Roadside Panhandling Ban Up for Final Pasco Commission Vote

Pasco commissioners will make the final decision today, July 26, about clamping down on people looking for handouts and others trying to get money from drivers, at least for six days a week.

County commissioners in June gave preliminary approval to a law that would ban any kind of solicitation on major roads, a net that would sweep in activities from newspaper sales to panhandling. The final vote comes up today when the commission meets in New Port Richey.

Pasco’s proposed ordinance does allow some types of soliciting on Sundays but with restrictions. Traffic on Sunday is about a quarter of the volume as a weekday, the ordinance states. The law would affect only roads in unincorporated areas of the county but still includes miles of asphalt. It affects all state and county roads outside city limits, including major highways such as U.S. 19 and State Road 54. The law also covers local roads about 100 yards from intersections with major highways.

Pasco isn’t the first to wrestle with controlling people who have their hands out to motorists at stop lights. And while Pasco’s ordinance would hit newspaper vendors, people trying to scrape up a few bucks selling water at intersections and charities seeking donations, it also would bar homeless people from asking for money.

Hillsborough County and St. Petersburg have enacted outright bans for street-side soliciting, while Tampa is grappling with the situation.

Tampa did adopt an ordinance that requires anyone soliciting at intersections to wear a yellow, reflective vest, and the city council members there have expressed support for adopting Pasco’s six-day rule.

New Port Richey took a : It made aggressive panhandling illegal and banned making threats. And even the state Legislature got into the situation. A bill was proposed but never became law or reached a vote that would have regulated panhandling on state roads.

Among the activities Pasco’s exception for Sunday soliciting allows are newspapers selling their Sunday editions at intersections, but there are still restrictions on anyone out on Sundays. The person has to be at least 18 years old and have a photo identification issued by the state. The person also has to wear a reflective vest.

The law includes rules against aggressive behavior such as causing drivers to slow or open their doors and touching the vehicles. Pasco’s ordnance also tries to accommodate people trying to express themselves through the First Amendment by allowing people to hold signs, picket, dance and carry signs hawking businesses.

Commissioners will take up the issue during the public hearing portion of the meeting, which starts at 1:30 p.m. They meet in the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Dr., New Port Richey. The regular meeting begins at 10 a.m.