City in Florida Bans Paper Vendors and Charity Solicitors from Streets and Medians

The St. Petersburg Times reports that city leaders voted 5-1 to ban both charitable solicitors and newspaper vendors from streets and medians in Largo, Florida.

An initial proposal included an exception to allow nonprofits to solicit from medians, but city attorneys foresaw legal challenges and omitted that exception. Charities and newspaper vendors will be able to operate from city sidewalks, but vendors who hawk various goods will be prohibited from selling items from both roadways and sidewalks.

The Supreme Court views newspaper vendors differently from other vendors because of the First Amendment, City Attorney Alan Zimmet said. Newspapers are considered “pure speech” and have “noncommercial” protection, he said.

A state law allows nonprofits that follow certain guidelines to solicit from public roads, but a November 2007 Florida Attorney General opinion found that the law does not have precedence over local legislation that prohibits all solicitation in public streets.

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