By Lee Logan, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A key element of Bob Buckhorn's campaign for mayor is reducing small, quality-of-life crimes before they turn into bigger crimes. Think public urination, "raves" at bars or Tampa's famous "6-foot rule" for lap dancers that Buckhorn pushed. He's also been a major advocate for cracking down on panhandling.
In the summer, St. Petersburg's ban on panhandling put the issue on the front burner. The Tampa City Council is poised to pass a ban for major streets after refusing to do so three times in recent months. Many residents are frustrated. Candidates in the March 31 mayoral race get a lot of questions on the topic.
During a Jan. 4, 2011, interview on the AM Tampa Bay radio show on WFLA-AM 970, former City Council member Buckhorn outlined a previous attempt to curb roadside begging.
"We passed ...