Let's Put Food Trucks at the Pier

Someone, suggested the other day that the City allow food trucks on the Pier approach. I think this is a great idea.

Let's put five or seven food trucks along the Pier approach and create a festive atmosphere to bring the locals and the tourists back to the Pier, maybe three or four during the week and a couple more on the weekends.

The whole St. Pete food truck thing got hijacked by the Beach Drive barons and our ever "let's take care of the big boys" Chamber of Commerce. With the help of their personal representative on City Council, Jim Kennedy, Beach Drive restaurateurs and the Chamber, the food truck issue got shoved into an endless series of reports, reviews and committees.

The food truck owners, who are all about fast paced business, and don't have a lot of time for politics simply left and took their business elsewhere.

Here is a way for the Kriseman administration to get something exciting going at the Pier with little cost to the City and maximum impact.

Look for a lot of complaining and wanting to set burdensome controls from some of the City Council, but this time around the Mayor just needs to get the permits or whatever is necessary issued and get the trucks in place. If there is enough business there it will work. If not the food trucks will move on.

Oh, and let's not go with the whole "the Pier is unsafe and will fall down if we put those awful food trucks out there". That is an insult to almost everyone's intelligence.

Here are some suggested rules:

1. Maximum number of trucks on any day 7.

2. Monday through Thursday trucks may set up after 8:00AM.

3. Monday through Thursday trucks must be off the Pier approach by 8:00PM.

4. Friday and Saturday Food Trucks may stay open until 10:00PM and can remain over night.

5. Food trucks can open for business at 7:00AM on Saturday and Sunday.

6. All food trucks must be off the Pier approach by 8:00PM on Sundays.

7. Parks and Recreation will handle food truck scheduling and bookings

8. Maybe a small daily fee.

Anything more complicated than this is just an attempt to make this not happen.

It's time for the Kriseman administration to get up on its legs and start running. This is great opportunity to do just that with little or no risk and almost no cost to the City.

e-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net, or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb)Friend request. See More of Doc at Bay Post Internet and St.Pete Patch, Gulfport Patch, Clearwater Patch, Palm Harbor Patch, Largo Patch.
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