From Karl Dickey at The Examiner:

The Libertarian Party of Palm Beach County (LP Palm Beach) met last night, November 9, 2014 and officially condemned the City of Fort Lauderdale for having an ordinance which prohibits feeding hungry people. The LP Palm Beach also made plans to feed the hungry in the City of Fort Lauderdale without asking permission from the City on December 17, 2014. The action was spurred by last week’s detainment of 90 year old Arnold Abbott near Fort Lauderdale’s beach and the arrest of three members of the Food not Bombs group at Stranahan Park, a popular downtown Fort Lauderdale park favorited by residents and tourists. Abbott and the others face fines and up to 60 days in jail for feeding the homeless without first getting permission from the government due to a new city ordinance based on government instituted class oppression.

The City of Fort Lauderdale began enforcing an ordinance which requires people or organizations to obtain permission from the City in order to feed others which, if granted, would also require a portable toilet be provided, hand washing stations and food safety requirements would need to be met. The ordinance has come under fire by libertarians, liberals and conservatives and has been a public relations nightmare for Fort Lauderdale Democratic Party Mayor Jack Seiler. Seiler, who still supports the ordinance, has backpedaled on how Abbott was treated, admitting police force should not have been used and a dialogue should have been the first mode of action. Seiler tried to defend the actions of the police last week and attempted to pat himself on the back on how well he and the City help the homeless. LP Palm Beach Chair, Marc Tancer said last night, “The City has done just about everything wrong in dealing with the homeless.” The LP Palm Beach is a county affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Florida.