JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A homeless St. Augustine man has filed a lawsuit against the St. Johns County Sheriff and the Director of Florida Highway Patrol over Florida's panhandling laws, according to court documents.
Peter Vigue argues that both agencies are enforcing laws that prevent himself and other homeless people from standing on public sidewalks and streets with signs soliciting donations.
In the lawsuit, Vigue says those laws violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments and were previously held unconstitutional by U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Northern Districts of Florida.
Records show that police and FHP have repeatedly arrested and issued citations to Vigue for holding signs asking for donations on sidewalks, streets and medians in St. Johns County.