SANTA CRUZ — The Great Morgani, an accordionist who for 17 years has delighted children and adults alike with his whimsical handmade costumes, says he will no longer perform on Pacific Avenue because of city rules barring close proximity to buildings.

Frank Lima, 71, cancelled his popular weekend act downtown after a police officer warned him Sunday to remain 14 feet away from a business where he stood with a clear cash box while performing in a green-and-black “Gene Shalit” look-alike get-up featuring a large black mustache.

Lima said he has been allowed for many years to perform close to the business — and several others that provided a letter of permission — without interference from officers, merchants, hospitality patrols or other city officials.

“I”ve never had a cop say I”m in violation,” Lima said. “The downtown hosts, members of the Downtown Association and council members have all taken photos with me.”

Lima announced his departure Thursday on his Facebook page, which quickly lit up with messages of support, likes and shares to other Facebook users.

“I will be quietly leaving the downtown scene. Thank you, everyone, for your support and smiles along the years,” he wrote. “I will miss you all. The ”Great One” has left the avenue.”

Scott Collins, assistant to the city manager, called Lima “a jewel for downtown and we absolutely hate to see him leave. We are making every effort we can to help him know where he can perform.”

NEW RULE

Last year, the City Council increased the required distance from buildings and street features including benches, sculptures and garbage cans from 10 feet to 14 feet when performers or vendors have display devices such as cash boxes, guitar cases and signs. Lima said he also was warned weeks ago he was performing too close to a garbage can in front of a downtown market.

Lima is adamant about the city ending proximity restrictions — or he wants to be “great-grandfathered in,” as he put it — so he can be close to neutral-colored walls that make nice backdrops for his colorful, musical maneuvers. Just because the city has struggled for years to control aggressive panhandlers or vendors who crowd the sidewalk on weekends, Lima said he doesn”t want to attach his cash box to his body to avoid the distance rule.

“We street performers are the dolphins caught in tuna net of ordinances,” he said. “They want to cleanse the element and us dolphins are still caught in it.”

It”s a battle free-speech activists have had with the city for years.

“They should not attempt to make a First Amendment exception for the Great Morgani, as great as he is,” Tom Noddy, a renown bubble artist and leader of the Santa Cruz Street Performers Guild, said of city leaders.

“More wisely, they could have kept it all off the law books.”

LETTERS DON”T MATTER

Lima said the officer was kind and just doing his job, though Lima argued to him, as well as his supervisor and city attorney, that he had a letter of permission from the business. But as the city attorney and Collins explained, merchants have no jurisdiction over the city sidewalk.

Emily Bernard Coonerty, vice president of the Downtown Association merchants group, said her family”s business, Dell Williams Jewelers, long ago wrote a letter of support for the Great Morgani to perform outside the store, where she said he draws wonderful crowds.

“He has always been a welcome addition to the store,” she said. “We don”t want to see him go away. There are some really great acts downtown that we want to be here.”

Some of the new rules, she added, have caused “unintended consequences” even if they were meant to balance safety with artistic or political expression.

Collins said city officials are not actively considering a change in the ordinance and noted Lima can use one of more than 50 sites downtown that conform to the new requirements.

“We will continue to work with him,” Collins said. “We don”t want to lose the vibrancy he brings downtown.”

Follow Sentinel reporter J.M. Brown at Twitter.com/jmbrownreports