Palm Beach County officials announced that the entire Governmental Center complex will become a “firearms‑prohibited facility” beginning Monday. The decision follows a contentious county budget meeting earlier this week, during which protesters repeatedly interrupted proceedings over the county’s investment in Israeli bonds.
Security upgrades and enforcement
County Administrator Joe Abruzzo detailed the new policy in an internal memo obtained by WPBF 25 News Investigates. “Firearms may not be carried into the GCC building,” the memo reads, adding that the rule applies to all employees, contractors, visitors, and members of the public.
To enforce the ban, security scanners at the main public entrance will resume operation on Monday. County public‑safety staff tested the equipment on Friday and set up an amnesty box where anyone can voluntarily surrender prohibited items before proceeding through the checkpoint.
Background to the policy
The move comes after a tense budget meeting on Tuesday, where demonstrators opposing the county’s purchase of Israeli bonds repeatedly disrupted the session. Deputies removed several individuals, and commissioners recessed the meeting. Even after the recess, protesters could be heard in the lobby.
Commissioner Maria Sachs voiced concerns about existing security gaps, noting, “We don’t have any security up where my staff is. There is nothing stopping somebody going up in the elevators to where my office is.” County officials say the upgrades were already in planning, but the recent disruptions accelerated implementation.
Legal question under Florida law
Florida statutes generally reserve firearm regulation for the state, limiting local governments’ ability to impose building‑wide bans. Section 790.33 of the Florida Statutes states that the state legislature occupies the field of firearms regulation, “to the exclusion of all existing and future county, city, town, or municipal ordinances or administrative regulations or rules.”
State law does prohibit firearms in specific locations such as police stations, sheriff’s offices, courthouses, and at meetings of a governing body. Abruzzo argues that the presence of a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation on the first floor of the Governmental Center makes the entire building subject to the same prohibition. “We clearly interpret Florida statute that a sheriff’s office, hence the substation, is clear that a firearm cannot be brought in the building,” he said. “We believe the sheriff agrees with that assessment as well, and we’re within the law to prohibit firearms from coming in the government center.”
The statutory language does not explicitly address whether a sheriff’s substation within a multi‑use government building extends the ban to the whole structure. WPBF 25 News Investigates has reached out to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office for clarification, but no response had been received as of Friday afternoon.
What this means for residents
County officials emphasize that the policy is intended to protect both government employees and the public. “We are the largest holder of Israel bonds in the world, so we have a dynamic here that we will always put security first and foremost, and not only for government officials, but for the residents of Palm Beach County,” Abruzzo said.
Visitors to the Governmental Center will now encounter a brief security screening process and have the option to surrender any firearms at the amnesty box before entering. The county says the measures are designed to deter potential threats while maintaining access to essential services housed in the complex, including the Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, and other county offices.
Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.
