SUNRISE, FL – It was much ado about food trucks last week in Sunrise, with owners of the rolling restaurants urging commissioners to nix an all-out ban.

fl-scuotto-sunriseArlon Kennedy, a Sunrise resident who got into the business last year, told commissioners they should embrace food trucks, not ban them.

“We live in an open democracy, the hallmark of which is competition,” Kennedy said. “Food trucks have found a creative way to deliver food to people. I don’t think we want to kill that. I think that is part of the American spirit.”

The meeting lasted almost five hours, with tempers flaring, mainly from the dais.

Commissioner Joey Scuotto initially said he favors a ban on gourmet food trucks. On Tuesday, though, he disputed reports he is in favor of a ban and said his opinion is not at all flavored by the fact that he owns a restaurant.

“The reason I got hot on this topic

[is] we have the fourth-largest corporate park in the state,” Scuotto told the overflow crowd. “Food trucks may want to come into this corporate park, and it wouldn’t be fair to let them roll in, make money and leave. And that’s pretty much how this started.”

At one point, three officials from the Chamber of Commerce came forward to say they favor allowing food trucks at special events. Scuotto referred to the men as “The Three Stooges” as they walked to the microphone.

“We don’t want to see them parked at every corner, but we want to see them at special events,” said Mike Jacobs, executive director of the chamber. “I know it’s a hot topic, but it really shouldn’t be.”

Mayor Mike Ryan said he wanted staff to draft an ordinance that would require food truck owners to get a permit to give the city some control over when and where they operate.

Find the entire article by Susannah Bryan at the Sun Sentinal <here>