Ord 74-31 AN ORDINANCE BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF DELRAY BEAC~, PAi2~ BEACH CODi~TY, FLORIDA,
PLACING A LICENSE ON, DESIGNATING AND
DESCRIBING ITINERANT ~ERCHANTS.
Article 1.
BE IT ORDAINED By ~he authority aIoresaid, that all
itinerant merchants, whether corporations, firms or persons
~oing Ousiness within the City o~ Delray Beach, Florida, shall
pay an annual business license to ~ai~ City amoun~in6 to Three
Hun~re~ ($~00..00) Dollars.
Article ~.
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED Tha~ all persons, firms or
corporations not now having a ousiness license in the City of
Delray Beach, who hereafter apply for a business license ~o con-
~uct an~ carry on a ousiness-like or similar to a business now
being con~ucte~an~ license~ in sai~ City of Delray Beach,
Florida, shall be termed, ~esignate~ an~ ~efine~ as itinerant
me rchant s.
Art icle ~.
BE IT FURTH~R ORDAINED That any and all corporations,
firms or persons who live or reside outsi~e of the City of
Delray Beach; or whose principal place of business is outside the
corporate limits of sai~ City; or who solicit shoes for repair,
laundry, cleaning, pressing, or any other wares or merchandise
for the purpose of repairing, cleaning overhauling, or to have
any other work ~one or performe~ thereon, ~hen such actual work,
repairs, cleaning or otherwise shall be ~one outsl~e of the City
of Delray Beach, Florida, whether such corporation, firm or pe~rsau
maintains ~esk~ space, has an agent or an office within the City
of Delray Beach, or no~, shall oe termed, ~msignate~ an~ ~eflnee
as an itinerant merchant.
PROVIDED A~WAYS That any corporation, firm, or person
who has had their main office or place of business within sai~
City or who has resi~e~ within sai~ City ann who has actually
con~ucte~ sai~ business continuously for the perio~ of one (1)
year, an~ who has ha~ his repairs, cleaning, pressing or laundry
work none within sal~ City for one (1) year, an~ who has purchas-
e~ a business license~ after the expiration of one (1) year of
continuous business, as Just ~escribe~, shall have returne~ to
him, or it, the ~ifference between the license fee charge~,
residence merchants, ann that which he has heretofore pain here-
un,er,
PROVIDED ALWAYS That an appeal herefrom can be had to
the City Council of the City of Delray Beach, Florida.
ALL ORDINANCES and parts of ordinances in conflict
.herewith are hereby repeale~.
PASS~ AND APPROVED BY The authority aforesaid on first
rea~ing, this the ~ may of o~. 19Jl.
r~ident ' of oi - '
~lerk,Clt~LJof~DelraY Beach,
Florida.
PASSED AND APPROVED By the Authority aforesaid upon
secon~ rea~ing, this the /.. .~4 may of December, A, D, 19~1,
President of Council of City of
~Flortda.
EXAMINED AND APPROVED By the Mayor of the City of
Delray Beach, Florida, this the !~~ ~ay of December, A.D. 19~1
Delray Beach, Florida.
February 17, 1935.
To The Mayor and City Council of the
City of Delray Beach, Florida.
Gentlemen:
As per your request, the following is~ my construction
of the itinerant merchant ordinance passed by the Mayor and City
Council on the lath day of December A. D. 19~l :
Within my judgment, this ordinance, when read as a
whole, is an effort to protect the continuous businesses within
the City of De&ray Beach, Florida, who pay a business license
to carry on a business in~ their respective lines, from those
merchants or businesses who come in under the guise of running
an~ operating a continuous business and get a license therefor
but in fact operate and marry on only for a part' of the season,
or for a short time, and are then gone, and who do not live,
staI~j or reside, pay rent, or otherwise contribute to the
general welfare of the town for the remainder of the year.
Section Namber Two of the ordinan6e is a broad
definition of itinerant merchants who apply £or a business
license to conduct and carry on a business, like or similar to
a business ready license in said City, construing and designating
all of those who apply to conduct and carry on such similar
business or businesses to ce itinerant merchants, and within my
opinion, I believe the Council intended to put the emphasis on
the conducti~ and carrying on as a permanent business,
distinguishing such application from the application of those
persons, firms or corporations which apply for a license on a
per day or per week basis, as is provided for in our license
From this section I construe any person, firm or
corporation not licensed at the time of the passage of the
ordinance, where there is a similar business license issued by
the City, and the business is conducted and carried on,
to be itinerant merchants.
Section Number Three construes those firms, corpora-
tions or persons who live or reside outside of the City of
Delray Beach or who have their principal place of ousiness outside
of the City, and who might solicit work within the City, to be
itinerant merchants whether they maintain desks or office space
in said City or not.
Unnumbered paragraph following Article Three prescribes
the manner in which those who have been constraed itinerant
merchants might redeem themselves on such construction and might
be placed and construe~, after the purchase of two business
licenses and after the continuance in business for one year, as
a regular merchant.
This ordinance has to be construed in ~he light of
the other ordinances of said City touching and dealing with
occupational licenses. The other ordinances now in force ar~l
efIec~ prescrioing occupational licenses, attempt to classify
the different ¥ocatlons and occupations and distinguishes between
businesses being conducted and carried on in said City as a
permanent business and those coming in which are licensed on a
per day or per week basis, which latter, within~.my~.ca~str~Otlgn,
are not construed to be itinerant merchants or businesses in
the ordinance in Question.
This ordinance clearly is not discriminatory as
between permanent businesses and occupations in said City but
attempts to designate and define itinerant merchants and was
passed for the protection of those Conducting and carrying on
from year to year the regular licensed businesses in said City
against those who might come in under the same class to conduct
and carry on a continuous business from year to year, but who
in fact are not permanent but are merely seasonal and have no
intentions of conducting a permanent business in said City.
Every business upon which the City imposes an annual
license, giving said business the privilege of being conducted
and carried on w~lXin said City, is, within the meaning of the
ordinance, embraced under and designated as merchants whether
they sell services, merchandise, entertainment or other things
commerci ally.
The construction as contained in the ordinance in
question is subject always to an appeal to the Ci~y Council
as is therein provided.
Respectfully submitted,
' J. H. Adams, ...
Attorney for the City of
JHA:n Delray Beach, Florida.