by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Thought to be an “open and closed” issue when introduced earlier this year, a bill that would expand newspaper streets sales citywide was ripped apart by two City Council committees this week.
They feared the pending legislation had not been adequately researched and would cause “unintended consequences” if passed.
“I’ve made no secret about how I feel,” said Council member Art Graham. “I don’t like this bill.”
Graham added there is “no overwhelming need for it.”
“I look at it like this,” he said. “Sure, it would be nice to be able to pick up a paper on my way to work if I haven’t already read it online in the morning. But think of how inconvenient it would be for other people waiting in morning rush hour traffic.
“What if I’m still waiting for change after the light has changed?”
Council member Jerry Holland agreed. He said the bill was potentially dangerous.
“No matter how trained someone may be, if you put them in the middle of an eight-lane intersection when the light turns green, it’s unsafe,” he said.
Sharon Copeland thought the bill’s scope was too large. She suggested it be reduced and later tested. If successful after 14 months, the Council would consider expanding it into other areas.
“I think that’s a much smarter way to approach this,” said Copeland. “We should be looking at our core first and move out from there. Even though we keep hearing things like ‘Jacksonville doesn’t have a core,’ I don’t think that’s true. I would be happy to help anyone identify it if they need me to.”
The bill is sponsored by Pat Lockett-Felder and Council president Elaine Brown, though government consultant Ginny Myrick helped draft it.
Working on behalf of the Florida Times-Union, Myrick said in July that Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office representatives reviewed the legislation and gave it their blessing.
“There are some safety precautions that we’ve included in the bill based on their recommendations,” she said. “So there is a safety element to it as well.”
Among those precautions, Myrick said salespersons must employed by or licensed through a “bonafide newspaper.” They are also not allowed to bang, hit, tap, knock or touch the outside a motor vehicle.
“Basically we just want to expand what we already have here in Jacksonville,” said Myrick. “In looking at other large and NFL cities, we felt it was something that could work. There’s no reason why it couldn’t.”
The committee still wasn’t sure.
“We need to establish some criteria first,” said Holland. “Tell us where you want to sell papers because it isn’t very clear right now. Maybe we’ll only allow it in intersections with a certain number of lanes. Maybe we’ll keep it out of areas where accidents most typically occur.
“We’ll need to figure out those kinds of things before we can move forward.”
The bill was returned to the Recreation & Community Development and Transportation, Environment & Energy committees for more study.