After facing backlash, controversial food truck ordinance tabled

[thelakelander]

After spending five minutes on the phone with Councilman Reggie Brown on Tuesday evening, Matt Lennon of The Loving Cup was almost certain that a food truck ordinance that would have meant bigger restrictions would be withdrawn.

Still, Lennon, as well as several food truck owners and members of Jacksonville's food truck scene, sat through an hour of the City Council meeting, waiting for confirmation.

It's the kind of battle that food truck owners are used to in Jacksonville. City Council approved legislation that expanded food trucks' rights slightly in July 2014, when it passed an ordinance that required food trucks to operate 50 feet away from brick-and-mortar restaurants, in addition to getting necessary permits from the city. Before that, food trucks faced stricter regulations on where they could operate.

It was a change that food truck owners accepted, reluctantly.

"It kept brick-and-mortars happy and food trucks content," Lennon said.

The new ordinance, which was put forward by Councilman Brown last week, would have required food trucks in Downtown to be 50 feet away from a restaurant's property lines. If food trucks were closer than 50 feet, they would have been required to get written permission of the restaurant.

Full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/morning-edition/2015/11/after-facing-backlash-controversial-food-truck.html