By: Sharon Aron Baron
The City of Tamarac passed a panhandling ordinance in 2015, and one year later, it seems to be long forgotten at one problematic intersection.
One of several teenagers selling candy in the rain on a dangerous Tamarac intersection. June 25, 2016
The ordinance was designed for public safety and was never intended to be an outright ban – just locational on many of Tamarac’s most dangerous intersections. One of those intersections, University Drive and Commercial Boulevard, saw a decline in panhandlers last year. Still, now it’s back to business again with children routinely selling candy or people soliciting for money.
After donating a couple of dollars to a kid on Saturday, (I didn’t take the candy), he told me they were raising money for the Coral Springs Chargers travel football team. This hasn’t been confirmed by the team, so I don’t know for a fact if this is true. This presents another problem I have that I’m not going to write in-depth about now: this is the absolute worst way to fundraise, and there was no adult supervision at all, but as I said, that’s another story.
Anyway, I assumed they probably headed south to Tamarac to raise funds because the City of Coral Springs has its panhandling ordinance, which is strictly enforced. You can’t get away with this there.
The same panhandlers with the signs are the very same ones from last year. No one has gone away due to the ordinance. But for some strange reason, not one Tamarac Broward Sheriff’s Office unit ever seems to travel this way when they are there. Ever. It’s just the oddest thing I’ve ever seen.
Maybe one day, this ordinance will be enforced before someone gets hurt.
