SARASOTA, Fla. — The City of Sarasota hopes a "sit-lie" ordinance making its way through the city commission's approval process would help with what downtown business owners say is a nuisance.
The ordinance could soon make it illegal to sit or lie on some downtown sidewalks.
This week city leaders unanimously approved an amendment to the city code related to streets, sidewalks, and other public places. The commission voted for the ordinance 5-0 vote in its first public hearing.
Business owners have long complained that the no trespassing signs on their windows have not prevented people from panhandling, sitting, and lying in front of their shops.
"I've already been messed with about this, just sitting down here like as you walked up to me, reading a book," said Judson Boatwright, a person who's experiencing homelessness in Sarasota.
If the sit-lie ordinance passes its second hearing, city leaders hope it would help solve the problem by making downtown unattractive to people who come there specifically to panhandle. It would mean folks like Boatwright would have to do their reading elsewhere.
"I might be doing something wrong by just sitting here but this is not even open. I'm just sitting here reading a book and I get harassed and that's not right," Boatwright said.
The ordinance would make it unlawful to sit or lie on sidewalks and "pedestrian activity zones" near public or private properties between 10 a.m. to midnight. It would cover areas on Main Street between U.S. 41 and U.S. 301 as well as a stretch of Palm Avenue from Cocoanut to Ringling Boulevard. Business owners have clamored for the codes enhancement and said the ordinance's progress is a good sign that relief is on the horizon.
"The problem is that when they sit in front of a business and are panhandling when the business operations are trying to do business, it's not a great thing," said Robin Cisneros, a sales associate with Dana Tyler Home.
"They'll ask for money and if you don't give them money, they curse you out, they yell at you, they spit on you," said Darci Jacob, owner of Darci boutique.
Advocates for the homeless population are against the ordinance and have argued that it is unconstitutional, selective and a duplication of already existing laws that guide panhandling and blocking of sidewalks.
"I don't understand the rationale for the ordinance other than it being applied to exclude the homeless from sitting on sidewalks downtown," said Michael Barfield, an advocate for the homeless population in Sarasota.
City leaders have disagreed with that characterization and say the ordinance would be an added layer and tool of enforcement to help with the process of revitalizing the downtown area. They hope it will discourage transients from coming to the downtown area by making it unattractive for panhandling activities.
"The fact is is no matter who you are, you can't sit on the sidewalk all day and block pedestrian access to the stores downtown," said Hagen Brody, Sarasota City Commission.
Before it would go into effect, an updated draft of the ordinance has to go back before commissioners for another public hearing and a vote at a yet-to-be-scheduled date.