Safety Harbor may soon allow food trucks

SAFETY HARBOR — Food trucks could soon be welcome in Safety Harbor, thanks to Crooked Thumb Brewery co-owner Kip Kelly.

He recently asked city staff about the possibility of inviting food truck vendors to park on his property, 555 10th Ave. S, so customers could easily grab a bite to eat without leaving the brewery. Food trucks aren't allowed under current ordinances, but his suggestion has city officials talking about changing that.

"When you look at other breweries around Tampa Bay … you see food trucks," he said. "We want to have food for our customers. The more we can offer to our customers, the better we can do business."

Kelly said he knows his business brings people from all over to Safety Harbor — something he says few other businesses in town do, and Vice Mayor Andy Zodrow agreed.

"If you are going to promote the downtown, you need something that is going to make somebody drive across Tampa Bay to go there. … I think Crooked Thumb is one of those things," Zodrow said. "It's a destination location."

Commissioners agreed to have staff look into changing city codes and will revisit the topic at a later meeting.