LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Six months after WPTV first raised questions about whether Lake Worth Beach would require permits for groups feeding people in public parks, city leaders have now made it official.
WATCH BELOW: 'We are willing and able to move forward with legal action,' Melissa Salerno tells WPTV's Vannia Joseph
The Lake Worth Beach City Commission has approved a new ordinance tightening special event permit requirements — including new limits on where and how often free food handouts can take place. City leaders said the changes are about public safety and regulation, but advocates warn the rules could make it harder to reach people already struggling with food insecurity.
WPTV has been following this issue since June, when organizers told us demand for free meals was growing as inflation and rising housing costs pushed more residents to the edge.
Back in June, WPTV's Vannia Joseph spoke with Melissa Salerno, an organizer with the Palm Beach County chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). She said their group was serving more people each week and relied heavily on Bryant Park — located in the heart of the city and near bus routes because it was accessible.
"Food is the utmost basic human right," Salerno said.
Under the newly approved ordinance, free food handout events are now treated as special events and face stricter permitting requirements.
The rules limit free food distributions to only three locations:
- Memorial Park Pavilion
- Howard Park Pavilion
- Sunset Ridge Park Pavilion
Groups are also restricted to two permits per year at the same location. Applications must be submitted weeks in advance, and organizers may be required to pay application fees, carry liability insurance, and cover security costs if deemed necessary by law enforcement.
Salerno said those requirements are unrealistic for volunteer-led groups.
"We do not receive funding to be able to afford permitting," she said.
She added that the ordinance feels targeted.
Lake Worth Beach
This city is considering permits for groups feeding the homeless in public parks
"I feel like the goal is to put up these unachievable obstacles through over permitting, and fees," Salerno said.
Her concerns were echoed inside City Hall by Commissioner Christopher McVoy, the only commissioner to vote against the ordinance.
"This is codifying ways to make it harder to be nice to people who have less," McVoy said.
The majority of commissioners said the ordinance is not meant to stop food sharing, but to ensure events are safe, coordinated, and properly regulated.
"This isn't about us being heavy handed," said Commissioner Sarah Malega. "This is about us making sure that the food that is passed out is passed out the right way."
WATCH BELOW: 'We want people to be able to come to the park,' Commissioner Mimi May says
Commissioner Anthony Segrich added, "It's also about solutions, not handouts."
City leaders pointed to existing resources like church-run food banks and social service organizations as alternatives for people in need. Salerno, however, said those options don't work for everyone and that access remains the biggest issue.
For now, she tells WPTV the group will continue serving people at Bryant Park and at their newer Compass location — but says their fight against the ordinance is far from over.
"We are willing and able to move forward with legal action, and we will," Salerno said.
The ordinance isn’t set in stone yet, it still has to go through a second reading and public hearing before final approval.
