Cruising banned in Ybor City

Hillsborough County Ordinances

Sec. 14-140. - Cruising prohibited.

No person shall engage in unnecessary repetitive driving, also known as "Cruising" as defined herein, while operating a motor vehicle, and no owner of a motor vehicle shall permit another to engage in cruising while operating a motor vehicle under his or her care, custody and control, after notice as described in section 14-141 hereinbelow.

Of the myriad of things that lend to the character of Ybor City, the vehicles that cruise 7th Avenue most evenings are one of the more picturesque. Of the many hours I've spent enjoying life on 7th Avennue, I've not once heard either a patron or a business owner complain of the cruisers. It simply isn't an issue but now the City of Tampa has decided it is.

It's clearly obvious that the "cruisers" spend a great deal of time and effort building and restoring the vehicles they drive down the heart of Ybor City. I believe those who spend evenings on 7th Avenue enjoy seeing the love these cruisers have put into their creations. Cruising has been an age old tradition in Ybor City and now some city bureaucrats have decided to outlaw cruising for at least the next 90 days in order to ease the traffic congestion on Ybor City's main drag. "NO MOTOR VEHICLE CRUISING" signs have been installed at both ends of 7th Avenue. This cruising ban has been tried before without apparent success.

According to the county ordinance (Sec. 14-141), if a vehicle is seen to pass the same "traffic control point" 3 or more times, they can be stopped by local law enforcement and given notice that any subsequent operation of the vehicle past any traffic control point will constitute a violation of the law. I can only imagine the mayhem that will result from city police stopping every cruiser next Friday night to give them a warning.