From time to time there are requests by residents to petition on Library property. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution allows certain types of speech. The Tarpon Springs Public Library (the “Library”) upholds this principle, and also upholds the rights of its patrons and employees to enter and leave the Library safely, without being impeded or unduly hindered.
Policy updated by City of Tarpon Springs Executive Order dated October 6, 2023.
Petitioning
No petitioning is allowed inside the Library at any time.
The designated First Amendment Protected zone where First Amendment activities such as Petitioning are permitted at the Library will be under the overhang, not within 20 feet of the front doors of the Library and off to the side between the pillars on either side (east or west) of the entry way, but at no time will such activity block the sidewalks or entryways ingress or egress to the front doors of the library. See diagram below.
Persons may not block the sidewalks or walking pathways, nor stand in the way of people approaching the building or harass Library patrons. Persons may not call out to patrons or passersby and may not create a disturbance in front of the Library.
Persons may carry signs, so long as those signs do not unreasonably interfere with the use of the walkway or access to the Library. No signs shall be affixed to the Library, its fixtures or plants.
Solicitation
Only the Friends of the Tarpon Springs Public Library, a 501(c)(3) organization formed to support the Tarpon Springs Public Library, is allowed to engage in fundraising activities in the Library or on Library grounds. No other fundraising for civic, political, welfare, youth or other groups, charities or causes, including raising money through the sale of goods or food, is permitted in the Library or anywhere on Library property at any time.
Refer to City Ordinance 12-18.6 for any additional information on such activities.