Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Took a Golf Cart Case to the State Supreme Court. The Court Wouldn't Hear It.
The city prosecuted a rental company's vice president over golf carts an appeals court found the company was already licensed to rent. The appeals court threw out the convictions, and on Oct. 9 the Alabama Supreme Court declined to hear the city's appeal. What the fight cost taxpayers has not been reported.
On Oct. 9, the Alabama Supreme Court refused to review a ruling that overturned two convictions Gulf Shores won against John Carl "Tater" Harris III. The order ended the city's last appeal. (NBC15)
Harris was a minority owner and vice president of Gulf Coast Rental Company, according to NBC15 and the appeals court. In June he won the Baldwin County Commission District 4 runoff. (1819 News)
How it started
Gulf Coast Rental held a Gulf Shores business license from 2019, renewed through at least 2024. The city issued it for the "rental of recreational goods." In April 2022 the company applied for a separate license just for golf carts, and the city denied it. (Court of Criminal Appeals opinion)
The city's first complaint against Harris was dismissed. The appeals court said the reason for that dismissal is unclear, noting that testimony referenced "an offer to dismiss the charges if GCRC dismissed its civil action" against the city. (same opinion) Harris says this was the third time the city brought criminal charges against him. (1819 News)
The case that went to trial
The charges that went to trial came from golf cart rentals in May and June 2024. The city charged Harris with two counts of operating a business without a license under Ordinance No. 1508. He was convicted and sentenced to 30 days in jail on each count, suspended, plus 12 months of probation and a $500 fine on each count. (opinion)
What the appeals court said
On June 26, 2026, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed both convictions, 5-0, and entered judgment for Harris, so there is no retrial. (same opinion) The court's reasons:
- The company already held a valid city business license when the rentals happened.
- "Nothing in the record supports the City's contention" that golf carts needed a separate license.
- No city ordinance banned golf cart rentals at the time. The city passed one in August 2024, after the rentals.
- The city's 2022 denial of the golf cart application did not turn the rentals into a violation.
Harris's reaction: "The facts have finally caught up with the accusations." (1819 News)
The civil fight isn't over
Gulf Coast Rental also sued the city. That case moved to federal court, where a judge on April 17, 2026 dismissed the company's federal claims and sent four state-law claims back to Baldwin County Circuit Court. (U.S. District Court order)
Questions Gulf Shores hasn't answered
- How much has the city paid outside lawyers on the criminal case, the appeals and the civil suits?
- Who decided to take the case to the Alabama Supreme Court after a unanimous appeals ruling?
- Did the city offer to drop the 2022 charge if the company dropped its lawsuit, and if so, who authorized it?
Island Insider will request the city's legal invoices for these cases and publish the total.
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