Clearwater Considers Allowing Mobile Food Trucks in Town

CLEARWATER -- After a pizza truck requested to set up shop across from City Hall, Clearwater is considering to allow the mobile food truck to come to town.

Jimmy's Pizza is asking for the city's permission to operate a food truck in the Clearwater Hardware and Bait parking lot off of County Road 75. Currently Clearwater doesn't have a city ordinance allowing mobile food trucks, meaning they are prohibited.

However, City Administrator Kevin Kress says the city does have the option to follow the state statute, which is a vendor can have a mobile food truck on a property for 21 days a year. Or Clearwater can create its own ordinance to allow mobile food trucks. If the city decides to make it's own ordinance Kress says there's several aspects to consider.

"Like time of day they can be in operation, it is from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., is it whenever they want? Is it consistent with that zoning district, how do we want to handle that? What's the proximity to a business that is already there."

The council decided they would send a letter in support of the Jimmy's Pizza food truck to the state. Mayor Pete Edmonson says then the restaurant is going to have to decide if they want to follow through with paying for the costs associated with creating a new city ordinance.

"They have to decide if they are going to put money into the permitting board, the ordinance process with the planning and zoning [commission] because there would be a cost to the city to hold meetings and public advertising [to promote the meetings]."

Three out five council members are in support of allowing mobile food trucks to be in Clearwater.