Attorney General James Uthmeier has issued an opinion stating that Florida state law preempts municipalities from enacting or enforcing ordinances related to shopping cart retention plans. According to the opinion, local governments cannot require businesses to have shopping cart retention systems, approve or deny such plans, impose penalties, or mandate specific measures for retaining shopping carts. The only exception applies to local ordinances put in place between January 31, 2002 and June 30, 2002.
This legal interpretation was provided in response to a request from Allan T. Weinthal, who serves as attorney for the town of Davie.
“State law expressly preempts municipalities from requiring shopping cart retention plans, approving or denying those plans, imposing penalties, or mandating shopping cart retention systems with the exception of local ordinances imposed between January 31, 2002 to June 30, 2002,” Uthmeier stated in his opinion.
The Florida State Executive – Attorney General offers various educational programs aimed at protecting residents from fraud and scams. These include consumer services such as complaint submissions and alerts on pricing issues and emerging threats. Support is also provided for vulnerable groups like seniors and military veterans through resources outlined on its official website at https://www.myfloridalegal.com/.
In addition to public service and consumer protection efforts statewide, the office collaborates with law enforcement agencies through initiatives such as the Back the Blue Campaign. Programs like consumer alerts on scams and educational initiatives against fraud are part of ongoing efforts to safeguard Floridians.
For more information about these services and resources available across Florida, visit https://www.myfloridalegal.com/.