Jacksonville City Councilman Asking Mayor Not To Sign Food Truck Ban Ordinance

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The contention surrounding a caller ordinance approved by Jacksonville City Council continues.

Council members passed a prohibition connected nutrient trucks astatine state stations Tuesday night. Some members of nan nutrient motortruck organization judge this measure will wounded them financially, and now Mayor Donna Deegan is being asked not to motion it.

Glenda Rivera Chung has been operating The Lumpia Lady nutrient motortruck since 2021. She sewage her commencement by cooking for group successful her neighborhood.

"They encouraged maine to get a nutrient motortruck and I was doing video, and cooking Facebook Live, and that's really it started," Chung said.

Chung said she parks her nutrient motortruck astatine a state position erstwhile a week. She is now concerned astir losing that gross pinch nan prohibition successful place. "Now it's like, ok, truthful what do I do now? At slightest successful my situation, really americium I going to support this business afloat because this is 30% of my business." 

The ordinance prohibits mobile nutrient trucks from preparing and trading nutrient utilizing an unfastened occurrence connected immoderate spot which sells gasoline aliases different flammable petroleum products wrong 300 feet of a pump mechanism. Councilman Joe Carlucci introduced nan measure aft receiving complaints from group surviving successful his district. They were worried astir imaginable fires aliases explosions pinch nutrient trucks operating truthful adjacent to a flammable substance.

"It's conscionable 1 of those things wherever we sewage to benignant of put information first. And by nary intends do we wanna unopen anyone down, we conscionable want them to relocate to a safer location," Carlucci told First Coast News successful an question and reply up of Tuesday's vote.

The ordinance was met pinch some support and guidance during Tuesday's meeting. Those who supported nan bill, including Carlucci, believed it was nan correct point to do for nationalist safety. Councilman Rahman Johnson was 1 of nan group who voted against nan ordinance.

"I was much pro-business and location was nary there, there. It was looking for illustration we were trying to find a solution for a problem that didn't exist," Johnson said.

Johnson believes this ordinance disproportionately affects group surviving successful undeserved communities and number business owners. He besides did not judge location was capable information to support nan bill. Johnson sent a missive to Deegan Wednesday greeting urging her not to motion it.

"I composed a missive and sent it complete to nan politician asking her not to motion this because I conscionable deliberation it sends nan incorrect connection to our community, to nan business community, to our city. We want business to flourish, and to move guardant here," Johnson said.

First Coast News reached retired Carlucci for a remark connected his colleague's letter. Carlucci called nan measure "common sense," writing, "the Planning Department approved this, nan Planning Commission approved this, nan Rules Committee approved this, nan LUZ Committee approved this, City Council approved this, and yes, moreover nan Fire Chief supports this change."

Carlucci added his agency received "zero" calls, emails, aliases nationalist remark from nutrient motortruck owners who opposed nan bill. 

Food motortruck owners will person 90 days to comply pinch this caller ordinance. After 90 days, owners could look a $250 good per day. Johnson said they will person to find which agency will beryllium successful complaint of enforcing this law.

Chung said she is not against making nutrient trucks safer, but she wants to spot much investigation earlier banning nutrient trucks from state stations. She hopes nan metropolis will activity much intimately pinch nan nutrient motortruck organization to travel up pinch a discuss and forestall group from losing business.

"Give america a chance to perceive our input and let's travel up pinch a solution to this, really we tin fortify nan information broadside of nan operations while we are successful nan gasoline station. I deliberation some sides request to activity together," Chung said.

A spokesperson for Deegan's agency said nan politician is taking each of this organization chat into information arsenic she reviews nan bill.