by Joe Potter
On June 22, the City Council approved on second reading an ordinance regulating food trucks within City limits. Florida’s 2020 statute preempts local licensing for state-licensed mobile food vehicles, but municipalities can still regulate zoning, land use, public safety, traffic, right-of-way use, and other operational impacts.
The ordinance clarifies definitions for Mobile Food Vendors, Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicles, Mobile Food Establishments, and Food Truck Courts. It recognizes state licensing authority and eliminates any separate City licenses for mobile vendors, while setting permitted locations and standards on private non-residential property, City parks, and select areas of the public right-of-way.
In other business, the Council enacted a one-year moratorium on Data Centers. City Manager Billy Poe noted that data centers would require substantial utility resources. Staff will study potential impacts and update the Land Development Code accordingly.
Consumer Reports cites about 5 million gallons of water per day for a data center. The growth of data centers is linked to AI. Pasco County’s Board of County Commissioners will hold a second reading on a one-year moratorium on July 14 in Dade City.
City Manager Marieke vanErven said staff are conducting further research before proposing a municipal temporary moratorium ordinance.♥
