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New Port Richey takes first step to tighten prostitution ordinance

 
Published Dec. 18, 2014

NEW PORT RICHEY — The City Council has taken a first step toward tightening its prostitution ordinance, leading Police Chief Kim Bogart to promise a serious crackdown if the changes are approved next month.

During a meeting Tuesday night, the New Port Richey City Council unanimously passed on first reading an ordinance amendment that Bogart says will clear up ambiguous language that has made it difficult to enforce the current ordinance.

Bogart said should the council pass the revised ordinance on second reading, his officers will make a major push to cite known prostitutes in the city, especially along U.S. 19, where for years residents and business owners have complained about rampant prostitution. A second reading is scheduled for Jan. 6.

"We are going to get after it if it passes," Bogart told the Times.

It has been a little more than a year since the council approved its current ordinance, which was crafted to combat recidivism, which Bogart in the past has described as the revolving door where prostitutes are arrested, then return to the same streets once released.

The ordinance allows police to arrest anyone inside the city limits who has been convicted of prostitution, pleaded no contest to it, or had adjudication withheld for that charge, who is spotted by police engaging three times in any of eight activities spelled out in the ordinance.

The activities include: trying to stop or engage passersby in conversation, trying to stop a vehicle by waving or other gestures, or approaching a motorist, leaving with that person, returning to the same place and repeating the pattern with a different person. Violators of the ordinance can face up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. For a second offense, the penalty ratchets up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail.

But Bogart held off on enforcing the ordinance, believing language in it handcuffed his officers because one of the criteria would need to be repeated three times before a citation could be issued. The new wording, he said, would allow his officers to use any three of eight actions as grounds for a citation.

All indications are that the City Council will approve the revisions in January, with Mayor Rob Marlowe saying he has spoken to city police officers about the proposed amendment.

"Several of the officers were almost giddy at getting this passed," Marlowe said.

In other action, the council passed on first reading an amendment that will enact tougher code enforcement restrictions for property owners. Two weeks ago, City Manager Debbie Manns reported to the council that the city's current code was inadequate in combatting blight in the city.

If approved on Jan. 6, the ordinance amendment would add minimum health and safety requirements for swimming pools to the code, and also prohibit vehicles on property if they are not registered or licensed or if they are inoperable. In addition, there would be a stipulation that roofs cannot have tarps for more than three months — or six months after a natural disaster.

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The council also approved reducing the allowable height of grass and weeds from 12 inches to 6 inches on properties, and mandated that windows and doors on structures can only be boarded for six months and must be painted to match the exterior.