Wilton Manors Publix Removes Outside Seating (Five Points: insurance, find a job, restaurant)

[HotandHumid]

I noticed that the Publix supermarket in Wilton Manors by Five Points removed their outside tables and even pulled out the bench that used to be there beside the bike rack. I know that Wilton Manors recently passed a anti-panhanding law, which I'm not in disagreement with as I feel that if you give someone on the street money, it only attracts more people asking for money to an area and then they don't seek out services in the community to help them find a job, housing or whatever else they need the money for.

I'd often stop by this Publix and pick up a snack or sandwich and eat it there instead of in my car while out running my errands and I'd often see elderly people sitting on seats at the tables waiting for a cab to come pick them and their groceries up, along with employees eating their lunch on their breaks but it seems the management of this Publix has gone overboard if all they are trying to do is drive away a few of the homeless looking people who I'd sometimes see eating something they bought at this store.

I noticed that the Dunkin Donuts that sits just south of this Publix store didn't remove their tables and chairs once this law was passed so do you think Publix went overboard taking away these tables just because Wilton Manors passed an anti-panhandling law? This seems to me to be a case of taking away a service for many just because the store doesn't want to attempt to control the actions of a few.

[Fl1150]

I think they did just as a just in case measure in order to be sure the law is followed.

[jhlcomp]

If you have a gripe with Publix or the city, why not take it up with them?

Placing tables and chairs outside of a grocery store or even a restaurant is not considered a service. In addition, it may no longer be legal and create an obstruction to the handicapped or other hazard. See ADA regulations. You also have to factor in permitting regulations which are becoming more stringent plus building insurance requirements.

[Papillons2]

Originally Posted by jhlcomp

If you have a gripe with Publix or the city, why not take it up with them?

Agreed. Although I wouldn't be happy with the removal of tables if I were in the original poster's shoes, there's probably not enough of an audience on these boards to force a change. Even a letter to the editor in the Sun Sentinel (which still has a large readership despite recent circulation declines) might get better results. Outdoor seating areas in my neck of the woods mostly attract people with a taste for cigarettes, so I usually opt to go indoors even when the weather's really beautiful like it has been the last few days.

[HotandHumid]

It's pretty obvious to me since the residents of Wilton Manors have been asking the City to do things for years and years, such as safety improvements on Wilton Drive, that contacting city officials about some tables on private property is not going to result in any actions being taken in regard to amenities for the public.

I didn't find that people sat smoking at those tables when they were in place was an issue because I can't recall ever eating my lunch there and having people smoking around me.

I did contact Publix and didn't receive any response and since the tables and bench have not been replaced, which they just installed umbrellas at a few months ago, it looks like just another one of those situations where the corporation came in and had the tables removed because I don't know of any campaign by locals to have them removed because they did not block people in wheelchairs from getting around them since they were widely spaced apart. There were only two tables and a bench that had been there for years against the wall by the bike rack.

[FloridaDude]

You have displaced all the informative, positive, fun Wilton Manors discussion topic threads, that have been here in this City-Data section for years & years, with your six(6) single-minded, negative threads. But, you knew this, didn't you?