JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During the Tuesday night meeting, the Jacksonville City Council passed a bill that would ban food trucks from operating at gas stations.
Ordinance 2025-0159, introduced by Councilman Joe Carlucci, prohibits food trucks from preparing and/or selling food or beverages at gas stations.
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The bill passed with a 12 to 7 vote.
“The goal is really quite simple: Prevent highly combustible food trucks at a highly combustible gas station,” Carlucci told the Jacksonville Planning Commission at its March 20 meeting.
The National Fire Protection Association says no data exists specifically on food truck fires, as some are classified as vehicle fires and some as restaurant fires- but say they’ve become more common as the trucks grow in popularity.
“This is a low frequency, high risk type of event that is being talked about,” Jacksonville Fire Rescue Chief Keith Powers said.
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Those who opposed the bill argued that it addressed a non-existent problem and threatened their livelihoods.
“There’s no reason for us to come in and create a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” District 14 Councilman Rahman Johnson told News4JAX. “Yes, we want to make sure the food trucks are safe, but that needs to be the focus—making sure that all food trucks and trailers are safe, not just looking at ones at gas stations.”
The bill now goes to the mayor’s desk, where she will either sign or veto it.
If the bill goes into effect, food truck owners will face a $250 fine each day they’re in violation.
