A county ordinance exists that prohibits pedestrians from being in the same space as vehicles for safety reasons, which includes anyone from a jaywalker to panhandlers standing in the median.
The county attorney’s office said that while the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has the ability to prosecute for violations of the 3-year-old ordinance, no cases have ever been fully prosecuted.
County Attorney Sylvia Torres said sheriff’s deputies in most cases direct the pedestrians in violation to another area.
The ordinance is not enforceable within the Gainesville city limits.
City commissioners voted to have the manager’s office bring them options for enforcement of different laws involving pedestrian safety. Commissioners David Arreola and Gigi Simmons were absent during the vote.