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New Port Richey: Food trucks, dumpsters and bicycles, oh my

 
New Port Richey City Hall  ALICE HERDEN | Special to the Times
New Port Richey City Hall ALICE HERDEN | Special to the Times
Published July 18, 2018

NEW PORT RICHEY — Enforcing laws about food trucks, dumpsters, and bicycle safety were all on the table Tuesday for a New Port Richey City Council looking to continue a downtown renaissance.

City leaders discussed adding laws on those topics and enforcing existing laws, which could affect the pocketbooks of business owners, motorists and bicyclists.

Managing food trucks has vexed the council for months as members kicked around the idea of an ordinance regulating them. They tabled the topic again Tuesday, because council member Chopper Davis was absent. David led previous discussions.

New Port Richey has no food truck regulations, and a proposed ordinance would require owners to obtain a permit from the city to operate. The ordinance would regulate everything from sanitation, to setbacks, to operating without impeding other businesses downtown.

Downtown business owners who spoke Tuesday viewed the proposed ordinance as an invitation for food truck owners to come downtown.

"I feel our restaurants are struggling as it is to maintain our presence and maintain our client base," said Jerry Kuss, co-owner of Rose's Bistro Off Main. "I feel like these trucks will take away from all of our clientele. You're taking away from the revenue of the downtown merchants."

The council passed another ordinance upon first reading Tuesday for a new restaurant coming to Main Street, Kazu's Sushi. The owner asked if, through a lease, the restaurant could operate a dumpster on city property.

Council members viewed it as a good idea and launched into a discussion about dumpsters citywide. Deputy Mayor Jeff Starkey said that dumpsters randomly placed throughout the city that lack fencing are an eyesore. He asked about passing an ordinance to make owners fence dumpsters.

Such an ordinance is already on the books, they learned.

"I think it's an enforcement issue," City Attorney Tim Driscoll said.

Motorists and bicyclists also should be aware that a crackdown may be coming after a local bicycle shop owner questioned whether police are enforcing a state law requiring drivers to give bicycles 3 feet of space when passing them.

"It probably would not hurt to remind your crew that if they see that happen, they need to pull the driver over and give them a warning at the very least and let them know that it's not safe," Mayor Rob Marlowe said to Police Chief Kim Bogart.

Bogart agreed, but said bicyclists also need to follow the law.

"At the same point, we have a serious problem with bicyclists not obeying any of the rules," Bogart said.