Miami Beach, FL Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

Sec. " Sec. 74-78 then makes it unlawful to panhandle or solicit on public property within 20 feet in any direction of the outside perimeter of any outdoor cafe, outdoor restaurant, or sidewalk cafe; within 20 feet of any ATM; within 20 feet of any entrance or exit of a food store or package store selling alcoholic beverages; within 20 feet of any financial institution entrance or exit; within 20 feet of any parking pay-on-foot machine; and anywhere within a "high-volume intersection," defined by reference to the city's Level of Service (LOS) rating of "E" or "F" in the municipal mobility plan.

Sec. 74-77 clarifies that this buffer-zone scheme "does not affect the city's prohibition against aggressive or obstructive panhandling," meaning the LOS-intersection and 20-foot rules stack on top of, rather than replace, whatever separate prohibition applies to aggressive or obstructive begging. Sec. 74-79 sets the penalty for a Sec. 74-78 violation by cross-reference to the general penalty provision, Code Sec. 1-14. The article was adopted by Ord. No. 2003-3411 and amended twice, most recently by Ord. No. 2011-3725 in 2011, which expanded the buffer-zone and high-volume-intersection language.