KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Kissimmee City Council is set to discuss new rules for food trucks, months after the city temporarily paused new food truck permits in the fall.
The proposed changes could further limit where, when, and for how long food trucks can operate within city limits. Vendors say they are already competing for limited space under existing regulations.
Aixela Antequera is one of about 29 food truck vendors who reserved a space in a planned food truck park along East Irlo Bronson Memorial highway in Kissimmee back in 2023.
According to rental agreements signed by the vendors, the Food Truck Park was set to open June 1st, 2024 along East Irlo Bronson Memorial highway in Kissimmee, but two years later the park site still looks like an empty plot of land.
“It was a dream that never came true,” said Antequera.
Antequera said she paid a $10,000 reservation fee but never saw the project move forward.
“They never returned the money, they never responded to calls, they never responded to emails. They disappeared,” said Antequera.
In 2024, the park’s founders told Channel 9 they were moving forward with the concept at a new location.
However, Osceola County officials said they never received an application for the project to begin with and never granted any permits to the original site along East Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway.
Antequera said she has not heard from the park founders since Channel 9s interview in 2024, and has been unable to recover her money.
On Tuesday, Channel 9 called and emailed the founders of the proposed food truck park multiple times, but we did not receive a response.
Meanwhile, Antequera said over the past year, she has searched for another site to park her family’s Venezuelan food truck A Papear but found limited options under the city’s current rules.
“It’s very difficult because we don’t have another place to park the food truck with the real permission. So, we are not going to do anything that is not following the rules,” Antequera said.
According to city code, the city does allow outdoor food truck sales between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., but only in certain zones or with specific permits.
During a September 2025 city council meeting, Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa acknowledged ongoing issues with food trucks stating that food trucks permitted at Mill Creek Mall created a burden for the Kissimmee Police Department.
“We’ve had so many challenges with food trucks,” said Espinosa, who cited food truck businesses operating without licenses, but did not elaborate on the nuisance concerns.
Kissimmee City Manager Mike Steigerwalt said back in September that changes to the city code are needed to eliminate loopholes used by vendors to get them permitted on a permanent basis, instead of as the city intended, just temporarily.
Commissioners are considering additional restrictions, in part to prevent food trucks from competing with brick-and-mortar restaurants downtown including separation requirements from established restaurants.
Antequera said her family is now looking to sell their food truck because it has become too difficult to operate under the current restrictions. She said she hopes the council’s discussion will create new opportunities for vendors, not just additional restrictions.
Commissioners will discuss new permitting options and rules beginning at 6pm at City Hall.
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