Commissioner Nikki Fried Announces Reopening of Licensing Office in North Port

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and Commissioner Nikki Fried announced the September 8 reopening of the regional licensing office in North Port, Sarasota County. This follows the June 15 reopening of FDACS’ Tallahassee regional licensing office and reopening of the Division of Licensing’s online concealed weapons license application portal.

“Despite the serious challenges posed by COVID-19, our department has been committed to serving Floridians throughout the pandemic,” stated Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Following the reopening of our North Port and Tallahassee regional offices with enhanced safety measures, we are continuing with a cautious, science-based reopening plan, which includes evaluating regional and county-level COVID-19 data as we consider additional office openings. Meanwhile, the vast majority of our services have remained available throughout this crisis.”

Background: On March 19, FDACS closed nine regional offices to the public due to health concerns from COVID-19. Despite regional offices closing, the department has continued processing concealed weapons license applications throughout the pandemic. Since March 1, FDACS has processed 209,402 concealed weapons license applications, and has issued or renewed 168,757 concealed weapons licenses.

“As we continue to reopen, public safety remains our top priority — that’s why we will continue to operate by appointment only in order to safely accommodate as many customers as possible,” said Steve Hurm, Director of the FDACS Division of Licensing. “We’re excited to reopen the North Port office to the community and we’re looking closely at when and where we can safely continue reopening.”

Enhanced Safety Features: As in the Tallahassee regional office, the North Port regional office features new, enhanced safety precautions such as Plexiglass barriers at fingerprinting stations. Licensing employees will wear masks, gloves, and face shields when taking fingerprints. Customers will be seen by appointment only and wearing of masks will be required. Customers can find more information and make appointments by visiting: FDACS.gov/Consumer-Resources/Concealed-Weapon-License.

Reopening of Additional Offices: Commissioner Fried and FDACS will continue with a cautious, methodical approach for reopening additional regional offices, including consideration of local COVID-19 data.

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