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St. Pete Votes To Expand Its No-Begging Zone

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By CARLOS MONCADA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2008

Updated: 01/10/2008 10:33 pm

ST. PETERSBURG - The St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to crack down on panhandlers by expanding the downtown zone where begging is outlawed to include certain tourist attractions and areas around them.

The locations include the Florida Holocaust Museum, The Pier with its shops and restaurants on Tampa Bay, the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, the Museum of Fine Arts and Florida International Museum.

The expanded zone includes "places where people would park and walk to tourist attractions," City Attorney John Wolfe said.

The measure is based on precedent set in a court case from Fort Lauderdale, Wolfe said.

The South Florida city banned panhandling on its beach in 1993, contending that beggars were scaring away tourists and their dollars.

The Fort Lauderdale ban has been upheld by the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is St. Petersburg's appeals circuit as well, Wolfe said.

"It's narrowly drawn to affect the purpose of maintaining the city of St. Petersburg as a tourist destination," Wolfe told the council. "And it has to be narrowly drawn under the Constitution."

"We feel we can defend this ordinance and prevail because of the tourist destinations within these blocks."

The city already prohibits "aggressive" forms of panhandling anywhere in St. Petersburg. Panhandling also is banned at night and at places such as bus stops, sidewalk cafes and near a bank or automatic teller machines.

Two residents spoke in favor of expanding the no-panhandling zone.

Daniel O'Brien applauded the effort but was concerned that banning panhandling in more areas of downtown would push the problem to other neighborhoods.

"I'd like to see some enforcement happen," he said.

To take action, police must witness the panhandling, Mayor Rick Baker said.

Michael Johnson, who works downtown and is director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, asked the council to consider expanding the zone even more.

However, Wolfe advised against it, saying that the city by law must provide alternative places for people to beg for money.

"There's a great frustration in the city on this issue," council Chairman James Bennett said. "And we're condemned because we don't move quickly, and it's because we have to work within the realm of legalities and lawsuits."

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at cmoncada

@tampatrib.com or at (727) 451-2333.

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