Jacksonville will make gas stations off-limits to food trucks that cook with open flames after City Council members decided the possible risk of a truck explosion causing gas pumps to catch fire outweighs the benefit gas stations play as high-visibility spots for food truck operators trying to make a living.
The ban also will apply to locations that sell any kind of flammable petroleum products unless the food truck can set up at least 300 feet away from the petroleum products or gas pumps.
City Council voted 12-7 for the legislation (2025-159) sponsored by City Council member Joe Carlucci.
Those voting against the bill said they heard from concerned food truck operators and didn’t see statistical evidence that justifies the new regulation. City Council member Rahman Johnson said the unintended consequences will hurt small business owners because of an overreaction to a “statistically insignificant” safety risk.
“We are now creating a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” Johnson said.
Food trucks such as this one on Beach Boulevard often set up at gas stations that have high visibility for attracting customers. A new city regulation will put gas stations off-limits to food trucks that use open flames, propane or combustible fuel to prepare food.
City Council member Ju’Coby Pittman said food trucks provide a needed service in parts of the city that are food deserts and give a pathway for building small business success stories.
She said she cannot support the bill “in good conscience knowing that some of my folks have been given a second chance because they’ve been able to get their food trucks and have an opportunity to take care of their families.”
Supporters of the bill said the city needs to take proactive measures to reduce the risk of a catastrophic event rather than react after disaster strikes.
“This measure says that we don’t want to create an environment where someone is using open flame … and the next thing you know the gas station is on fire, the food truck is on fire, lives have been lost,” council member Ken Amaro said. “This is about public safety. It’s not about being anti-business.”
“We never know when lightning’s going to strike,” council member Mike Gay said, adding the city should “take care of what we can control.”
Penalty will be $250 per day for food trucks at gas stations
The new regulation will make it a zoning code violation if a food truck operator that uses open flame, propane or combustible fuel to prepare food sets up on property that sells gasoline or flammable fuel and the truck is within 300 feet of the pump or mechanism that dispenses the gas or flammable fuel.
The penalty will be a $250 per day fine for any violations. The regulation will take effect starting July 21.
The city is using the 300-foot distance because fire safety experts say that’s how far the blast zone can extend for an exploding propone tank that in turn could cause gas pumps or fuel dispensers to catch fire.
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But the 300-foot buffer zone only applies on the property that’s the site of a gas station or other business dispensing flammable fuel. A food truck still could set up on a next-door property that is within that 300-foot zone.
The legislation would not impact food trucks that operate without using open flames, propane or combustible fuel to prepare food.
Voting for the bill were Joe Carlucci, Amaro, Gay, Randy White, Kevin Carrico, Raul Arias, Matt Carlucci, Terrance Freeman, Nick Howland, Will Lahnen, Jimmy Peluso and Ron Salem.
Voting against it were Johnson, Pittman, Michael Boylan, Tyrona Clark-Murray, Rory Diamond, Reggie Gaffney Jr. and Chris Miller.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville bans food trucks from gas stations