ST AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Right now in St Augustine there are several corners of town where vendors set up shop. The City Commission is now considering cracking down.
St. Augustine is a city that thrives on uniqueness. Each shop sells a knickknack of a different kind. But not everything is sold in the stores.
There are rules on the books limiting the locations where street vendors are allowed to sell their wares. But some members of the city commission say it's getting out of hand.
"Some on the commission feel that it's unsightly and it's not a welcome. It's not the first thing that you want to see when you come to St. Augustine and it's not the last thing you want your visitors to see when they leave St. Augustine,"
said Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline.
The commission is now looking into alternatives, possibly even restricting it to inside the Slave Market -- where vendors have to pay to rent space.
"It was generally thought by the commission that we should ask our city attorney to look into a citywide ban on vending in public places on public property," she said.
It is not the news some visitors wanted to hear. It's one of the reasons they come to the city.
"If they want to sit on the side of the road to sell some cool knickknacks to me or the next person I think they definitely should. A lot of people come here to see that," said Drake Williams.
Grace Rivera added, "They bring something to St. Augustine. Something different than everywhere else."
The city attorney is now reviewing the current rules to determine what the options are. The issue is already on the agenda to discuss next commission meeting.
