Panhandling
 

Does panhandling at the mail stations = solicitation? Politicians are bad enough, but only show up around elections & it's good to meet them before voting. The panhandlers ambush you on the way to get mail & beg for money for various causes. If there is no solicitation, what's the difference whether it's at your door or at your mailbox? Now I feel better!

:sigh::sigh:

Lazy or smart!?!?!?!
 

I don't know if they are lazy or smart,,, they don't have to walk door to door if they are at the mailboxes ,,, I have found a polite firm NO Thanks,,, does the trick,,,,most are harmless. Or just call in on them or the threat of calling seems to make them move on. But being nasty or confrontieal with them will only get you wound up.... They are used to being hassled...treat them the way u want to be treated works in most every time for alot of things this included

Now this is a new one. People asking for money at the postal stations. Report them to Community Watch.

This is new to us as well!!! Where is your mail-station located?? I'd do what Bogie Shooter said! Stuff like that shouldn't be allowed here! They're all out on 441. Saw a gal the other day, clean, dressed pretty well....sign said something about "no job, very hungary, anything would help" but she was on her cellphone! Now how do you pay for service if you have no money??

Been here 12 years, never saw one.

THEY now give free cell phone to people on public assistance.

It's not free. Your and my taxes are paying for it.

Hasn't happend at my mail station.

Don't I know it, it's one of my pet peeves.

Its not clear to me from the initial post, but I assume you were not complaining of people soliciting for various third party charitable causes< I assume you were referring to what I call "beggars". I have not taken the time to look up any TV regulations or local ordinances, but would not be surprised if it was "against the law". A call to security might be effective.

Swampy, soon to be a Fernandina FROG.

We visited last October and it seemed that they were at every red light on 441/27 holding up signs and asking for food or money. Is that the norm?

ONCE AGAIN-- read your deed restrictions. Mine state that solicitation is prohibited.

Up here in Baltimore you cannot go anywhere in the greater Baltimore metro area without finding somebody begging for something on virtually every major intersection. As one of the posters mentioned they are well dressed, have better shoes than you do, look less hungry than you are and they are gabbing on their taxpayer-provided cell phones. One near us comes in each day, parks his car at the local BP station and uses the gas station's bathroom when needed. It's constant. The cops will move them along if they are not already busy taking bullets out of innocent bystanders who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during the latest gang-related drive-by but for the most part, they are everywhere.

At the risk of not seeming compassionate or seeming boastful ......

Never have panhandled, not sure how I would expect to be treated????

Always found a way to make a buck by working even when I was young, uneducated and poor. I may have gotten dirty and tired but I felt like I accomplished something good!

I have been here 3 years and have not seen a panhandler at one of the mail boxes. I have seen a couple in front of grocery stores and a couple at Lake Sumter Landing when there was some art show or something going on.

Outside of The Villages, there is a lot of poverty. If social programs get cut, there will be more people begging on the street corners in Wildwood and Lady Lake.

posting removed by poster

...Or they could do some work, I know I'd pay to get some weeds pulled.

The OP seemed to be asking about soliciting for causes at the mail station, not "panhandling" by individuals. Many responses are off topic and bordering on political. Please stay on topic and avoid political references.

Why do I read about stuff on TOTV and it doesn't happen to me?

Been here five years and I haven't seen any" solicitors."

Where?

Name your postal drop please. I will send the Posse. ;)

A lot of the time it's hard to discern what is legitimate and what isn't. Just today someone was on this board collecting for the National Guard, but if you google the phone number you come up with this iamLONDON who lives in Paris - gimme all your lovin

and a lot of other entries from the UK and India.

I guess I would have to call this e-panhandling.

I'm not disputing what the OP says. But like Gracie, I'm curious where this happened. I've never seen it at any of the postal stations here in the historic side. What were they asking you to support?

I suspected something like that when I read it. Thanks Patty.

I know, I think both our "hinky meters" went off at the same time-LOL

What!?

917-952-7832 happens to be a NY number, not Ocala, go ahead and google it.

I have never seen it at the mailboxes, but how about that "Marine?" hanging out at Walgreens on 466a?

I was approached by a food bank at Publix, number 1 on their list was fruit roll-ups. GMAB, you don't have food and you NEED FRUIT-ROLLUPS.

Patty, you are so always so funny and always right on target!!! I got my 1st job at 15 and have never been unemployed cause I would always do what I needed to make a buck. I have never asked for a handout and get very annoyed at people that do.

Thanks for the laugh Patty!!
:loco:

You need to get out more.

8 years and no pan handling at any neighborhood mail box I ever visited...especially mine.

Of course I didn't see the borderline stuff either?!?!

I have seen an occassional and I really mean far and few between "help me out signs" on the medians on 441.

What I find works best is to play the role we are sometimes cast....too old to see or hear and just pretend you are stone deaf and keep walking!!!!

btk

Shadow and OP. WHERE? We are talking people asking for contributions at neighborhood mail drops.

I just want to hear where?

We lived in Hadley for four years, rented in another village while current home was being built and live now in a third village. I have CLOSE friends who we chat with regularly about everything to do with The Villages and they live in Duval, Caroline, Poinciana, St. James and Amelia.

These are folks who certainly would have mentioned people trying to get contributions at mail drops, but no one did.

If there is this going on than say WHERE. WHERE?

People can come on this forum right here and ask for contributions. They also can scam us.

Kind and good people find the charities they want to give to. It doesn't make them bad not to contribute to unknown causes.

Panhandling at the mail boxes
 

I have never been asked for donations at the mail boxes. Just this week there was a very polite gentleman handing out copies of the local amendments for the upcoming election. He did not appear to be partisan in any way, and he certainly did not bother anyone.

:) :)

We have the folks doing cash/food drives in Duval Mail Station for various charities. I think that is a fine thing to do. The least we can do is to give a hand where one is needed. In Duval, the people collecting for charities are residents of Duval.

Thanks.

I thought panhandling was pretty much illegal everywhere except where the cops choose to overlook it, like in big cities

Here for 2.5 yrs- never been panhandled at a mail station. About 6 months ago was approached twice on Publix parking lot(Colony) and at the Shell station by people asking for money for gas because they where broke and going to see their sick daughter or dying mother.

Please forgive me for my question. Duval is one of the larger villages. I am pretty sure there are more than 1000 homes. I know they have a great website. I am guessing that the website is telling you when the folks collecting will be there so you can contribute so you know that they are valid collectors and residents?

We bring our contributions for charity in Laurel Valley to our monthly potluck. But there are only 52 homes in our village.

The reason for my question is that most everyone would want to support a valid collection for a good cause. Some nasty folks would and could and do take advantage of our kind hearts.

If, like the ones at intersections with signs, it looks suspicious, I just pass them by.

When they set up in the Duval station, they have a car, card tables and signs indicating what they are doing and who they are doing it for. We know the ladies that do this fine thing from the neighborhood as well.

If you would like to combine your small contributions with ours, I would be happy to find the schedule these ladies use, the charity they support etc. and provide it to you for future donations.

Should be easy enough to tell the difference between a panhandler and some ladies collecting for the neighborhood. Both will most likely ask different questions. Don't know the difference..........drive down 441/27 or corner of 301/ CR42.

On our front gate it says no solicitation...report to community watch and let them move them on. Or actually they'll probably contact the sheriff in the case of vagrants in a umm gated community.

clod did say there were asking for money for "various causes", so I read it to mean exactly the opposite of how you read it. Maybe the OP can clear it up for us. I have seen a lot of abuse from people collecting for charities and also individual panhandlers.

I knew a lady whose brother made about $200 per day, holding a sign on a busy road that said something like...taking care of sister with cancer...The sister did indeed have cancer, however, she never got any benefit from the money, not even for groceries, etc. The guy just considered that his "job".