Attacks, CCW, and the Law

[divemedic]

As a part time job, I teach adult education classes as a private contractor. What I do is hold seminars and classes on a contract/fee basis for various companies, churches, and private groups. Many of these are done late at night.

Last week, when leaving one of my classes, a female student was robbed and beaten on the way to her car. This particular site was located in the south side of Orlando, a city which is now the 18th most dangerous city in the US.

Florida law states that the following places (among others) are off limits to concealed carry:

any school administration building; ... any elementary or secondary school facility; any career center; any college or university facility

When giving a seminar, the places I teach are not elementary or secondary schools (these are for K-12), nor are they colleges or Universities (My classes do not grant college credit).


Nor do I feel like they are career centers, as the law in other places defines a career center in specific terms. For example:

475.451 Schools teaching real estate practice.--

(1) Each person, school, or institution, except approved and accredited colleges, universities, community colleges, and career centers in this state, which offers or conducts any course of study in real estate practice,

or this one:

which shall include a 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course from a nationally recognized or state-recognized appraisal organization, career center, accredited community college, college, or university, state or federal agency or commission, or proprietary real estate school that holds a permit pursuant to s. 475.451.

The law here clearly holds career centers, colleges, etc., to be distinct and different from people, schools, and institutions.

I am wondering just how much leeway there is in this.

[A/C Guy]

Call the local sheriff, they will know.

[divemedic]

Cops are not lawyers, and know very little of the law.

[kirpi97]

The city has an Attorney on retainer. But the State's Attorney General's Office should be able to give you a legal reading on your question.

Aside from that, you take your chances.

[Ricky B]

Divemedic, in exactly what kind of buildings do you give your seminars?

And is open carry permitted?

[divemedic]

Office buildings, churches, businesses. Open carry is not legal in Florida.

[Ricky B]

I think the best bet for defining the term "career centers" would be section 1001.44 of Title XLVIII (K-20 Education Code):

1001.44 Career centers.--

(1) DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD MAY ESTABLISH OR ACQUIRE CAREER CENTERS.--Any district school board, after first obtaining the approval of the Department of Education, may, as a part of the district school system, organize, establish and operate a career center, or acquire and operate a career center previously established.

(2) DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARDS OF CONTIGUOUS DISTRICTS MAY ESTABLISH OR ACQUIRE CAREER CENTERS.--The district school boards of any two or more contiguous districts may, upon first obtaining the approval of the department, enter into an agreement to organize, establish and operate, or acquire and operate, a career center under this section.

(3) CAREER CENTER PART OF DISTRICT SCHOOL SYSTEM DIRECTED BY A DIRECTOR.--

(a) A career center established or acquired under provisions of law and minimum standards prescribed by the commissioner shall comprise a part of the district school system and shall mean an educational institution offering terminal courses of a technical nature, and courses for out-of-school youth and adults; shall be subject to all applicable provisions of this code; shall be under the control of the district school board of the school district in which it is located; and shall be directed by a director responsible through the district school superintendent to the district school board of the school district in which the center is located.

(b) Each career center shall maintain an academic transcript for each student enrolled in the center. Such transcript shall delineate each course completed by the student. Courses shall be delineated by the course prefix and title assigned pursuant to s. 1007.24. The center shall make a copy of a student's transcript available to any student who requests it.

There is also a charter technical career center, which is defined here:

http://tinyurl.com/d4zn2w

In either case, it looks like a career center needs to be under the control of a school board or a community college board of trustees. It should be fairly easy for you to find out whether the programs you teach are under such control. The people administering the programs you teach should know whether or not they are part of a "career center" as used in the Education Code.

Of course, I am not offering legal advice, and the foregoing is just to point you in what I hope is the right direction.