Tampa council puts off banning beggars AGAIN

[Not_liking_FL]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

What do you mean when you ask "and then what?"...not sure what you're asking.

There will not be bums begging in streets, I guess, is what.

What do we do with the people who want to change? They can go find help at a myriad of charities, or seek out family members for help. I've stated in other threads that I've volunteered at Metro Ministries. This is a fantastic place/program for the homeless. There is no need for them to beg. They can get food, showers, phones, internet, counseling, etc for free there, and it's done in a fashion that is not demeaning, like many govt programs are.

Or they can ask family for help.

I know this...I've driven people from out of town around Tampa, and I ALWAYS hear comments about these bums. It's not good for our area. It attracts more like them, expecially now that both St Pete and Pasco have passsed anti-begging ordinances. It's almost comical...I drive BBD a lot and there are no beggars north of County Line Rd....but on the Tampa side of CLR, there is one there with a sign.

I want to make it clear that I'm not advocating panhandling. I dislike seeing panhandlers at every corner just as much as the next guy. However, from what I've read the city is only trying to get panhandlers off the roads and medians(correct me if I'm wrong). In my opinion this will just shift the problem to other areas of the city(businesses,parks,parking lots, etc). If this is the case I think the problem will be worse. At least now you can keep your window rolled up and look straight ahead. It will be very bad for local businesses if their customers are being harrassed in their parking lots, face to face with a panhandler.
I'm curious to see how this works in St. Pete. First they banned panhandling, then gave homeless an option of a shelter or jail. Kicking the can down the road has brought us more panhandlers in Tampa, so I guess if we kick the can down the road they will end up in Lakeland or Sarasota. Maybe it would be good if the legislature does outlaw panhandling state wide, but then I'm sure we would see a sharp increase in crime. No easy answer.
I think You're right to some extent about the resources available for the homeless, but there are more drug addicts/alcoholics and mentally ill that don't want help than there are homeless that want to improve their lives. Again, I think if you cut these people off from their only source of income there will be more crime. I'd rather have a guy holding a sign saying, "I'm too short to be a porn star" at an intersection, than having the rejected porn star holding a gun to my face demanding my wallet.
I think this panhandling/homeless problem would have been solved a long time ago if it was just simple enough to ban them. Though I really dislike the fact that there are some very lazy people who aren't homeless and beg for a living.

[jambo101]

I agree with the previous poster,panhandling and begging seem to be a harmless way of people making money,they come to your car window and ask for some change,you either say yes or no and move on. taking this form of livelihood away from these people will probably force them into more desperate measures probably involving more serious crimes,i think i prefer the panhandling to the possible alternatives.
Yes some of these people are lazy and just dont want to work,although standing in the sun all day begging doesnt strike me as an easy job.
There are also lazy rich people who dont want to work and just fritter away the inheritance that they never earned.

[BBI]

Originally Posted by user8

question to people who live in st. pete - do bums still hit you up for money, just on the "down low" IE - in a shopping center parking lot or gas station?

I live in St. Pete and haven't had anyone harrass me at a gas station or shopping center. Now and then, I'll walk past an obviously-homeless person downtown who'll ask for some change; but they take no for an answer and are downtrodden, not intimidating or aggressive.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by user8

question to people who live in st. pete - do bums still hit you up for money, just on the "down low" IE - in a shopping center parking lot or gas station?

I don't live in Pinellas, but I'm there very frequently and no, I haven't been hit up for anything in quite awhile. I have outside of the St. Pete city limits, but only once or twice.

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by Not_liking_FL

I want to make it clear that I'm not advocating panhandling. I dislike seeing panhandlers at every corner just as much as the next guy. However, from what I've read the city is only trying to get panhandlers off the roads and medians(correct me if I'm wrong). In my opinion this will just shift the problem to other areas of the city(businesses,parks,parking lots, etc). If this is the case I think the problem will be worse. At least now you can keep your window rolled up and look straight ahead. It will be very bad for local businesses if their customers are being harrassed in their parking lots, face to face with a panhandler.
I'm curious to see how this works in St. Pete. First they banned panhandling, then gave homeless an option of a shelter or jail. Kicking the can down the road has brought us more panhandlers in Tampa, so I guess if we kick the can down the road they will end up in Lakeland or Sarasota. Maybe it would be good if the legislature does outlaw panhandling state wide, but then I'm sure we would see a sharp increase in crime. No easy answer.
I think You're right to some extent about the resources available for the homeless, but there are more drug addicts/alcoholics and mentally ill that don't want help than there are homeless that want to improve their lives. Again, I think if you cut these people off from their only source of income there will be more crime. I'd rather have a guy holding a sign saying, "I'm too short to be a porn star" at an intersection, than having the rejected porn star holding a gun to my face demanding my wallet.
I think this panhandling/homeless problem would have been solved a long time ago if it was just simple enough to ban them. Though I really dislike the fact that there are some very lazy people who aren't homeless and beg for a living.

I guess we'll see how the St Pete and Pasco laws work out. I live in New Tampa and I'll say this...when I am on the Pasco side of New Tampa, I never see these guys in the median anymore, and I never get harassed at gas stations or whatever. However, I still see the bums in the Tampa side of this area. Now, the Pasco law is new, but so far, so good.