- July 9, 2026
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A coffee cart unwittingly operating illegally in the parking lot of a downtown business sparked a movement to craft a zoning text amendment to permit mobile food and beverage vendors to peddle their wares in the Downtown Bayfront zone district.
Food trucks are permitted in every other commercial zone district in the city but DTB, providing they operate on private property. Setting up in public spaces requires a city-issued permit. When the owners of the Swim City store at 50 North Tamiami Trail allowed the cart — called The Patio — to operate there, though, they were unaware of the zoning code violation.
A change could be on the way. On Monday, the Sarasota City Commission authorized staff to craft a zoning code text amendment that, if approved, will permit food trucks in the DTB, but with a caveat: Seek input from brick-and-mortar restaurants regarding any concerns about competition from the mobile vendors.
At the epicenter of the effort, in addition to Swim City principal Nick Johnson, is Longboat Key resident Tawney Adams, owner of the upstart The Patio coffee cart. She first received permission to set up next to the Swim City location on Longboat Key, which initially ran afoul of the town’s code prior to receiving a special use permit. That was until the Sips coffee bar opened in the location of the former Turtle Coffee Bar, which was destroyed by the 2024 hurricanes.
That’s when Johnson had the idea to invite The Patio to the downtown Sarasota location, unaware it was in violation of the zoning code.
“Since around COVID, we've had different food trucks come and go at our downtown store and just set up for a day. It was more sporadic and not regular,” Johnson said. “We told Tawney, ‘If you're interested, we have a store downtown, and we've never had any issues there.’ We own the property. We were not aware of any restrictions there. She started coming to that location and everything was fine for a month or so.
“And then the city got involved.”
Once it was identified as a code violation, The Patio ceased operations in the Swim City parking lot, but sparked the process to expand food truck use into the district.
“We realize it's not allowed in our zone district but it is allowed on private property in the Downtown Core, which is a block away,” Johnson said. “I learned a lot about zoning text amendments and how to request those, and it's been a very long process, but we're grateful that they're considering it now.”
That learning curve included an initial meeting between Johnson and Vice Mayor Kathy Kelley Ohlrich, followed by communications with other city commissioners and planning staff. The result was Monday’s new business discussion with staff seeking commission guidance on a solution that would allow not only The Patio to roll into the DTB, but possibly any other food truck providing they set up on private property.
A 2021 city ordinance defined what a mobile food truck is and identified commercial zone districts in which they were allowed, Planning General Manager Ryan Chapdelain told commissioners. In 2022, the City Commission expanded the use into the Downtown Core district and in 2024 into the newly created Urban Mixed-Use district.
“Some may ask how come (DTB) wasn't one of the initial zone districts that were allowed back then,” Chapdelain said. “I think Downtown Bayfront is a little different. There are parts that are more residential in nature. There's a bit of a commercial area, but a lot of it is generally residential.”
Chapdelain suggested exploring the provisional use option in the zoning code to permit food trucks on a case-by-case basis with annual renewal rather than a blanket by-right change to the code.
“Staff haven't drafted anything,” he said. “There’s been some correspondence from the public on this, so we're here to address any comments you may have.”
Ohlrich asked if there is a process by which The Patio could continue to operate while a potential zoning text amendment is drafted.
“In the past, if there's a pending ZTA, applicants have been allowed to operate at their risk, knowing that you know this is pending,” Chapdelain said. “It may or may not be approved, but that's something that has been (allowed) in the past.”
Nothing was decided one way or another Monday but, if an amendment is eventually approved, Johnson said Swim City looks forward to having the coffee cart, and other occasional food trucks, back to its parking lot at the corner of First Street and North Tamiami Trail.
“We’re a family-owned business. We’ve been here our entire lives and we wanted to help out this up-and-coming mobile coffee cart business,” Johnson said. “I think it adds a ton of value for our customers.”
