New ordinance impacting food trucks begins on Tuesday

Reporter: Taylor Wirtz Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
Cape Coral food truck. CREDIT: WINK News

Cape Coral is cracking down on food trucks after the city passed an ordinance taking effect on Tuesday.

Some of the changes involve where a food truck can operate. For example, some of the new rules are that they can’t block traffic, set up seating, or sell alcohol. The trucks also have to move their truck and equipment every night.

Owners of food trucks are not happy about the changes, and they say the food trucks are more than just a place to get some food. They say they’re an experience, and they say the city is taking them away.

WINK News spoke with Aubrybel Castillo, one of the owners of the food truck Los Taquitos Mexican. She said she and her family take pride in making it a nice spot for people to enjoy a meal. They’ve added lights, plants, and picnic tables to their setup.

Many of their customers are construction workers, and Castillo said they deserve a spot to cool off in the shade during their lunch break. With the new ordinance taking effect Tuesday, Castillo said their whole business model is up in the air.

“We got shocked when we heard the news. The majority of our customers…they should have a place to sit. They don’t have to sit on the floor. We don’t want to see that happening. It’s a major issue for us. Our customers have to have a bigger experience than just like grab and go,” Castillo said.

Castillo and her family said they’re not sure what they’re going to do Tuesday and the days after, but they’re heartbroken the setup their customers love probably won’t be around much longer.

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