Florida man banned from Starbucks for life for exposing parking violations

Fox News.com ^ | July 27, 2015

[Kaslin]

A Florida man banned from Starbucks for life because he called out customers who were breaking the law says he'd do it again to raise awareness for people with disabilities.

Rob Rowen says he received a letter from the manager at a Tampa location after he was accused of publicly shaming people for illegally using the handicapped parking spaces and confronting them inside the coffee shop with cell phone images he took of the violations. Rowen’s son-in-law has muscular dystrophy and uses a power wheelchair, he said.

“I saw someone park and it was obvious they weren’t handicapped,” Rowen told WTSP. “There was no handicapped-parking sticker, it wasn’t a handicapped plate. And so I said to him you’re parked in the one handicapped space and you need to move your car.”

[gov_bean_ counter]

More liberal compassion at work...

[erlayman]

He should have contacted the proper authorities before trying to start something in a restaurant.

[PAR35]

Sounds like it might have been an employee, rather than a customer, who was parking in the handicapped space.

And it sounds like the Starbuck’s solution is to ask the landlord to move the handicapped parking away from the store.

Unfortunately, I can’t boycott Starbucks since I don’t drink their bitter swill, anyway.

[ExCTCitizen]

Lets see... Buddy Brew, Kahwa or Indigo are better, so no big loss...

[Farmer Dean]

Yep,call the cops.Around here it’s 250 bucks for parking in a disabled spot without a sticker or plate.

[cripplecreek]

That $250 would certainly learn me not to park in handicapped parking.

Actually my biggest issue with handicapped parking is that too many people can get the sticker who really don’t need it.

[EEGator]

Agreed. When did being a fat slob become a handicap?

[Veggie Todd]

Most stores and restaurants I go to, the handicapped parking spaces are empty.
The only place they're highly used is at the nearby Indian casino.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

In NC and Ga, I see violations all the time. Why the po po don’t head for that easy money I will never understand.

I saw one woman using a tag that was expired by 5 years.

[Kaslin]

Even then the employee has no business parking in a handicapped place since he or she was obvious that he or she was not handicapped. I know what it is when you are handicapped and you can't find a parking place that is especially for handicapped people because some moron that doesn't need it is using it. I don't mind if there is a free regular space nearby where I can park.

Wait a minute you want the landlord to move the handicapped parking away from the store? Handicapped people need to be able to park close to the store so they don't have to walk so far.

[hadaclueonce]

Buy your own raw coffee beans, toast them, make sure you over toast them, grind them and make your own Starbucks at home.

You can buy one of those funky cups and no one will ever know.

[Osage Orange]

Don’t most Congressmen have handicapped parking cards...?

[Ditter]

I see people every day parking in the handicapped spaces that have no business parking there. They have handicapped plackards but they obviously are not handicapped. It is young healthy people using grand moms car or her plackard. It makes me furious but I am not going to say anything to them.

[Kaslin]

Those are also the ones who use the shopping carts you sit in and drive through the store. When I see some fatso using one of them, I always say to myself lose some weight you moron, because someone who needs one can not find one because the slop is to lazy to walk

[BobL]

Life was MUCH SIMPLER when all parking spaces were created equal.

[Thumper1960]

Mental deficiency and treasonous behavior don’t get you a little blue mirror sign.

[Mark was here]

I would like to see the fines tripled for those who use a handicapped parking place, when the handicapped person does not exit the vehicle and go in the establishment. I would then impose a lifetime ban on the handicapped person ever getting another permit, with their current permit canceled.

[cripplecreek]

The father of a girl I once dated was an “incurable alcoholic” who lived on disability. He was fine as far as I could tell aside from being drunk all the time.

[Chickensoup]

tiresome