Haines City food truck ban put on pause: ‘We just want to open up’
HAINES CITY, Fla. - A controversial proposal that would ban food trucks from operating within 100 feet of a Haines City restaurant has been tabled by commissioners for two weeks.
Nowadays you can find them at every festival, maybe on the corner or even on the move. Food trucks are more popular than ever and for many who own them it’s their main source of income, but one Haines City woman’s food truck business is in jeopardy with its fate now in the hands of the city commission.
"We eat cheesesteaks like every other night," Touch of Philly Co-Owner Lenora Crawford said.
Lenora Crawford and her husband Kim’s pride for the hometown of Philidelphia runs deep.
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"There’s people that do sell cheesesteaks here, but not like Philadelphia," Crawford explained.
Pictured: Lenora and Kim Crawford
They found that out shortly after moving to Haines City last year.
"When we couldn’t find a real Philly cheesesteak, we decided to do it ourselves," Kim Crawford said.
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That’s when they opened up their Touch of Philly food truck selling authentic Philly cheesesteaks with ingredients all from Philadelphia.
"This is what keeps me thinking I’m not sick," Lenora Crawford said.
The Crawford's moved to Florida after Lenora was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney failure.
Seven years ago, Lenora Crawford was diagnosed with sarcoidosis--a lung disease--and started medication. Doctors later told her the medication had caused major damage to kidneys.
"They told me that pretty soon my kidneys were going to fail and that I need to go on dialysis right now because I was going to die," Lenora Crawford shared.
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She's now has Stage-4 kidney failure. It's the reason she and her husband moved from their Philadelphia townhome to a ranch-style home in warm and sunny Florida. For the last three years, they've been searching for a kidney donor but still no match.
The Crawford's talk with FOX 13's Jordan Bowen about the possible food truck ban.
"My best, best girlfriend, she had the same thing. And, she died last month waiting for a kidney," Lenora Crawford said.
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Lenora Crawford says the food truck has been what's keeping her going, but for the last three weeks the grills have been cold after they said the city forced them to close for not having a Business Tax Receipt. When they went to apply for one, they were told it couldn't be issued because of a proposed city ordinance which, if passed, would make it so no new Business Tax Receipts could be issued for food trucks to operate in Haines City.
Haines City commissioners tabled the food truck ban vote during its Thursday evening meeting.
"Now we're facing mortgage payments and water payments. All the payments, you know. Yeah. Car notes," Kim Crawford said.
At Thursday night's meeting, commissioners voted to table the ordinance and discuss it at their upcoming February 15 workshop over concerns it may violate state law protecting food trucks.
Meanwhile, the Crawford's say if ordinance does pass they may have to move back up north.
"We just want to open up," Lenora Crawford said.