RogButter

They definitely disagreed with it, and didn't want to be doing it. My arresting officer, to his credit, made every effort he could to tell me how much he didn't want to be doing it. It's definitely the mayor who is pursuing this.

We definitely said that, but at the end of the day the officers are enforcing the law in the way that they (and their bosses) interpret it.

I like this. We might try it out.

Great question. It is a little bit up in the air what amount of money it would require, because these laws are clearly meant for food vendors and nonprofits, of which we are neither (http://www.tampagov.net/sites/default/files/special-events-coordination/files/tempfoodsvc2011.pdf). The insurance liability would need coverage of $1 million, and as I understand the fees we would need to pay for every sharing is $91 (that quickly adds up to ~$9500/year on top of the insurance costs). It is something we wouldn't even consider, when we operate on a shoestring budget as is with proper food safety handling (several of us have licensing through the State of Florida from our restaurant work days).

Additionally, we object to the need to obtain permits to share food when (a) such a basic human act as sharing a meal shouldn't need to be mediated through either a market or a government entity, and (b) the city has done little to nothing to address the roots of houselessness in the area, and has instead pushed development projects that will further displace and dispossess people.

Absolutely. We'll be there tomorrow morning at 8am, and yes, several of us will likely be facing jail time for the violation of the trespass. We'll continue sharing until and after the city backs down.