UPDATE: On January 8, the Sunrise City Commission decided to delay considering any new changes to its food truck laws until its next meeting.

More than 50 food truck owners have banded together to create the South Florida Food Truck Alliance to defend street food vendors from anti-competitive laws and overregulation. The grassroots group is first looking to stop a proposed ban on all food trucks in Sunrise, Florida, a city of 85,000 near Fort Lauderdale. The Sunrise City Commission will meet tonight to discuss the ban.

One of the biggest proponents of a food truck ban is Commissioner Joey Scuotto: “Why would I want to allow a rolling restaurant in my city when we have restaurants here already that struggle every day?” Scuotto also happens to own a pizzeria that’s right down the street from City Hall. Talk about a conflict of interest.

Not only that, he’s also wrong about the impact of food trucks. As the Institute for Justice has shown in its new report, “Seven Myths and Realities about Food Trucks,” allowing more entrepreneurs to open their own businesses creates more wealth for everyone.

In Houston, food trucks have attracted more foot traffic, thereby driving more customers to an area. This has been such a boon to nearby brick-and-mortars that “restaurant owners have asked the Houston City Council to ease existing laws that make it difficult for food trucks to operate.”

On top of that, many brick-and-mortar owners across the country have opened their own mobile eateries to cash in on the food truck phenomenon. Not to mention that food trucks and brick-and-mortars serve different market segments. As Jochen Esser, who organizes food truck rallies in South Florida, points out, “the ambiance is not the same”:

“I disagree with the notion that a food truck is competition to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. If someone wants to sit down in a restaurant and enjoy a glass of wine, I doubt a food truck will change their mind. The ambiance is not the same.”

Plus, according to Justin Pearson, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Institute for Justice, blatant protectionism is “unconstitutional”:

“[I]t is not the government’s job to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. That right belongs to consumers. Rigging the market to protect political insiders is not just bad business, it is unconstitutional. Entrepreneurs have the right to earn an honest living under both the Florida and U.S. constitutions, which do not allow the government to enact anti-competitive laws.”

The Institute for Justice is challenging anti-competitive laws in Hialeah, Florida and Chicago. Thanks to IJ, vendors have won the right to earn a living in El Paso, Texas and most recently in Atlanta. Hopefully Sunrise will join the latter.

http://ij.org/florida-city-commissioner-and-restaurant-owner-wants-to-ban-all-food-trucks-to-protect-restaurants

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A food-laden truck stolen from the nonprofit Food and Outreach Center overnight Sunday has been found in Hollywood, minus the food.

And it was damaged.

Still, “We’re happy and shocked,” said Jennifer Trotter, spokeswoman for the center, a combination food bank, training center and thrift store that’s been in operation since 2007 and assists lower-income people in St. Lucie and southern Indian River counties.

She hadn’t expected the box truck would be found. “This is a lot more drama than we are used to,” she said Friday.

A center representative will go to south Florida to inspect the truck and see if it can be driven. It has been carrying a load of $10,000 in non-perishable foods, including cereal, granola bars, Hamburger Helper and canned goods.

A security company is offering to upgrade the center’s security system at its facility in the 2500 block of Orange Avenue.

In September, two of the center’s tractor-trailer storage trucks — containing an estimated $35,000 in donated equipment — were burned, apparently by an arsonist. The fire destroyed 120 classroom desk chairs that were to be used in the center’s planned expansion of an education program for people coming off welfare, Trotter said. Also destroyed were clothing display racks.

Those trucks weren’t replaced. They were used for storage which now is inside the building.

But the food truck was used for picking up food that is given, at low cost, to about 400 people a day: teachers, retirees, families, and single-parent families

“A single parent making $44,000 a year” doesn’t have a lot of money but usually that person is ineligible for food stamps, Trotter said.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_st_lucie_county/fort_pierce/stolen-food-bank-truck-from-fort-pierce-found-in-hollywood—-without-food

City of Sunrise (Screenshot)
Sunrise City Commissioners discuss food trucks.

Last evening’s Sunrise Commission meeting was in sharp contrast to December’s, which lasted only about two minutes. The January meeting lasted over four hours, with much of the time devoted to the possible ban or regulation of the mobile restaurants in the city’s limits.

Food truck owners in attendance, many members of the newly formed Food Truck Alliance of South Florida, were given time to plead their cases, with most of them pointing out to the Commission that each truck was permitted, insured, and inspected.

Read also:
- Food Truck Owners Form Alliance to Fight Possible Sunrise Ban

Friar Tuck‘s Food Truck owner Robb Muise, who serves as a spokesperson for the Food Truck Alliance, told the Commission that he is in favor of any regulations the city might impose over an all-out ban. He also suggested that Sunrise embrace food trucks, making the small city a “model” for other cities who are interested in working withthe mobile units.

Carlos Fiero, owner of Zombie Ice, said that his first ever food truck roundup was in Sunrise, pointing out that Sunrise Mayor Michael J. Ryan’s son might have been his first customer. He said that, “just getting rid of food trucks could never be a good solution.”

On the other side of the coin, the owner of Lester’s Diner in Sunrise pointed out that he pays $22,500 rent to do business in Sunrise and feels that food trucks are taking business from him.

Deputy Mayor Joseph Scuotto, who has been seen as an opponent of food trucks, stated that the idea that he wanted to ban food trucks “is a misconception”, and that “no one person can ban food trucks”.

Several times Scuotto and Mayor Ryan were at odds with each other. At one point in the meeting, Mayor Ryan suggested that a monthly food truck event at the Sunrise Corporate Park might be a good idea, since about 30,000 people work in the complex. “Why are we doing this for the food trucks?”, countered Scuotto. “Why don’t we team up with the local restaurants who are the taxpayers?”

In the end, Mayor Ryan requested that something be drawn up on paper. He suggested that a select group of food truck owners work with city staff. “Let’s bring consensus with the food truck community.”

Sunrise’s new City Manager, Alan Cohen, volunteered to meet with the truck owners to come up with a compromise that could go on a future Commission meeting agenda for a more formal vote.

That seems like promising news to food truck owners, who are in favor of regulations over an outright city ban.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2013/01/sunrise_commission_meeting_out.php

The City of Sunrise will hold a discussion todayto determine the fate of food trucks at their monthly City Commission meeting.

The meeting, held at Sunrise City Hall (10770 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Sunrise), held today, January 8  at 6 p.m., might just be a little more spirited than the typical monthly discussion of issues.

That’s because about 40 food truck owners and roundup organizers are expected to attend  in a show of solidarity. The truckers have formed the Food Truck Alliance of South Florida, a grassroots group whose first mission is to defeat the proposed ban on food trucks in Sunrise.

Read Also: 

Sunrise Food Truck Discussion Moved To January Commission Meeting

Sunrise Mulls Food Truck Ban

According to Robb Muise, owner of Friar Tuck’s food truck and a spokesperson for the group, about 75 food truck owners in south Florida have joined the alliance including B.C. Tacos, HipPops, Joji Yogurt, Food Truck Invasion, Mojo on the Go, Crazydilla, and Munchcakes.

The alliance was formed after December’s Commission meeting, which was adjourned early. Though the official meeting lasted only about two minutes, several food truck owners in attendance decided to meet for coffee. It was then that they discussed banding together to fight the potential ban. Through email and social media, the group grew as food truck owners decided that, with their livelihoods at stake, there was strength in numbers.

Muise told Clean Plate Charlie that the alliance is just that. “We do things by general consensus, but I have some political activism experience, so myself and a few other owners are taking the reigns.”

Tomorrow’s Sunrise Commission meeting will see members grouping together, many with the hopes of getting three minutes in which to voice their opinions. It’s the first step in a potential city-wide ban of food trucks. After this, a vote to ban food trucks could be placed on the agenda of a future meeting.  Muise plans to speak,  with the hopes of directly addressing Commissioner Joey Scuotto, who owns a pizzeria in Sunrise. Scuotto is against food trucks rolling in Sunrise, having told The Sun-Sentinel back in November, ”Why would I want to allow a rolling restaurant in my city when we have restaurants here already that struggle every day?” Muise wants to ask the Comissioner to prove to the citizens of Sunrise that owning a restaurant does not make him biased against the mobile eateries.

Even though Sunrise is just one city in the vast south Florida terrain, a food truck ban could possibly start a chain-reaction. Muise is concerned that, “if they ban trucks in Sunrise, maybe Margate is next. All it takes is one town to have an issue, and we don’t want that.”

Muise said that even though the work is hard, he and his fellow truckers are living the American dream of owning a small business. “There are two critical things that tie all of us together. We’re filled with passion and we have a shared sacrifice. This year, I actually became a job creator. I hired an 18 year-old young man who’s starting college with his earnings.”

Muise is asking food truck fans, Sunrise residents, and anyone who “doesn’t want government to regulate free enterprise” to attend tomorrow’s meeting or follow the alliance’s progress on friartucks.me or sflfoodtrucks.org.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2013/01/food_truckers_form_alliance_to.php

Food trucks’ fate to be discussed on January 8.

Food trucks are considered by many to be a quick and fun way to feed a family. At local food truck roundups or in a park, food trucks serve up inexpensive fare to people in a hurry. Though they will never replace mom’s home cooking or a luxurious anniversary meal, the food truck has its place in the south Florida dining scene….except, possibly, for Sunrise.

Since November, the City of Sunrise has been trying to get a discussion on the fate of food trucks on its Commission meeting agenda.

The discussion, which was previously listed under “new business”, would discuss whether food truck owners should have permitting, location and time restrictions imposed on them — or whether the trucks should be banned from the city altogether.

Read Also: Sunrise Meeting on Food Truck Fate Lasts Two Minutes Before Being Adjourned

- Sunrise Mulls Food Truck Ban

So far Sunrise City Commissioners are divided on the matter. Commissioner Commissioner Joey Scuotto, who owns a pizzeria in Sunrise, is against the mobile munch units rolling in his city. Back in November, Scuotto told The Sun-Sentinel, ”Why would I want to allow a rolling restaurant in my city when we have restaurants here already that struggle every day?”

Commissioner Don Rosen is proposing that trucks be regulated by the city rather than banning them altogether.

The food truck discussion was put on the December 11 City Commission agenda, but the meeting was adjourned after two minutes.

Although the agenda for the January 8, 2013 City Commission meeting has not been published, the City of Sunrise has confirmed that the food truck issue will likely be discussed then. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Sunrise City Hall (10770 West Oakland Park Boulevard).

Tania Ramirez, owner of Food Cart USA, a company that builds and sells food trucks, is calling for food truck owners and followers to attend this meeting in support of the trucks.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2012/12/sunrise_food_truck_discussion.php

Entrepreneur Jim Heins has many reasons to be thankful this holiday season, and not working in Sunrise, Florida, must be one of them. After all, his story of job creation could never have happened in Sunrise; it would have been illegal. Thankfully, on December 11, city officials may change that.

Jim owns the Latin Burger and Taco food truck, which is one of the pillars of the Miami food truck scene. Customers love his tasty offerings so much that he plans to expand his business to include numerous brick-and-mortar restaurants. He takes pride in having already employed more than 50 people, a number that could skyrocket as his expansion moves forward. In short, Jim is living the American Dream.

And Jim is not alone. Over the last few years, the food truck craze has expanded across South Florida, resulting in dozens of new businesses, hundreds of new jobs and thousands of satisfied customers. This dynamic new industry is especially important in a state where unemployment continues to exceed eight percent.

Rather than embrace these mobile entrepreneurs, Sunrise is missing out due to its anti-competitive and needlessly restrictive regulations. Fortunately, city commissioners will be talking at their December 11 meeting about how to create a thriving food truck industry in Sunrise.

Before food truck fans can celebrate, however, the reform-minded commissioners will need to overcome the greatest hurdle to entrepreneurs in Sunrise. That hurdle’s name is Joe Scuotto.

Scuotto is a restaurant owner in Sunrise, and he wants a total ban on food trucks. His reason is simple. As he recently was quoted in the Sun-Sentinel, “Why would I want to allow a rolling restaurant in my city when we have restaurants here already that struggle every day?”

Of course, like any citizen, Scuotto has the right to voice his concerns, no matter how self-serving they might be. The problem, though, is that Scuotto is a Sunrise commissioner who wants to use his political power to protect his business from competitors.

But it is not the government’s job to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. That right belongs to consumers. Rigging the market to protect political insiders is not just bad business, it is unconstitutional. Entrepreneurs have the right to earn an honest living under both the Florida and U.S. constitutions, which do not allow the government to enact anti-competitive laws.

Moreover, Scuotto’s protectionist arguments hold no water. The Institute for Justice recently released a report, “Seven Myths and Realities about Food Trucks,” which debunks the arguments most often used to stifle food truck entrepreneurs.

One popular myth is that food trucks take away business from restaurants. But in fact, as IJ’s report points out, food trucks increase the number of customers available to restaurants. Indeed, food trucks around the country are helping to bolster local restaurant industries. For example, George Harris, the owner of Mundo, an award-winning upscale restaurant in Las Vegas, has observed that food trucks help his business by bringing new customers to the neighborhood.

Another myth is that food trucks do not pay taxes. But food trucks, just like brick-and-mortar restaurants, pay taxes and obtain food safety licenses. Food trucks are even held to the same health and safety standards as restaurants. And as a forthcoming IJ report will show, food trucks are just as safe and sanitary as any other food service provider.

Perhaps the most overlooked benefit food trucks provide is increased competition with entrenched businesses, resulting in better products, lower prices and a greater variety of tasty options from which customers can choose. Sunrise officials should make policy based on what is best for consumers and the community as a whole, not what benefits a few politically connected industry insiders.

The citizens of Sunrise deserve better. This Tuesday, December 11, let us hope that Sunrise rejects Scuotto’s call for protectionism and instead embraces the nationwide food truck revolution that allows entrepreneurs like Jim Heins to thrive.

That’s a holiday gift that everyone in Sunrise can enjoy.

http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/10/its-time-for-the-sun-to-rise-on-sunrise-food-trucks/

Joey Scuotto, a commissioner with a restaurant down the street from City Hall, has said he wants an outright ban on gourmet food trucks citywide.

“We have so many restaurants struggling to stay afloat in Sunrise,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “I see it as a disadvantage to the businesses that the food trucks come in here.”

Talk of a ban has sparked an outcry from local food truck owners and onlookers irked by what they call an attempt to stamp out competition.

Some argue a ban on food trucks would be downright illegal.

“The government is not allowed to make protectionist laws that protect one business over another,” said Justin Pearson, executive director of the Institute for Justice, Florida Chapter. “That’s unconstitutional.”

On Dec. 6, Pearson sent commissioners a warning letter saying the civil liberties law firm plans to sue if Sunrise moves forward with an all-out ban. The group has already filed suits challenging laws in Hialeah, Chicago and El Paso that restrict vendors from operating within a certain distance of their brick-and-mortar competitors.

A Sunrise resident came to City Hall to admonish Scuotto for using his office to try to stifle competition.

“Let the little guy have a chance,” said the woman, who declined to give her name. “I think they should be allowed to flourish.”

With a red face and raised voice, Scuotto told the woman Sunrise already has a ban on food trucks and he “can’t wait” until Jan. 8, when city officials are expected to debate the issue.

But city spokeswoman Christine Pfeffer said Sunrise doesn’t have a true ban on food trucks. “We have a ban on outdoor sales,” she said.

Pfeffer said a Sunrise business wanting to host a food truck event would be required to apply for a special permit.

Rolling restaurants have visited Sunrise over the past two years, but none have been cited because city officials found out after the fact, Pfeffer said.

“Unless you catch someone, you can’t cite them,” she said.

Robb Muise, a food truck operator from Oakland Park, says he is keeping a close eye on what happens in Sunrise. He plans to get a group of food truck operators to come to City Hall to protest the plan.

Ryan Olesky, a Fort Lauderdale resident who works as a bartender for a restaurant in downtown Hollywood, emailed the Sun Sentinel to accuse Scuotto of being un-American.

“Just another example of a lawmaker doing something for personal gain,” he wrote.

Even the Greater Sunrise Chamber of Commerce opposes a ban on food truck events in Sunrise, says executive director Mike Jacobs.

Citing South Florida’s thriving food truck industry, Jacobs said Sunrise would be missing out if it banned them altogether.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/sunrise/fl-food-trucks-ban-sunrise-20121223,0,7941389.story

Food Truck fate in Sunrise still up in the air.

Yesterday, December 11, the Sunrise City Commission was supposed to vote on the fate of food trucks in the city.  On the agenda under “new business” was the following:

“Commission discussion and/or action re: Food Trucks”

However, it’s difficult to have a Commission meeting without City Commissioners and, according to the official minutes, everyone but Mayor Michael Ryan was absent from the meeting, including Deputy Mayor Joseph Scuotto. Scuotto, you may recall, was the Commissioner who wanted to stop food trucks from rolling in Sunrise.

Food trucks may be banned from Sunrise.

 If you live and work in Sunrise, you may have to drive out of town to enjoy dinner from your favorite food truck.

According to the Sun Sentinel, the Sunrise City Commission might ban food trucks from the city or impose regulations that would allow them to operate only during certain hours of the day.

On December 11, the City Commission will discuss the fate of food trucks. On the table is a proposal that food trucks be allowed in Sunrise only from 7 a.m. – 5p.m. The commission might also regulate where trucks may operate and require the rolling eateries to obtain city permits.

One commissioner wants to put the kabosh on food trucks in Sunrise altogether.  Commissioner Joey Scuotto told Sun-Sentinel, “Why would I want to allow a rolling restaurant in my city when we have restaurants here already that struggle every day?” Scuotto, by the way, owns a pizzeria which serves as an alternative office where he reads his official commission e-mails.

Food trucks may have someone in City Hall on their side, however. Commissioner Don Rosen has said he prefers the city require permits and set regulations rather than completely ban food trucks from the city altogether.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2012/11/sunrise_mulls_food_truck_ban.php

 MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Food trucks have come a long way and have recently become a big deal.

Some food trucks even band together to show up at locations on a regular basis.

The weekly round-up in Hollywood at Arts Park every Monday night has been a big hit with area residents. Food trucks even keep fans posted on when and where they’re going to be on Facebook and Twitter.

One city commissioner isn’t so sure he wants them to roll through his town anymore. Joey Scutto, who just happens to own a restaurant down the street from City Hall, wants them banned, according to the Sun-Sentinel. He reportedly told his fellow commissioners that they pose a threat to some restaurants in the city that are just struggling to get by.

Some commissioners aren’t thrilled about a ban but say there should be regulations on where and when they can set up. Instead of a ban, the truck operators should be forced to get a permit if they want to operate within the city limits. City officials have also drawn up an ordinance which only allow them to operate between the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The commission, which was supposed to take up the debate on the matter last Tuesday, delayed the discussion until December 11th.

The Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/11/18/sunrise-to-discuss-food-truck-restrictions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sunrise-to-discuss-food-truck-restrictions