Port Richey committee waives $100 vendor participation fee for centennial festival; fire inspection fee remains council decision

Port Richey’s Centennial Events Committee voted to waive the $100 participation fee for all vendors at the city’s May centennial festival, saying the decision would keep smaller vendors and tent-based sellers from being excluded in the city’s 100th‑anniversary celebration.

The vote, taken during the committee’s public meeting, followed more than an hour of discussion about the difference between the application/participation fee and a separate fire‑inspection charge that the City Council had on its agenda to consider waiving. Committee staff and members repeatedly noted that food trucks traditionally pay the participation fee because they prepare food on site and typically require a heavier inspection than a tent vendor selling prepackaged goods.

The vote centered on two distinct charges vendors face: a $100 application/participation fee the committee had previously set for food trucks, and a newer fire‑inspection fee (discussed at the council level) that could add roughly $150 in some cases. Veronica, the committee’s event coordinator, explained the distinction: "I'm not opposed for food vendors for the application to be waived. As far as the inspection, that's not on our agenda today. That will be for council," and said she was…