Clay County Times

The Clay County Board of County Commissioners held a public hearing on and approved the adoption of a county ordinance that prohibits solicitation on public road rights-of-way.  

The Board held the public hearing at its regularly scheduled BCC meeting on January 10th. The ordinance prohibits people from using a public road right-of-way in a way that interferes with the safe and efficient movement of people or vehicles on a public road, street, or highway in the unincorporated areas of Clay County.  

Some examples of that include:  

Engaging in any physical interaction between a pedestrian and an occupant of a motor vehicle, including the transfer of any product, material, or monies, while the motor vehicle is located on the traveled portion of a public road, street, or highway within unincorporated Clay County and is not legally parked.  

Stopping, standing, or otherwise occupying a median that is not a sufficient pedestrian refuge on a public road, street, or highway within unincorporated Clay County by a pedestrian when that pedestrian is not in the process of lawfully crossing the road in accordance with applicable traffic and safety laws.  

A ‘sufficient pedestrian refuge’ is defined as a paved or unpaved median separating lanes of traffic that is at least six feet wide, measured from the back of the curb to the back of the curb.  

This ordinance doesn’t apply to law enforcement, fire rescue, or other government employees or contractors doing official duty. It also doesn’t apply to a person conducting an inspection, construction, maintenance, repair, survey, or other legally authorized services, or a person responding to lend aid during an emergency situation. The ordinance isn’t applicable to a person entering or exiting a bus or other public transit system.  

The stipulations don’t apply to the use of public road rights-of-way that have been closed with an event permit issued for a road closure.  

 A violation of this ordinance is a misdemeanor and shall be enforced by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.  

The driving force behind this ordinance is public safety - for both motorists and pedestrians. County officials worked with members of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to create the ordinance, with the end goal of making the county’s roads safer for everyone who travels them - both on and off the roadways. 

Original source can be found here.