Miami Gardens Food Truck Ban

The Institute for Justice (IJ) sent a letter to city officials in Miami Gardens, Florida, asking them to stop enforcing local ordinances against food trucks, in defiance of state law. In 2020, the Florida legislature enacted a law which forbids local governments in the state from banning food trucks from operating in their jurisdictions. Yet, in its own words, “The City of Miami Gardens does not permit Food Trucks within the city,” and the city is actively enforcing this ban.

In 2020, Florida passed a law which explicitly states that municipalities, “may not prohibit mobile food dispensing vehicles from operating within the entirety of the jurisdiction.” However, Miami Gardens never updated its local ordinances in light of this law, which includes a provision saying that anything not expressly authorized by the ordinances is banned. Worse yet, the city is continuing to actively enforce its illegal ban on food trucks. Property owners who allow food trucks to operate on their property receive $500 daily fines. Birdwich, a local food truck, was recently forced to stop operating in Miami Gardens after a business owner was fined for allowing Birdwich to operate on its property.