A Second Amendment group is appealing a circuit judge’s rulings in a dispute that started after Florida State University included gun-related information in a football game-day guide for fans.
The group Florida Carry filed a notice of appeal at the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee, according to court records. Florida Carry and Bekah Hargrove, executive director of Florida Students for Concealed Carry, filed the lawsuit last year because the FSU football Game Day Plan 2015, a 28-page information packet sent out by campus police, advised visitors that firearms can’t be stored in vehicles parked on campus.
Florida Carry and Hargrove argued the guide failed to follow a 2013 appeals-court ruling that said the University of North Florida could not prevent firearms from being stowed in cars. After Florida Carry filed the lawsuit, FSU updated the guide and acknowledged the information hadn’t been changed earlier to reflect the 2013 ruling.
Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson in May ruled against Florida Carry in the lawsuit, saying the issue became moot when FSU updated the guide.
But Florida Carry later sought a new judge and a new hearing in the case because Dodson has regularly contributed money to FSU, where he went to law school.
Dodson in June denied Florida Carry motions for a rehearing and for his disqualification. The notice of appeal indicates Florida Carry will challenge Dodson’s May ruling in favor of FSU, along with his decisions on the motions for rehearing and disqualification.