Hernando County Considers Ordinance Requiring Businesses to Accept Cash Payments

Hernando County commissioners discussed an ordinance this week that would require businesses refusing cash to start accepting it, renewing a push that already failed once at the Government Center in Brooksville.

Since late 2024, commissioners have been searching for a workable way to address businesses that decline to accept coins and paper money in favor of cards or digital payment systems. The latest discussion, reported by WFLA, came at a Tuesday commission meeting and centers on formally mandating cash acceptance countywide, framed as a protection for residents who lack access to credit cards, debit cards, or digital payment options.

The effort has a complicated history in Hernando. An earlier ordinance failed on a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Hawkins and Champion voting in favor and Commissioners Allocco, Campbell, and Narverud voting against. Rather than leave the matter unaddressed, the commission pivoted to a resolution stating that Hernando County is a "cash county" and encouraging all businesses operating within the county to accept cash. That resolution passed 5-0.

Commissioner Steve Champion had been among the most vocal proponents. He described incidents involving his daughter shopping for school clothing and suggested at a prior meeting that the Save-A-Lot store on Kass Circle does not accept cash, saying, "You can go to Save-A-Lot over there, but guess what, all the retailers say, 'We don't take cash.'" Champion's position: "It should be elementary to take cash as a business."

The debate exposed genuine legal friction. A central sticking point in earlier discussions was enforcement and penalties, with Commissioner Jerry Campbell arguing, "I don't think having an ordinance that we're either not going to enforce or can't enforce, I don't think that's a good idea," while noting that only 5% of sales in his own business over the prior 15 weeks were made with cash. County Attorney Jon Jouben noted there is no way to prohibit businesses from charging extra for credit card use since it is a matter of federal law, adding that any credit card transaction is considered a wire transaction under federal statute.

The Board of County Commissioners meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 9 a.m. in the John Law Ayers room on the first floor of the Government Center at 20 North Main Street in Brooksville. A formal vote on the new ordinance has not been scheduled publicly, though commissioners indicated one remains possible.

The renewed effort comes as cashless payment systems have spread through retail, dining, and service businesses across Florida. For the unbanked and underbanked residents of Hernando County, the practical consequence of a business refusing paper money is not simply inconvenience; in some cases, as Champion argued before, they have no alternative means to complete a transaction. Whether the commission can craft ordinance language that survives both legal scrutiny and a majority vote remains the unresolved question heading into the next meeting.