by Thanks to the industrious work of Miko Tempski, Board Member of the CCRKBA, we have the definitive answer on whether the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport is considered a part of the airport for concealed carry purposes.
It is not!
Miko receved the following from the Orlando Police Department’s airport division a few minutes ago:
From: John O’Grady
Subject: Fwd: Airport Firearms Carry and attached hotel
To: miko.temski
Mr. Tempski, I am in receipt of the below email request. In short you are correct in your interpretation of the FSS. The Hyatt Hotel is it’s own property so legally carrying a weapon is OK. Carrying a firearm in the terminal is prohibited. If you have any other questions or concerns please contact me directly.
Regards, John O’Grady Orlando Police Department Division Commander Orlando International Airport
Thus while you can’t legally carry within the airport terminal, you can carry in the hotel itself. I just confirmed with the hotel that it can be accessed without entering the terminal.
Thanks again to Miko for getting a definitive answer from law enforcement. I should know not to trust public affairs and marketing!
UPDATE: Thanks to Markofafreeman in the comments below we have some directions on how to enter the hotel if you are driving without entering the terminal: If you drive, go up to the 4th floor parking, following the signs for
the Hyatt. As advertised, the entrance is right there and you don’t need
to enter via the terminal.
I just emailed Orlando PD with the same question. If we get the same answer then I'll breathe happier.
Anyways… bring your Nerf gun for Saturday Night Events.
I had emailed Sean Caranna of Florida Carry about this. His answer matches that of John O'Grady of the Orlando PD.
Last year when I stayed there the answer was a definitive, "No Fracking Way You Will Go To Jail!"
Nice change. Still…I worry.
So I take back my earlier warning.
And for the record, I also called the Hyatt last month on this.
I had called the Hyatt earlier as well as the airport's public affairs office. They both thought it was in the airport. However, I prefer the LEO's answer not that it will make a difference for me. I'm flying with no check luggage….
Got my answer
Orlando Police Department
"You cannot carry it inside the terminal. The Hotel is not considered the terminal."
Dual confirmation. We are good to go IMHO.
I called the Hyatt (again) and asked if they were now all on the same page. Talked to the security manager. He said the rules are now in sync. He was nice, but sounded like this was a recent clarification. It took them ten minutes on the phone with me to come up with the answer – I think they had to call someone to get the answer before giving it to me.
Anywho, I won't carry and checks down there. Not worth the hassle.
Plus, I'll probably be surrounded by 100 gun carriers. Why the hell would I need to carry a gun? 😉
Two second rant: This is why ALL gun laws need to be repealed except the obvious one.
We really shouldn't have to worry about this kind of stupidity. Who would be harmed by a bunch of gun-law geeks walking through the terminal to get to the hotel to hear some stars of gun law reform, eat munchies, and go home?
Hey! What happened to my first comment?!
Whew. It was in my browser history. Here it is again:
==
Thanks to everyone who helped check on this and get things clarified. The answer I got when I called GRPC turns out to be correct, but I think they weren't all that clear on the FL law because I was told that since it is part of the unsecured area of the terminal that it was okay. But that's not why it's okay, since, from my reading of the statute, you can't even carry in the unsecured area of the terminal. It's just that the hotel isn't considered part of the terminal, and that's why you can carry.
Oh, and to be fair to the GRPC coordinator I spoke with, I misspoke when I called Knitebane. He didn't actually hem and haw about giving me an answer. It was that I asked him to give Orlando PD a call and get it clarified in case attendees needed to be notified. He seemed reluctant to do that. It was too late for me and I was going to have to figure something out, but I was hoping he could confirm or deny and send out an alert if necessary.
Anyhow, I got down here fine, though I had trouble finding the hotel that was smack dab in front of my face. Long drive, slight iritis (hence, slightly blurred vision), and darkness contributed, but boy did I feel dumb.
If you drive, go up to the 4th floor parking, following the signs for the Hyatt. As advertised, the entrance is right there and you don't need to enter via the terminal.
@markofafreeman: Glad you made it down to Orlando in one piece. And glad that we got this all clarified. I look forward to seeing you this evening.
Thanks for giving the directions on the proper way to enter the hotel without going into the terminal!
When I read this blog, my first reaction was "why would anyone even question whether it was legal to carry in a hotel in Florida?"
At any rate, perhaps I have been breathing the relatively free Kentucky air too long …
Good to hear this about the GRPC. What a great event. Sorry I can't make it this year.
When did it become illegal to carry in the (non-sterile) part of the terminal?
Florida law says no carry in the terminal. Carry in the parking lot is OK.
Steve packing 24/7/365 in sunny SWC FL>
A law that treats the unsecured part of an airport differently than the local Stop & Rob is truly screwed up.
Do FL legislators suffer from dementia or are they just that stupid?
RE: Florida legislators? The answer is "yes".