation be passed and signed into law this year.
Anne M. Gannon, Palm Beach County Tax Collector
