ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — St. Augustine’s City Commissioners voted Monday night to ban mobile vendors from setting up in certain parts of the city in an effort to increase public safety.
Ordinance 2025-06 was approved unanimously.
From now on, vendor restrictions will be increased in high-traffic areas during the city’s busiest events: Nights of Lights and the 4th of July.
Related: St. Augustine leaders vote to shorten Nights of Lights celebration
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Vendors have already been restricted from areas like St. George Street.
The new ordinance expands the ban to sidewalks on South Castillo Drive, Avenida Menendez, State Road A1A from Orange Street down to King Street, and parts of Cathedral Place.
During the meeting, Vice Mayor Barbara Blonder said having vendors on areas like sidewalks during those times causes pedestrians to be “pushed out into the streets, where they could easily get hurt.”
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The ordinance is also meant to help clear up congestion so first responders can move about more easily.
In a presentation on the impact of Nights Of Lights this past year, the City Manager noted that first responders had delayed response times to emergency calls as well as prolonged patient transport times due to traffic.
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