It’s true. Late last month, Governor Charlie Crist signed the proclamation that states "the solution of the issue of homelessness requires that all citizens become involved in helping their neighbors in need through donations of time, talents and treasures.”

But the St. Petersburg City Council must not have gotten the memo.

Last week, they voted unanimously to expand the city’s panhandling ordinance that bans begging in most of downtown. And next week, they plan to pass two more ordinances that would ban all storage of property in the right-of-way, and prohibit sleeping or “reclining” in the downtown area during daylight hours.

While Crist asks us to give to the homeless, Mayor Rick Baker is asking us to call the police “immediately.”

Crist has made me feel a little guilty, too. In this week’s Urban Explorer, I’m resigned to the fact that people won’t give money to the homeless, so I laid out my own “modest proposal” on how to avoid panhandlers’ requests.

In the spirit of Crist’s proclamation, maybe you should reconsider avoiding that outstretched hand on the sidewalk.

At least for this month.

This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2008.