TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Vendor Fights To Keep Business

Tribune file photo (2004)

Hakim Aquil spends his days at his business attending to customers, selling urban outfits, dresses, T-shirts, shoes and accessories.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

jpatino@tampatrib.com

Published: February 11, 2009

RIVERSIDE HEIGHTS - After 25 years selling clothes at the corner of Columbus Drive and North Boulevard, Hakim Aquil said he deserves a little respect.

But he said the city is forcing his hand and trying to close down his outdoor business, Fashion on the Boulevard, 705 W. Columbus Drive.

"It's very disheartening," said Aquil, 60. "They treat me like a rookie. I should be getting more respect for my longevity, commitment to the community."

City zoning officials did not grant him a permit to vend on the property, said Gloria Moreda, Tampa's land development coordination and zoning manager.

Moreda said last year the city approved new vending rules. Aquil's metal canopy on the vacant lot doesn't meet the revised standard for a vending permit, Moreda said.

The new standard calls for removing vendor carts once a business ceases operation for the day. It also stipulates the carts be no taller than eight feet or longer than 20 feet.

Aquil is scheduled to address city council members at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 19. He is seeking a waiver to the vending policy that would allow him to continue his business.

Aquil called the matter a "conspiracy" directed by people who want to remove him.

"We have more serious problems then trying to deny a man a business where he has been for 25 years," Aquil said. "If I was a hazard, you wouldn't have to tell me to leave. I would be gone."

Nearby residents said he keeps his location clean, and his customers aren't rowdy or disruptive. They said they are willing to work with him but they want Aquil to follow the new rules.

"We want to work something out," said Dianne McNeilly, Riverside Heights Civic Association president. "We don't want to take the man's livelihood. But we want him to abide by the vending laws."

Kathy Evans, vice president of the association, said: "We want him to play by the same rules everyone has to play by."

Tampa's code enforcement office recently cited Aquil. He plans to appeal two fines, totaling $184, at Hillsborough County Circuit Court on Feb. 13, said Carlos Rios, a code enforcement senior inspector.

Aquil, who in 2006 ran unsuccessfully for Florida's House of Representatives, spends his days at his business attending to customers. He sells urban outfits, dresses, T-shirts, shoes and accessories. During the presidential election, he sold a variety of Barack Obama T-shirts.

Aquil said he is more than a salesman. He serves as a lookout for the community and helps people in need. He counsels some people on business and life decisions, he said.

"That corner for me is more than just selling clothes," Aquil said. "This is a welcome center. I have people coming to that corner from all over the world. I feel offended that they would address me as someone up and coming."

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7659.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT