Letter to the Editor: Council member weighs in on food truck issue

My office is in the middle of Green Cove Springs and four doors down is G’s BBQ who has had a small business here for a little over a year.

Gary’s wife has been ill but the day before the food truck rolls into town, Gary left his house in Middleburg, yes, the Middleburg that was hardest hit and his family to come down the “day before” to get ready so he could open up and feed those customers and strangers alike in “his” community, whether they could pay or not because he has been serving homeless and disabled in our community now for over a year.

So the next day a food truck rolls into downtown selling barbecue after Gary worked 12 hours to get his restaurant open (no electricity) but serving outside but not able to “roll” into the center of town again leaving his family and his own problems to help all of us. Gary called and questioned how this food truck came into town and began selling his product with no notification, no ask “can I” or anything else.

I understand the good motivation of the food truck but I also understand that this small business was being passed up because they invested thousands of dollars to build a full restaurant that is here every day and deserves our support and when City Manager Danielle Judd, after taking this call from Gary, sent an officer to the truck and told him that without a license or permit he would have to stop selling his food.

Now the media and everyone else has stepped in and decided that Danielle, in protecting the rules of the city and trying to help out a local business, deserves to be fired. Many other small business owners have applauded Danielle for her actions once they heard the entire story not just one biased by an article in the local paper.

I am greatly disappointed in the coverage. When I first heard of this I was concerned but when I asked for the entire story, I as one councilman for our city support Ms. Judd’s actions and the request of my neighbor Gary and G’s BBQ.

Van Royal

Council member

Green Cove Springs