Port Orange Expected To Approve Panhandling Ordinance Tomorrow

Port Orange, FL – During a special meeting scheduled tomorrow (February 9) evening, the Port Orange City Council is expected to approve the second reading of an ordinance that would put restrictions on panhandling in the city. City Council members approved the first reading of the ordinance unanimously during a special meeting on January 21, 2021.  Port Orange Panhandling Ordinance Could Happen Soon According to District 2 Councilmember Chase Tramont, it’s the more aggressive tactics used by some panhandlers and beggars that are at issue. From the ordinance: "the City Council finds that panhandlers and beggars sometimes use profane language when requesting money from people; that panhandlers and beggars sometimes physically touch or threaten to touch the people they solicit for money; and that panhandlers and beggars sometimes block the path of people they solicit for money or follow the people they solicit for money in an apparent effort to intimidate people into making a donation or as retribution for refusing to make a donation." You can read the entire ordinance by looking at the agenda posted on the city’s website. The city of Port Orange says there have been a significant number of complaints made to the Port Orange Police Department and other city authorities and so they are taking action to protect citizens. If approved at tomorrow’s meeting the ordinance will go into effect immediately. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.