Sharing Ban: October 7th!

The final part of the City's anti-homeless ordinances is scheduled for Tuesday October 7th at the 6 pm City Commission.

"ORDINANCE AMENDING UNIFIED LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS, SECTION 47-18.31, SOCIAL SERVICE FACILITY - add definitions, create criteria for approval, amend the permitted zoning districts and adjust the level of review"

This should make sense to absolutely no one but within this ordinance is a whole slew of regulations that food providers for the homeless must be in compliance in order to continue to do business once this law is passed. If the city passes this law in the fastest manner possible as they almost always do, this means that that a de facto sharing ban in Fort Lauderdale would be enforceable on 

October 31st, 2014.

Here is some of the relevant provisions, which organizations must apparently by pre-inspected for:

Outdoor Food Distribution Center (OFDC). Shall be subject to the following:

i. If a dining area is provided, it shall meet all state, county and city requirements for food service establishments or similar uses.

ii. Shall not be closer than 500 feet from another Food Distribution Center or Outdoor Food Distribution Center. 

iii. Shall not be any closer than 500 feet from a residential property as defined in Sec. 47-35 of the ULDR.

iv. Shall provide restroom facilities, portable toilets or other similar facilities for persons preparing and serving food as well as for the persons being served food.

v. Shall provide equipment and procedures for the lawful disposal of waste and wastewater at the location.

vi. Shall provide equipment and procedures at the location for hand washing.

vii. Shall provide written consent from the property owner to conduct that activity on the property. 

viii. Shall have one person, who will be present at the location at all times that food is being prepared and served, who has received Food Service Manager Certification under Section 509.039, Florida Statutes.

ix. Shall have adequate storage of food at a temperature of:

a. 41 o F or below or

b. 135 o F or above.

x. Shall provide transportation of food in a clean conveyance

xi. Shall provide service of food within four (4) hours of preparation.

xii. Where non-prepackaged food is served, a convenient hand washing 

facility for persons preparing and serving the food; which hand 

washing facility must at a minimum include:

a. A five (5) gallon container with a spigot that provides freeflowingwater and a catch bucket to collect wastewater fromhand washing.

b. Soap and individual paper towels.

xiii. Any wastewater generated at a location (including, but not limited towastewater from hand washing, utensil washing, sinks, and steam tables) must be placed in a container approved by the director until properly disposed of into a sanitary sewer system or in a manner that is consistent with federal, state, and local regulations and requirements relating to liquid waste disposal.

There's more, but there's even more jargon and tables involved and we honestly don't know what half of it means yet.

What it does mean is that food providers that do  not comply with these absurd requirements (provide toilets....seriously, Fuck You City!) may incur heavy fines and generally be run out of operation by the end of THIS MONTH. Yes, this is really happening. Join us Tuesday at the City Commission, and again on October 18th at the Resist Homeless Hate Laws Forum where we can work towards stopping the sharing ban!