City officials approved a new set of rules that allow mobile food carts to legally operate in downtown Orlando through entertainment hours.
During Monday’s regular meeting of the Orlando City Council, commissioners approved a new Downtown Entertainment Area Mobile Food Cart Pilot Program that creates multiple provisions regulating food carts in downtown Orlando.
The new program authorizes the operation of mobile food carts within the rights of way that comprise the downtown entertainment area (DEA).
Food carts will be permitted to operate from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., with an additional 30 minutes to remove their carts from the area.
Nearly three years ago, in April 2019, the city authorized a Mobile Food Vending Program that specified the criteria for locating food trucks, food carts, and lunch trucks via a citywide temporary use permit. Those rules will still be in place and call for food carts to have a 5-foot setback, business tax receipt, and appropriate state licenses.
With the approval of the new program, each mobile food cart will receive a special decal, will be responsible for providing trash receptacles for their operation, and must maintain a minimum coverage of $1,000,000 of liability insurance.
Now that the measure has been approved, city staff will use the upcoming year to assess operations in anticipation of a permanent code amendment for the related sections in the city’s code of ordinances.