St. Johns County is not enforcing an anti-panhandling ordinance unanimously passed by the Board of County Commission in May 2023, The Citizen has learned.
The measure — which prohibited panhandlers from approaching vehicles and asking for money — was challenged in federal court by a Florida civil rights group in an October lawsuit.
The Florida Justice Institute and Southern Legal Counsel’s case — filed on behalf of three plaintiffs — argued that the ordinance was unconstitutional and unlawfully punished protected free speech.
Passing 5-0 at the 2023 board meeting, the ordinance also prohibited remaining on a median for longer than required to cross the road.
According to a Dec. 16 court filing the county said it would not enforce the law as it assesses its options.
“Counsel for defendant St. Johns County announced that the county agreed to cease enforcement of the ordinance at issue,” Judge Timothy Corrigan wrote in an order.
In backing the ordinance, the board argued that it protected public safety on active roadways and at busy intersections.
“All of St Johns County’s ordinances are designed and directed to intentionally provide for and protect the health, safety, and well-being of its community,” the county said in a statement after the filing of the federal lawsuit. “Our ordinance is not about specific people but about purposeful public safety.”
But Corrigan’s filing made clear that the county had reversed course — at least temporarily.
The county attorney who handled the case and the Florida Justice Institute did not immediately return requests for comment.
Southern Legal Counsel Chelsea Dunn told The Citizen that the county has until next month to either repeal the law and settle with the plaintiffs or defend the case further.
Corrigan ordered the county to let him know if it opts to enforce the measure in the future.
“If the county decides to reinstate enforcement of the ordinances, it is directed to first notify the court and plaintiffs’ counsel in advance of enforcement,” he wrote.
The St. Johns law was enforced after its passage, with more than 30 citations being issued at the time the federal lawsuit was filed in October.
