The news story that keeps on giving for Tampa political reporters – whether to ban panhandling on street right-of-ways in Tampa – will continue to play out, as the City Council Thursday night scheduled a workshop on a comprehensive look at homelessness – 6 weeks from now.
In the past week City Attorney Chip Fletcher had mentioned that his staff was looking at alternatives to an outright ban on panhandling. Discussions have been about possibly limiting the days of the week or the times of day when panhandling would be legal, but the idea that was announced by City Council Chair Thomas Scott on Thursday was to ban the practice on some of the busiest thoroughfares where such soliciting has been taking place – such as on Dale Mabry, Fowler Avenue, Fletcher & Hillsborough Avenues, as well as some other street corners.
But Scott couldn't get anyway to back him on that idea, as those who previously have argued why they don't want a ban, such as council members Charlie Miranda and Mary Mulhern, again emphasized that point.
(At this point I should mention that I'm basing this post on stories written this morning by Christian Wade in the Tribune and Rick Danielson in the Times. That's because apparently the fact that the Tampa government channel could not be accessed here at CL was not on our end, as a giant Bright House snafu prevented everybody throughout the city from being able to access the local Tampa government access channel).
Scott's entreaty was also rejected by the original hardcore council member on panhandling – New Tampa's Joe Caetano.
The Times reports in addition to the aforementioned reasons why other council members would not go along with the idea of banning panhandling on specific right-of-ways that " several said the city should wait for the report of a countywide committee studying the issue."
But it's looking doubtful that that particular report would influence them in any significant way.
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2011.