Homeless man's art causes stir at City Hall

Drivers who travel past Ringling Boulevard and Pineapple Avenue are liable to see a number of drawings sitting on the brick pavers that circle the center of the roundabout, a source of frustration for City Commissioner Susan Chapman.

That artwork belongs to a homeless man identifiable at City Hall by just his first name — Ian. Intermittently, Ian sits at the roundabout with a bag of his belongings and five or six drawings, clamped to the notebooks in which they were composed.

Chapman said she constantly gets complaints from residents about his presence in the center of the intersection. City Commissioner Suzanne Atwell has also said she’s received inquiries about Ian’s presence, and Chapman thinks the city is falling short in addressing the issue.

One problem Chapman has encountered is that, in the eyes of the Sarasota Police Department, Ian is not doing anything wrong. City ordinances prevent people from interacting with vehicles to sell goods or panhandle, but the SPD does not believe Ian is violating those ordinances.

To Chapman, Ian’s presence is causing obvious hazards. It’s distracting to drivers she said, and no crosswalks lead to the center of the roundabout because it’s designed for vehicles, not pedestrians.

“The apron around the roundabout is not a walkway,” Chapman said. “It’s a traffic circle where bigger vehicles go if they can’t navigate the circumference of the roundabout.”

Chapman said she spoke with Ian at the beginning of the year, and he defended his presence. When Chapman followed up on that encounter with city staff, they informed her that SPD agreed with him.

“He told me he’s just selling his product just like Art to Walk on at Palm Avenue,” Chapman said.

City Attorney Robert Fournier said if Chapman was concerned about the risks created by his presence at the intersection, there could be grounds to formulate an ordinance to prevent that activity.

Chapman said she does not want to see Ian arrested but wants him to be provided with a way to better his situation. As it stands, it appears to be out of her control.

“It’s frustrating — it’s difficult,” Chapman said. “Ian obviously needs some sort of supportive environment, which he doesn’t have, which local government has limited ability to deal with.”

Contact David Conway at [email protected]