HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners are reacting to a recently passed Florida law allowing food trucks to operate within any municipality in the state by creating regulations for those doing business in the city.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Chad Minor said that while city leaders cannot keep food trucks from operating in Holmes Beach, there are certain ways that they can regulate those operations, including limiting hours and where the food trucks can do business.
Some of the rules being considered include limiting operating hours to 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily and limiting food trucks to spending two days per week at a single location within the city. The hours would be adjusted for any food trucks taking part in a special event with a temporary use permit, such as a festival at the city field complex.
If the proposed ordinance is approved by commissioners, food truck operations would only be able to take place in the C-2 and C-3 commercial districts and on finished surfaces outside of required parking for the primary business at the location and off of the right of way. By limiting which districts food trucks can operate in, commissioners prevent them from setting up in residential neighborhoods, at beach access points, at office buildings or at one of the closed bank properties in the city which are zoned C-1 for low-intensity commercial endeavors.
Operators also would have to meet all applicable fire codes and be open to allowing fire prevention or code compliance officers to inspect the food truck at any time. Oil, water and other waste would be required to be disposed of properly off-site, not dumped in landscaping, on parking lots or in the city’s sewer system.
The selling of items would be limited to food and beverages and operators would not be able to serve any items from a moving vehicle.
Food truck employees would also be required to have access to a restroom facility at a nearby business or other facility.
“You’ve buttoned this up very tight,” Commissioner Terry Schaefer said, applauding Minor’s work on the proposed ordinance.
