Tallahassee Democrat

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried Wednesday called on Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody to drop an appeal of a circuit judge’s ruling that declared unconstitutional a state law that imposed tough penalties on local officials who approve gun control laws.

DeSantis and Moody filed notice Tuesday of the appeal of the ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson that struck down the 2011 law that included fines of up to $5,000 and potential removal from office for local officials who pass laws to restrict gun rights.

“It’s time to stop wasting taxpayers’ time, money and resources with this appeal,” Fried said in a conference call with reporters.

Tallahassee and dozens of South Florida cities challenged the penalties in the wake of the Parkland high school shooting that killed 17 people and injured 17 others.

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Fried, as Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, runs the state’s concealed-weapons licensing program. A gunowner, she said the lawsuit and appeal is not about Second Amendment Rights but about home rule – allowing local governments to exercise their rights to govern.

“Given the tragedies our communities have faced, they deserve the right to make those decisions for themselves without Tallahassee officials getting in the way,” said Fried. "Our state shouldn’t threaten local elected mayors and council members with fines, lawsuits, and removal from office for doing their job.”

The law Dodson struck down also includes a provision that enables individuals and groups that successfully challenge local gun regulations to receive damages up to $100,000.

Jamie Cole, who represented local governments in the suit told the News Service of Florida that she expects Dodson’s ruling to be upheld on appeal.

The state had argued before Dodson that the intent of a preemption of gun laws to the state aims to prevent a “potential patchwork regulatory scheme” in Florida.

Writer James Call can be contacted at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on Twitter @CallTallahassee