Gulf Shores, Ala. — (OBA) —  The unanimous Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the convictions of a Gulf Shores business owner who had been found guilty of operating a golf cart rental business without a business license. The court ruled that the City of Gulf Shores failed to prove its case under the ordinance it charged. The opinion was released on June 26, 2026.

The charges stemmed from golf cart rentals by Gulf Coast Rental Company in May and June 2024. Harris, a minority owner and the company's vice president, was personally charged after customers rented golf carts for use in Gulf Shores. He was later convicted in municipal court, appealed, and was again convicted after a jury trial in Baldwin Circuit Court.

The circuit court sentenced Harris to two 30-day jail terms, suspended, placed him on 12 months of probation, and fined him $500 per count. After his motion for a new trial was denied, Harris appealed to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.

Court records show that Gulf Coast Rental Company first obtained a City of Gulf Shores business license in 2019. The company listed beach equipment and other recreational rental items in its application. The city renewed the license annually, including in 2024.

According to the opinion, the company had been renting golf carts for several years. In 2022, after questioning whether one was required, it applied for a separate business license specifically for golf cart rentals. The city denied the application, prompting the company to file a civil lawsuit alleging the denial was arbitrary and capricious.

The opinion also notes that the city charged Harris in 2022 with operating without a business license. During a deposition in the related civil case, a city revenue employee testified that a golf cart qualified as a recreational good under the company's existing business license. The city later dismissed those charges.

Writing for a unanimous court, Presiding Judge Windom said it was undisputed that the company held a valid business license at the time of the 2024 rentals. The court found that nothing in the city's ordinances required a separate specialized license for golf cart rentals or limited the company to renting only items specifically listed on its application.

The court also noted that Gulf Shores did not prohibit commercial golf cart rentals at the time of the alleged offenses. It pointed out that the city later adopted an ordinance in August 2024 banning businesses from renting golf carts and low-speed vehicles intended for use on public streets, indicating that the prohibition did not exist when Harris was charged.

The appeals court concluded that Gulf Coast Rental Company held a valid business license at the time of the rentals and that the City failed to establish a prima facie case that Harris had operated a business without a license. The decision reverses the convictions and renders judgment in Harris's favor, effectively ending the criminal prosecution.

In a statement, Harris said, “The City brought three criminal cases against me. The first was dismissed by the City. The remaining two were tried together, and on Friday, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously reversed both convictions, holding that the City failed to prove its case and rendering judgment in my favor.”

Harris also added, I'm grateful for the Court's decision and thankful to finally put this behind me. Now it's time to do what the citizens of Gulf Shores and the people of Baldwin County elected me to do—get to work serving Baldwin County.”