State Rep. Alex Andrade yesterday filed a bill (HB 759) forbidding panhandling under certain circumstances, specifically banning individuals from approaching motor vehicles.
Under The Solicitation of Contributions Act, the term “panhandling” means requesting of another person that he or she give money or anything of value for the private use of the person making the request.
A person also may not engage in panhandling:
(a) Within 50 feet, in any direction, of:
1. An entrance to or exit from commercially zoned property.
2. A bus stop or a facility as defined in s. 496.425(1).
3. An automatic teller machine or an entrance to a bank.
4. A parking lot, parking garage, parking meter, or parking pay station.
5. A public restroom.
(b) Within 100 feet, in any direction, of a child care facility or school attended by any students in prekindergarten through grade 12.
Other places where panhandling would be banned include Public Right-of-Way and Public Transit. A person waiting to enter a commercial establishment could not be approached.
Read bill.
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Escambia Names Top 5 Teacher of the Year Finalists
Escambia County Public Schools has announced the Top 5 Teachers of the Year nominees. Nominated teachers will compete for selection as the school district’s overall Teacher of the Year.
They are:
Candice Blackburn — Molino Park Elementary
Priteyja Olige Brannon — C. A. Weis Elementary
Tammy Jo Dublin — Hope Horizon
Cassi McGee — Pine Meadow Elementary
Rionna Wages — Lipscomb Elementary
“We are proud to honor these outstanding educators,” stated Superintendent Keith Leonard. “They are a great representation of all of our employees, and we would like to take time to thank them, as well as all of our employees, for all of the hard work and dedication they contribute to our students each and every day.”
The overall Teacher of the Year for Escambia County Public Schools will be announced in early February, and honored, along with all district teachers of the year, at a special event.
I noticed a pattern here in Houston where the panhandlers will hold signs that say collecting money for a child’s surgery, and then a month later, collecting money for a woman’s cancer treatment, and so forth. Different people, different signs, same theme. It’s like they are sharing with each other what ad messages work. And, they hold up traffic, which is already bad.
At this point, “Andrade files a bill” is more of a punch line than a headline.
Who knows, maybe the people who wrote this one for him will let him run it.
God knows there are enough wealthy people completely disconnected from the poverty realities on the ground banding together in their horror of having to look on the misery that our broken society is manifesting while keeping them nice and cozy in their comparative riches. Something does need to be done about the more aggressive approaches, and I support many aspects of the County’s road safety ordinance (although I don’t trust where Kohler will try to take it next). Of course–gee–wouldn’t it be nice if we had some of the donation money Salzman fed to Ernst and Young back to, I don’t know, tackle the runaway mental health issues in our community.
But this bill is, natch, over-the-top federalist authoritarianism as is typical of the junk propaganda he gets tasked with, and taking things by the wrong end of the stick towards any effective and helpful results.
How delightful, however, that our Republican overlords are so tireless in their commitment to keeping schools safe, while their gun laws continue to slaughter innocent people and their sickening and hypocritical harassment of LGBTQ kids is increasing their suicide rate.
So atta boy, Alex. BTW, when are you going to get around to passing some legislation aimed at making all your constituents’ lives more livable? What’s that?
Oh, that’s right. Just like you informed me after Sally, you don’t have any poor constituents as the West Side’s needs are all met. You remember, that was while you were refusing to stand up a hurricane relief center anywhere between Perdido and Brownsville.
When you’re done with taking this legislative attempt as far as your handlers will allow you, let us know if you think you’ll have any time left between your private practice and your lawyering around for the City of Milton to bring something that’s actually productive for making the daily lives of your constituents on the West Side of Pensacola better.