One city in Lake County has passed an ordinance to regulate aggressive panhandling due to city officials believing it's become a safety issue.
- Solicitation ordinance governs 'aggressive' panhandling
- Panhandlers not allowed to impede traffic, cannot follow people who say 'no'
- Ordinance allows Leesburg Police to hand out citations
Joyce Huey says when she opened up her Leesburg wine shop Tuesday morning, she found newspapers and towels underneath her outside tables.
"The chairs were all pulled out, newspapers all underneath and a couple of towels waded up like a pillow," said Huey, owner of Two Old Hags Wine Shoppe. "I'm sure whoever stayed there used that as their pillow. Something we have to clean up on a daily basis when one of the homeless people does stay here."
Huey says panhandling is also a problem in the downtown area.
"We have so many people that feed them and cater to them, so they feel safe and aren’t going anywhere," she said.
Commissioner Jay Hurley told us panhandling is aggressive on Main Street. In response, city officials came up with a solicitation ordinance.
The city attorney says the ordinance regulates 'aggressive' panhandling behavior, such as touching and cursing. Panhandlers also cannot impede traffic, and if someone says 'no,' panhandlers can't follow them.
The ordinance allows Leesburg Police to give out citations.