Food Trucks To Be Legislated Out of Existence?

[Designer]

With the JTA lunchtime trolley service to Riverside, gov't removes a large portion of d'town lunch money from d'town.  Sudden food truck anxiety from gov't seems to confirm that local gov't wishes to reduce access to palatable and affordable food in the CBD.  If local gov't determines food trucks are okay in CBD, then I think we should figure food trucks are hastening the demise of downtown lunchrooms.
Note that allowing art galleries to sell alcohol during Art Walk and sometimes giving free (taxpayer-funded) beer kegs during Art Walk, e.g. Artoberfest in October, for more than ten years has hurt downtown's bars and taverns.
In a 40-years-slow economic erosion, downtown Jacksonville shed its U. S. post office, all office supply stores, all dime stores, all department stores, popcorn and other food vendors serving the central bus stop, all commercial movie theaters, all package liquor stores, all public drinking water fountains, all public telephones, and the most important events ticket office in  north FL (originally at Visitors and Convention Bureau in Hemming Park, then at Ticketmaster desk inside downtown Sears, presently at the service desk of the Avenues Mall).  Will all alcoholic libations and all sit-down food service outside the major hotels be next to go?

[Tacachale]

As far as the bars go, there are more downtown now and they're in better shape than ten years ago. I expect there aren't many that do worse business during Art Walk.

[ChriswUfGator]

With the JTA lunchtime trolley service to Riverside, gov't removes a large portion of d'town lunch money from d'town.  Sudden food truck anxiety from gov't seems to confirm that local gov't wishes to reduce access to palatable and affordable food in the CBD.  If local gov't determines food trucks are okay in CBD, then I think we should figure food trucks are hastening the demise of downtown lunchrooms.
Note that allowing art galleries to sell alcohol during Art Walk and sometimes giving free (taxpayer-funded) beer kegs during Art Walk, e.g. Artoberfest in October, for more than ten years has hurt downtown's bars and taverns.
In a 40-years-slow economic erosion, downtown Jacksonville shed its U. S. post office, all office supply stores, all dime stores, all department stores, popcorn and other food vendors serving the central bus stop, all commercial movie theaters, all package liquor stores, all public drinking water fountains, all public telephones, and the most important events ticket office in  north FL (originally at Visitors and Convention Bureau in Hemming Park, then at Ticketmaster desk inside downtown Sears, presently at the service desk of the Avenues Mall).  Will all alcoholic libations and all sit-down food service outside the major hotels be next to go?

Well...there's more to it. Shedding the public water fountains, telephones, restrooms, benches, etc., etc. was part of a deliberate strategy to make the area less attractive to homeless people. It of course had the effect of making it less attractive to people generally, and compounded the problem rather than resolving it.

[IrvAdams]

With the JTA lunchtime trolley service to Riverside, gov't removes a large portion of d'town lunch money from d'town.  Sudden food truck anxiety from gov't seems to confirm that local gov't wishes to reduce access to palatable and affordable food in the CBD.  If local gov't determines food trucks are okay in CBD, then I think we should figure food trucks are hastening the demise of downtown lunchrooms.
Note that allowing art galleries to sell alcohol during Art Walk and sometimes giving free (taxpayer-funded) beer kegs during Art Walk, e.g. Artoberfest in October, for more than ten years has hurt downtown's bars and taverns.
In a 40-years-slow economic erosion, downtown Jacksonville shed its U. S. post office, all office supply stores, all dime stores, all department stores, popcorn and other food vendors serving the central bus stop, all commercial movie theaters, all package liquor stores, all public drinking water fountains, all public telephones, and the most important events ticket office in  north FL (originally at Visitors and Convention Bureau in Hemming Park, then at Ticketmaster desk inside downtown Sears, presently at the service desk of the Avenues Mall).  Will all alcoholic libations and all sit-down food service outside the major hotels be next to go?

Well...there's more to it. Shedding the public water fountains, telephones, restrooms, benches, etc., etc. was part of a deliberate strategy to make the area less attractive to homeless people. It of course had the effect of making it less attractive to people generally, and compounded the problem rather than resolving it.

Yes, I agree that removing water, restrooms and other basic amenities seemed like a deliberate and misguided attempt to herd away (rather than directly address) the homeless issue. Yes, these people are homeless, but yes, they are also people and are citizens within our boundaries. A little simple respect would be refreshing.

[Cayotica@icloud.com]

one day while walking along the beach I came to the realization that by looking for small shark teeth all I would ever find is small teeth. I often believe our city council is only looking for the small teeth.

[Overstreet]

Food trucks ........... are not new.  I can remember eating at one in the 60s. They have been instrumental in bringing food to places that didn't have any services before the food trucks.  They will likely be around after the current wave of popularity.

Food trucks were often chased off of our construction sites. Paranoid food truck operators were probably thinking we were horses arses. We are. AND the reaction from the operators often increased the intensity.  But we were just managing liability exposure. Law suits are also in the current wave of popularity. Legal cost takes out of our bottom line.

Food trucks have to meet many of the health code requirements of fixed operators.  However they do not have to meet all of the requirements of a brick and mortar facility. For example they don't have to have handicap restrooms. A proper handicap restroom is an expensive thing to build and there are cleaning and maintenance costs. These types of things take from the brick and mortar operators bottom line.  And if they are or feel the food truck was taking business from them they would complain..............which seems to be happening.

Hemming plaza food establishments lost the lunch crowd for a time when The Landing opened. JP Mugs was a great supporter of the Landing. But the loss of lunch business killed his business. They had a great burger.  I'm sure the brick and mortar eateries would fear or dislike any competition, fixed or mobile,  that came in their target market whether it made a difference or not.

[Cayotica@icloud.com]

I agree, the last thing a roach coach wants is to have someone who makes good fresh meals in the same parking area.⚡️

[aldermanparklover]

follow the money - the city makes less revenue on a food truck / catering service than it does a sit in, full service restaurant location, regardless of whether the concept cannot survive in a full time location ... to the city, if you go broke, someone else will fill your shoes.

I'm willing to bet this is just like the crap NYC pulled when people started doing flash dinner services, where a group of unlicensed chefs / foodies would cook for a very small private party for invited strangers in someone elses home for $$$. The city started moving to shut them down citing "health" and "food safety" problems that may arise when really the hazard was no different than cooking for friends at home - many see it as a thin ploy to enforce taxation

Or how about when a city in Texas (Houston?) used police to shut down charity groups and bleeding hearts from handing out food to the homeless citing concern for the food safety of the homeless people. A lot of people see this as a political move to keep the local shelters and social services supplied with tax money.

I for one love the concept of food truck and have seen a few we're dying to try (and hopefully don't die trying)

[aldermanparklover]

With the JTA lunchtime trolley service to Riverside, gov't removes a large portion of d'town lunch money from d'town.  Sudden food truck anxiety from gov't seems to confirm that local gov't wishes to reduce access to palatable and affordable food in the CBD.  If local gov't determines food trucks are okay in CBD, then I think we should figure food trucks are hastening the demise of downtown lunchrooms.
Note that allowing art galleries to sell alcohol during Art Walk and sometimes giving free (taxpayer-funded) beer kegs during Art Walk, e.g. Artoberfest in October, for more than ten years has hurt downtown's bars and taverns.
In a 40-years-slow economic erosion, downtown Jacksonville shed its U. S. post office, all office supply stores, all dime stores, all department stores, popcorn and other food vendors serving the central bus stop, all commercial movie theaters, all package liquor stores, all public drinking water fountains, all public telephones, and the most important events ticket office in  north FL (originally at Visitors and Convention Bureau in Hemming Park, then at Ticketmaster desk inside downtown Sears, presently at the service desk of the Avenues Mall).  Will all alcoholic libations and all sit-down food service outside the major hotels be next to go?

Well...there's more to it. Shedding the public water fountains, telephones, restrooms, benches, etc., etc. was part of a deliberate strategy to make the area less attractive to homeless people. It of course had the effect of making it less attractive to people generally, and compounded the problem rather than resolving it.

Yes, I agree that removing water, restrooms and other basic amenities seemed like a deliberate and misguided attempt to herd away (rather than directly address) the homeless issue. Yes, these people are homeless, but yes, they are also people and are citizens within our boundaries. A little simple respect would be refreshing.

It is a well known statistic that about 75% of the true homeless population are mentally unwell. If we want to help these people, we need to get them off the streets. The rest are people who have no desire or ability to provide for themselves larger than shoving food in their mouths when they are hungry and wrapping themselves in blankets when they are cold. We can do better for them than letting them mill about like zombies downtown, to the detriment of the rest of the community that pays the city's bills via taxes. 

[Noone]

With the JTA lunchtime trolley service to Riverside, gov't removes a large portion of d'town lunch money from d'town.  Sudden food truck anxiety from gov't seems to confirm that local gov't wishes to reduce access to palatable and affordable food in the CBD.  If local gov't determines food trucks are okay in CBD, then I think we should figure food trucks are hastening the demise of downtown lunchrooms.
Note that allowing art galleries to sell alcohol during Art Walk and sometimes giving free (taxpayer-funded) beer kegs during Art Walk, e.g. Artoberfest in October, for more than ten years has hurt downtown's bars and taverns.
In a 40-years-slow economic erosion, downtown Jacksonville shed its U. S. post office, all office supply stores, all dime stores, all department stores, popcorn and other food vendors serving the central bus stop, all commercial movie theaters, all package liquor stores, all public drinking water fountains, all public telephones, and the most important events ticket office in  north FL (originally at Visitors and Convention Bureau in Hemming Park, then at Ticketmaster desk inside downtown Sears, presently at the service desk of the Avenues Mall).  Will all alcoholic libations and all sit-down food service outside the major hotels be next to go?

Well...there's more to it. Shedding the public water fountains, telephones, restrooms, benches, etc., etc. was part of a deliberate strategy to make the area less attractive to homeless people. It of course had the effect of making it less attractive to people generally, and compounded the problem rather than resolving it.

Unity Plaza. it's not just a retention pond. The gate to the restrooms are open but the bathrooms are locked. A brand new million dollar taxpayer private park and a ton of dough for an ED to run it.

Visit Jacksonville!