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Farmers market vendors urge quick decision as council weighs permit and procurement questions
Summary
Nearly 100 vendors told the Punta Gorda City Council that uncertainty over the downtown farmers market operator and a delayed permit renewal is jeopardizing livelihoods, urging either immediate approval of the current operator or a transparent bidding process within 30 days.
Vendors from the Punta Gorda Farmers Market told the City Council on April 22 that lingering uncertainty over the market’s permit and management is threatening their businesses.
“Thirty days, not six months, not 'we'll study it,' 30 days so that nearly 100 families can breathe,” said vendor Samuel Tarpening, who said many vendors rely on the market as their primary weekly income.
Market manager Jerry Preseller asked the council to resolve a delayed renewal in May, saying the market’s annual permit “normally renewed itself every February” and that the delay is prompting some vendors to seek…
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