USF St. Pete - Bringing the Food Trucks Downtown

Since the Mayor and City Council could not come to grips with the Beach Drive barons and the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce on food trucks, the University of South Florida St. Pete has stepped into the breach. 

Now that's what a University is for. Identify major community problems and take action. Actually the event was to celebrate the first week of classes, or so they say. 

Whimpering and wining that a couple of people in a food truck might just put them out of business, the downtown culinary elite managed to throw a scare into the Mayor and a couple of easily swayed council members regarding food trucks in downtown St. Pete. 

After maneuvering the food truck issue into a useless committee and holding endless and equally useless meetings, the food truck people seemed to have moved on. 

After all election time was coming and it is unlikely the food truck folks are big contributors. 

Saturday, USF hosted the food truck rally on their campus and 8 or so trucks showed up. They were located in the main parking lot. 

We got there about noon, and the crowd was small but quickly grew. Very neat event lots of students and a surprising number of locals. 

Some suggestions: There should be some covered seating somewhere, although it was nice to set along the street edge in the grass. If they do it again, be sure to take a chair. 

The food was good, we had a cheese steak sandwich, service was good and the prices not too bad.

Maybe the Beach Drive guys do have something to worry about. 

I would like to see the event continue on Friday or Saturday for lunch, but then somebody at the University has probably already gotten the "hi I have this business on Beach Drive and about those food trucks..." call. 

Have your say.  Be sure to get a petition for the Pier Referendum and complete it properly. Information and schedule of events at Stop The Lens.