Jun 2, 2022
Tallahassee, Fla. – Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, who oversees Florida’s concealed weapon license program, issued the following statement on the news that Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed 83 positions within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Licensing to process concealed weapons permits:
“Throughout my time in office, I have made improving the operations of the FDACS Division of Licensing a priority, focusing on increasing efficiency and accountability to keep Floridians safe. I’m proud of the division’s work reaching an average turnaround time significantly lower than that of previous administrations while at the same time processing a record high number of applications and ensuring background checks are completed for every applicant — something my predecessor didn’t do,” said Commissioner Fried. “In this current fiscal year alone, the division has received over 300,000 applications, of which nearly 7,000 were rejected for ineligibility. During this time, the department also used its lawful authority and carried out its legal duty to suspend the licenses of more than 5,000 individuals for disqualifying offenses – including 35 individuals involved in the insurrection – and revoke 1,265 licenses.
“My department requested, and the Florida Legislature provided, these additional positions so that we can continue to execute our work in a timely, and most importantly, thorough manner that helps keep concealed weapons out of the hands of thousands of ineligible applicants to better protect Floridians from dangerous individuals,” Commissioner Fried continued. “The fact that Governor DeSantis vetoed this request is yet another example of his callous attitude towards gun violence and his refusal to do anything to combat this epidemic that continues to take innocent lives every day, tearing apart Florida families and our communities. If anyone needed proof that he still wants to enact dangerous unlicensed open carry after weeks of horrific massacres across the country, here it is.”
The FDACS Division of Licensing administers Florida’s concealed weapon licensing program and oversees Florida’s private investigative, private security, and recovery services industries. Under Commissioner Fried’s leadership, the division has reached new highs in the number of applications processed while also faced with the highest number of applications in state history, with 360,000 concealed weapon license applications received in fiscal year 2020-2021. During this time of heightened demand, the FDACS Division of Licensing averaged more than 60,000 applications each month, yet the average processing times during this period never reached the previous high of 88 days seen in prior administrations. In the current fiscal year[ application/pdf ], the division has received 243,153 new and 70,604 renewal applications, denying 6,910 ineligible applicants, suspending 5,312 licenses for a disqualifying offense, and revoking 1,265 licenses.
Commissioner Fried has repeatedly urged Governor DeSantis to call a Special Session to pass gun violence prevention measures, but he has not taken action and refuses to comment or even offer condolences after recent mass shootings across the country. Last year, she and a coalition of local governments asked the Supreme Court to take up their lawsuit against Florida’s law that threatens harsh financial and personal penalties for localities that enact gun safety measures. The Supreme Court will be hearing the case on June 9, 2022. In 2020, Commissioner Fried and FDACS introduced legislation to close dangerous loopholes to help keep firearms out of the hands of bad actors.
