7A Testing the Hypothesis

7A Testing the Hypothesis 

Businesses in Daytona Beach, Florida have a major issue with panhandlers and can’t do much about it. 

·     The who: Businesses in Daytona Beach 

·     The what: Unable to kick panhandlers off of their property if they are not doing anything wrong. 

·     The why: If panhandlers are standing outside of a business but not inside, they are allowed to ask people for spare change. 

·     Testing the who: Yes, there are others with this need. Daytona Beach is just a good example of a place that needs stricter panhandling laws. Tourist towns all throughout Florida and the US could use more panhandling regulations. 

·     Testing the what: The boundaries of the need are that not all people waiting outside of a business are bad. Some people are just wandering and may look like panhandlers or threating but they intend no harm. 

·     Testing the why: For this opportunity the why is the same across the board. For businesses in Daytona Beach or Miami or Panama City, business owners all want stricter panhandling laws and regulations to allow for a more comfortable customer experience. The panhandlers may be causing harm in different ways like begging for money/food, following people to cars, talking uncomfortably to strangers, etc. 

For my first interview I talked to a friend of mine who owns a new business on A1A Blvd. in Daytona Beach. His hotel is in the heart of Daytona where spring break and bike week are his best sellers. He said that his customers do not enjoy walking outside of the hotel to walk to the attractions like main street or the board walk and to be asked for money or food. He said that he can ask the people to step off of this property however his main entrance opens to a public side walk which he cannot do anything about. With new pan handling restrictions that make panhandlers stand at least 20 feet from the entrance will help greatly to stop immediate harassment of his hotel guests. 

For my second interview I talked to a business owner in Daytona Beach who has owned his business for years. He said that he has had multiple problems with the same few panhandlers. One in particular has come into his business asking him for money and slapped him when he refused to give him anything. Obviously, this was illegal, however, he said that it shows how aggressive they are getting in the heart of Daytona Beach. He still sees this panhandler around his business quiet frequently. He said that looking outside and seeing him sitting out by the door of his business is like him taunting him. He also said that he wishes to see panhandling laws get regulated more efficiently. He followed that by saying he understands that police have a lot of work to do but if there could be someone in the Daytona Beach board walk area that can specifically monitor the actions of the panhandlers it would be great. He said that a stricter law would be good but someone to monitor it would be even better. 

For my third interview I talked with a student here at UF who spent her spring break in Daytona Beach. She said that she noticed a panhandling problem the first night she was in Daytona. From her experience she had people asking her for money when she was walking out of the club at night. She had one person follow her and her friends for at least a block. This made her and her friends feel very uncomfortable and unsafe. She said since she was in a busy area, she felt okay that nothing would happen, however, it was annoying that he continued to ask when she said no and that it was a mood changer for the evening. This statement alone is what I see as the major problem with panhandling. Daytona Beach survives off of tourism. Without spring break and bike week and summer vacation, most businesses in Daytona would not last. If people enjoy what Daytona has to offer, have a great day and a good night but then are scared away by panhandlers we have a major issue. She also said that if the man would have kept his distance, she would have had no problem seeing him sitting on a curb and would actually have had more sympathy for the guy. She, like my second interviewee, said that the panhandlers need to be controlled. She doesn’t mind if they are there, they just need to be respectful. 

For my fourth interview I talked to an employee at a coffee shop near Daytona State College (DSC). I used to attend DSC and spent many days studying in this coffee shop, so I became very aware of the things that occurred in the coffee shop which is why I choose to interview and employee. When I asked the employee on their feelings towards panhandlers coming into the shop, she said that when they are disrespectful is when she gets upset. She said that she has a few local homeless people that come in when it is raining or very cold. She said they always come up to her at the counter and ask if it’s okay if they sit down while the weather clears out. She said that whenever it rains as long as there are seats for paying customers, she allows them to sit inside until the weather gets better and if it is cold, they sit inside, and they always leave when customers come inside. She said that she has never had to ask them to leave they just understand when its right and when it is wrong. She also said that she has some panhandlers that will sit on the outside patio and harasses people when they come inside and then yell at her when she asks them to leave. She stated that these are the people she has a problem with. 

For my fifth interview I talked with one of my pervious employers who owned a shop in a very good part of town. She said that it is always a frustrating and sad situation dealing with panhandlers. While she feels guilty having to tell them to leave the site of her business, she has to think about all the customers she losses if just one panhandler sits outside her door. She said that the problem with the restrictions is that her shop is located in a shopping plaza. So, a panhandler can just walk up and down the plaza asking people for money and it makes it difficult to catch him because he is constantly moving and there is nothing wrong with someone walking up and down a plaza because they could just be window shopping. Her point was that panhandlers need to be regulated better and that the punishments for panhandling should be harsher. 

Overall, I found that panhandling laws in Daytona Beach need to be stricter and push panhandlers farther away from business entrances. I also found that the panhandling laws need to be more enforced and that panhandlers need to be regulate more and punished for their actions.