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Vendors, residents press Punta Gorda council on farmers market licensing and alleged free‑speech incidents
Summary
Two residents urged changes to how the city permits and manages farmers markets — one seeking fee changes and expanded locations, another alleging multiple civil‑rights lawsuits tied to market enforcement.
At a Punta Gorda City Council meeting, local vendor Dave Kaelin and resident Daniel Sheets used the public-comment period to press the council on farmers-market rules, permitting fees and alleged enforcement that Sheets said has led to federal litigation.
Kaelin, who said he leased property next to the Celtic market and runs a Saturday farmers market, asked the council to change a city ordinance so that individual vendors would not be assessed business-license fees through the market operator. He said the current rule…
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