St. Petersburg, Florida -- The City of St. Petersburg may consider a ban on feeding the homeless in downtown parks.
The move comes after a ruling by the Federal appeals court last week that a similar ban in Orlando is not unconstitutional.
Now, councilman Karl Nurse would like to bring the ban based on the Orlando ordinance to St. Petersburg.
It would essentially forbid the feeding of 25 or more people in downtown parks. The only exception would be if the person were to get a permit. Even then, they would only be allowed to feed in one particular area twice a year.
'We'll be able to recapture some of the places people are afraid of going," said Nurse who is concerned about the feedings encouraging the homeless to stay downtown and sleep on the city streets.
"It's really a disruptive kind of thing. It actually encourages a segment of the homeless who aren't interested in help," he explained.
Nurse tells 10 News city staff estimates there are about 120 people sleeping downtown on any given night.
While he sympathizes with the plight of the homeless, it's created an uncomfortable situation for some residents.
"We have folks that really have made Williams Park and Mirror Lake Park, that most people are now afraid to go, so we want to change that dynamic," he said.
Business owners near Williams Park didn't want their names mentioned, but told 10 News they would welcome a ban on feedings.
But, for the homeless, like Wayne McCullough, they would be losing a routine hot meal they've become accustomed to.
"When you don't have nothing to eat and you don't have no money, you don't have nothing, you depend on them to bring you something to eat. When they bring you something to eat, it's a blessing," said McCullough.
He says he's been living on downtown St. Pete's streets, but is one of the fortunate ones.
He got a job and says he'll be moving into his own place on Friday.
"It's going to cost me $165 a week, but that's okay with me," he said, "I'd rather have a roof over my head."
"There are jobs out there. You have to wake up. You have to wake up and get help for yourself, that's what I did," he said.
Still, he doesn't want to see the city enact an ordinance that would literally take food from their mouths.
"It would be detrimental to a lot of people," he said.
But, councilman Nurse says the goal of the ordinance would be to move the homeless population into an environment that is better suited for feedings of large groups of people. He'd like to have them have access to kitchens, tables, chairs and trash cans.
"The idea is to feed the homeless in decent conditions," he said.
The council is slated to decide whether to send the proposal over to the city legal department so an ordinance can be drafted and brought back before the council for a vote.
He says that could take anywhere from 4-6 weeks.
One of the people known for feeding the homeless, is Don McClendon, otherwise known as "Mr. Chicken" for the food he provides.
Four days a week for the last 11 years, he's pulled up in his van at Mirror Lake Park with enough meals for 120 people.
He's not much for the media attention and says he does what he does because it's the right thing to do.
When asked if he'll try to fight the ordinance, he said no, telling us he's a law abiding citizen and will follow whatever decision the council makes.
Laura Kadechka