Commissioners say it is better to have no ordinance for parade floats than to have one and not enforce it.
By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published February 25, 2004
DADE CITY - Let them throw beads.
City commissioners Tuesday evening took the first step toward repealing the ordinance that bans the tossing of beads, trinkets and candy from parade floats.
Commissioner Bill Dennis said the view from the yellow convertible he rode in during last week's Pasco County Fair Parade told him the ban wasn't being followed anyway.
"If we're not going to enforce the ordinance and people are not going to obey the ordinance, then I think it's kind of silly to have the ordinance," he said.
The other four commissioners agreed, and the motion to repeal passed unanimously. The move came barely three months after the board voted to keep the ban.
City Attorney Karla Owens must bring the ordinance back in repeal form for a final vote. She said in November that the ban should remain because of safety concerns.
But she said Tuesday that the liability on the city is greater if there's a ban in place that's not being enforced.
"It has come down to the parade being stopped and citations being issued. . . . There's just no way," she said.
No taxpayer money should be spent on buying candy or beads to toss from floats, Dennis said.
The other commissioners agreed.
In other news Tuesday: As the city prepares to annex hundreds of acres of property, City Manager Harold Sample told commissioners that care is being taken not to let the growth go unchecked.
In some cases, Sample said, he is rejecting developers' requests for high-density zoning on undeveloped land.
He was speaking specifically about large parcels northeast of the city, areas known for their picturesque hills.
"We really want to carefully look at the densities . . . with the idea of downing those numbers," Sample said.
