Highlands
Lake Placid, FL
Departments
Incidents
- Lake Placid sergeant tells sign holder he cannot panhandle on public sidewalk
December 10, 2024 · Lake Placid Police Department · Lake Placid, FL
A business owner called dispatch about a man with a sign outside Journal Plaza and asked whether it was a violation. The caller asked for a call back from an officer first. A sergeant then approached the man holding the sign and said there was no panhandling in town limits and that it was town property. The man said he was engaged in protected speech on a public sidewalk. The sergeant told him not to push his buttons and said it would not end well. The video ends the encounter with no arrest or citation shown. A demand letter read later in the video says the police department mandated additional training for the sergeant.