Shutting Down Lemonade Stands
There have been more and more stories about kids lemonade-type stands getting shut down this summer than I've ever heard before. I wonder if it has something to do with the poor financial health of local governments, or if its just the ever-expanding reach of the zero tolerance mentality.
In June, police in Naples, Fla., responded to a neighbor's complaint by closing the lemonade stand of a 6-year-old girl who didn't have a permit. After fielding indignant phone calls from around the country, embarrassed city officials waived the $35 permit fee and allowed her to reopen. The story won national attention.
Before she was shut down at her stand on Como Av. a block or two from the fairgrounds, Mikaela had been in business for four days, offering passersby an assortment of packaged lemonade, orange juice, water and pop. What the city did made her sad. And mad.
If cities feel they absolutely must enforce these permits onto kids, they need to create a whole separate class of permit - preferably, one thats free, and available from their websites. It ought to simply be an online form where you fill out your name, address and product for sale - submit it - and it kicks you out a printable permit. Kids would love getting something official looking, the cities would be able to track where these lemonade stands were going up at (there are health issues), and parents wouldn't have to shell out $50 or so for the permit or waste time at city hall filling out paper work.
In June, police in Naples, Fla., responded to a neighbor's complaint by closing the lemonade stand of a 6-year-old girl who didn't have a permit. After fielding indignant phone calls from around the country, embarrassed city officials waived the $35 permit fee and allowed her to reopen. The story won national attention.
Before she was shut down at her stand on Como Av. a block or two from the fairgrounds, Mikaela had been in business for four days, offering passersby an assortment of packaged lemonade, orange juice, water and pop. What the city did made her sad. And mad.
If cities feel they absolutely must enforce these permits onto kids, they need to create a whole separate class of permit - preferably, one thats free, and available from their websites. It ought to simply be an online form where you fill out your name, address and product for sale - submit it - and it kicks you out a printable permit. Kids would love getting something official looking, the cities would be able to track where these lemonade stands were going up at (there are health issues), and parents wouldn't have to shell out $50 or so for the permit or waste time at city hall filling out paper work.
# | August 29, 2003