Tampa activist asks council to put panhandling ban on March ballot (St. Petersburg: attorney, unemployment rate)

[craigm1841]

Tampa activist asks council to put panhandling ban on March ballot

TAMPA - A Tampa activist today asked the city council to put a referendum on the March ballot that would, if approved by voters, impose a ban on panhandling in city limits.

Spencer Kass, a member of an umbrella group that represents about 40 neighborhood associations, is leading a petition drive that would put the question on the ballot. He faces a gargantuan task, though – collecting at least 18,000 signatures by a Dec. 26 deadline.

Spenser said the council could bypass that by voting today to put it on the ballot.

"The (Iorio) administration and the police department support this," Kass told council members. "If you won't ban it, then at the very least you should let the voters decide."

But council members declined to take up the issue.

Councilman Charlie Miranda said charities and newspaper hawkers use the city's right-of-ways to make money and that he didn't want to put people out of work.

"It seems simple, just get rid of people you don't like," he said. "But it's not that simple."

Council Chair Tom Scott said he is working on a plan with the city's legal department that would identify "arterial roadways" where solictatation would be prohibited.

"Something is being done," he said. "This will help alleviate some of the panhandling."

Kass said he and others were prompted to pursue a ballot measure because the Tampa City Council last month refused to consider a proposal to impose a ban similar to the one in effect in St. Petersburg, and the reluctance of the county to adopt tougher restrictions.

At an Oct. 14 council workshop, Councilman Joseph Caetano asked the city attorney to draft a proposed ordinance banning solicitation on the city's right-of-ways. Caetano failed to get a second, so his motion died. Council Chairman Tom Scott and other members of the board said they couldn't support a ban because of the city's high unemployment rate.
The council's rejection came after more than an hour of testimony from city and public safety officials and others who argued that panhandling is a public safety issue.

At today's meeting, Caetano urged council members to once again take up the issue.

"We should have the guts to put this on the ballot," he said. "It's a dangerous situation."

The Iorio administration proposed a ban on median solicitation last year, but the city council backed away from it. Instead, council members opted for watered-down rules allowing solicitors to use rights of way if they followed basic safety requirements.

Among them: They must not solicit after sunset. They must be at least 18. They must wear bright reflective vests. And they must not use "voice-amplifying" devices. The new rules also require them to stay on the median when the traffic around them is moving.

The county, Temple Terrace and Plant City have ordinances that prohibit roadway panhandling. In June, St. Petersburg banned solicitation on its roadways, a law that also applies to people hawking newspapers or raising money for charitable causes.

City officials have blamed St. Petersburg's solicitation ban, as well as the economic recession, for the recent increase in panhandling on the Tampa's roadways.

Hillsborough and Tampa officials as well as representatives of the county's other cities have created a task force to study the panhandling issue but haven't taken any action.

[chi_tino]

Originally Posted by craigm1841

City officials have blamed St. Petersburg's solicitation ban, as well as the economic recession, for the recent increase in panhandling on the Tampa's roadways.

Ha ha! Thanks for taking our deadbeats, Tampa!