Legal advice?

[RichardR]

Some of you might already be aware from the RV thread that I am retiring, buying an RV & moving down to the Gulf coast.

Now my plan is to park my RV right on the beach (beach parking permit's where I am headed are only $15 a year) and enjoy the rest of my days watching the sun & surf which will literally be my front porch.

Here is where I am going to need some legal advice, in order to supplement my income I was planning on setting up this portable shelving unit that I am taking down with me & filling those shelves with about 150 or so various books.

Basically I'm going to do a "beach book rental" on day's that I don't have anything else planned. where folks can pony up a $5 deposit & rent a book for the day, if they return the book in good condition they'll get $3 back.

If they decide to keep the book, well I keep their deposit & go down to the nearest Goodwill store to buy another replacement paper-back book for $1.

Granted I'm not going to get rich doing this but it should help take some of the edge off of me eating a steady diet of expensive yet delicious fresh sea-food.

Anyway since I am not technically "selling" anything I wasn't planning on getting a vendor's license, is this something that you all think that I'd be ok with doing? or should I just buy a vendor's license to cover myself just in case?

I am also not sure that I'd run into problems with the IRS since I doubt I'd generate the minimum $6001 but still I'd like to avoid any potential problems with any governmental entities if at all possible.

I do plan on keeping records of all of the transactions just in case though, but I would appreciate any & all comments, advice or suggestions.

 

[Dirtebiker]

First, I doubt that any of us here can help you, you will surely have to do your homework down there. I also doubt that you will be allowed to park on the beach overnight, the only beach that I know of that you can even drive on is Daytona, and that is only during the day. Even if they allow it, I'd be concerned with safety, there's a lot of questionable people that live and bum around beach areas, be careful!
Lastly, I assume you will need some kind of business license or permit to be selling or renting anything.
Whatever you decide, good luck and have fun!

 

[RichardR]

First, I doubt that any of us here can help you, you will surely have to do your homework down there. I also doubt that you will be allowed to park on the beach overnight, the only beach that I know of that you can even drive on is Daytona, and that is only during the day. Even if they allow it, I'd be concerned with safety, there's a lot of questionable people that live and bum around beach areas, be careful!
Lastly, I assume you will need some kind of business license or permit to be selling or renting anything.
Whatever you decide, good luck and have fun!

Texas is a bit more lenient w/regards to driving & parking on some of their beaches, many of them even have designated RV parking areas right on the beach.

You just have to buy a beach parking permit, else you could be ticketed, I had no idea about Florida's rules/regulations on that though, as I've always stayed in hotels and resorts and stuff when I've vacationed there.

Anyway I'll probably inquire about what sort of license or permit I'd need to setup my little shelf of books, it's sort of sad that a fellow can't even offer to loan out his own personal property to other people without getting permission from the government to do so first.

 

[Wesley Willis]

Why wouldn't these people just go to the library and get a book for free?

 

[RichardR]

Why wouldn't these people just go to the library and get a book for free?

Well I am guessing most folks would pay a couple of bucks for the convenience of not having to pack up their stuff, get back into their car & go to the library (or back home) because they forgot to bring something to read with them to the beach.

Like I said, I'm probably not going to get rich doing it, but it would be nice to make a few extra bucks on days that I don't have anything else to do.

 

[Wesley Willis]

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but I know I can't read a full book during one day. What about selling newspapers instead? People would definitely buy a newspaper faster than renting a used book for an afternoon that they probably couldn't finish.

 

[Wesley Willis]

Just because you aren't "selling" something, you are still offering a service with a product so you would need a license. Sell cold bottled water during the hot months for a buck a bottle???

 

[Wesley Willis]

Or instead of renting books, rent sun umbrellas, beach lounge chairs, something like that. I dunno, I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk, just the idea of renting a book when libraries do it for free, even though you are paying for the convenience, doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Books on a wet beach probably wouldn't last long either.

 

[Arm America]

Bottled water,
sun tan lotion,
frisbees,
and cheap sunglasses.
(& newspapers)

 

[Dirtebiker]

Texas is a bit more lenient w/regards to driving & parking on some of their beaches, many of them even have designated RV parking areas right on the beach.

You just have to buy a beach parking permit, else you could be ticketed, I had no idea about Florida's rules/regulations on that though, as I've always stayed in hotels and resorts and stuff when I've vacationed there.

Anyway I'll probably inquire about what sort of license or permit I'd need to setup my little shelf of books, it's sort of sad that a fellow can't even offer to loan out his own personal property to other people without getting permission from the government to do so first.

I agree completely, I like your spirit, and your "thinking outside the box"
Good luck, and if I see you, I will rent a book , even if I can't read it in one sitting. I'm guessing that most tourists don't go to the trouble of getting a library card for a weeks vacation. Live the dream!

 

[RichardR]

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but I know I can't read a full book during one day. What about selling newspapers instead? People would definitely buy a newspaper faster than renting a used book for an afternoon that they probably couldn't finish.

Well that's sort of the ingeniousness behind idea, if they are interested in finishing the book, they'll just take it home with them & walla, I just keep their $5 deposit on a paper-back book that I bought at Goodwill for $1

Just because you aren't "selling" something, you are still offering a service with a product so you would need a license. Sell cold bottled water during the hot months for a buck a bottle???

Yea if I do need to get a vendors license or something I'd definitely expand my selection to other things like cold drinks & maybe something like kites, which would be very easy to store in the RV since a stack of them wouldn't take up very much space.

Or instead of renting books, rent sun umbrellas, beach lounge chairs, something like that. I dunno, I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk, just the idea of renting a book when libraries do it for free, even though you are paying for the convenience, doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Books on a wet beach probably wouldn't last long either.

No I don't think you're being a jerk, you're actually helping me think this whole thing through thoroughly, oh and a water damaged book would = loss of their $5 deposit.

My main problem is that storage space is at a premium in an RV so bulky items like umbrellas & chairs would take up a lot of valuable storage space.

I think can pack/stack about 150 or so paper-back books + my flat folding shelving unit easily into one of the "basement" storage area's of my RV without too much trouble though.

 

[RichardR]

I agree completely, I like your spirit, and your "thinking outside the box"
Good luck, and if I see you, I will rent a book , even if I can't read it in one sitting. I'm guessing that most tourists don't go to the trouble of getting a library card for a weeks vacation. Live the dream!

Thanks man, just remember to mention your screen name to me & you'll even get the INGO'er discount! (and a cold beer or two).

 

[Scutter01]

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but I know I can't read a full book during one day. What about selling newspapers instead? People would definitely buy a newspaper faster than renting a used book for an afternoon that they probably couldn't finish.

What's a "newspaper"? He should sell wireless access so people can get teh intarwebs at the beach and read [strike]INGO[/strike] news that isn't already a day old.

 

[RichardR]

Bottled water,
sun tan lotion,
frisbees,
and cheap sunglasses.
(& newspapers)

All of that stuff would probably sell pretty good at the beach, shelving/displaying all of it could be a problem though.

I'd definitely need a vendor's license to actually sell stuff like that, also I really don't want to make a whole lot of money, I just need enough to help cover the cost of the occasional "fancy restaurant" splurge.

But I might be able to get around that vendors license if I just held a "yard sale" every once in awhile, at which I just happened to be trying to get rid of a bunch of extra sun-tan lotion, frisbees & cheap sunglasses that I had

 

[RichardR]

What's a "newspaper"? He should sell wireless access so people can get teh intarwebs at the beach and read [strike]INGO[/strike] news that isn't already a day old.

That's a really cool idea, I'll definitely have to look into that.

 

[Lancem]

I would say yes you need a permit, police patrol the beach and I'm sure they would check. I have a bunch of relatives that live down there and nobody is going to the beach to read a book.. The joke is that is why everybody in Texas drives a truck, so you can carry all the crap you bring to the beach.

Lived here for a year, no extras but the price is right for monthly rates and it is on the beach with hookups Puerto del Sol RV Park | RV Park in Corpus Christi, Texas Portland is just across the bridge and has a superwalmart, kmart, HEB, and anything else you need, lot easier that banging around Corpus for the same thing.

Anyway I would go with the water, beer would sell better In any case have fun, I'm planning on retiring down there this coming spring so maybe I'll see you!

 

[RichardR]

Thanks Lancem, I checked into the permit/license thing a little bit here is what I found.

Gulf of Mexico Beach Mobile Vendor Permit

A person who sells, offers for sale, rents, or offers for rent goods or services by means of going upon Gulf Beaches (excluding land owned by the State and/or Nueces County), using a mobile vehicle. The permit does not give the person permission to set up a structure and remain in a fixed location. (This permit does not include the Gulf Beach Seawall area.)

Requirements:

• 
  [*]Fill out application and provide attachments as listed in the application.
  [*]Attach following:
  
  • Certified copy of Assumed Name Certificate (D.B.A.)
  • State Sales Tax Certificate
  • Copy of Business Liability Insurance Policy
  • Copy of Health Permit (if applicable)
• Pay base fee of $25.00 and $5.00 for each person selling for each 30-day period.

Which is not "unreasonable" per say, but for what I was wanting to do it seems a bit silly to go through all of that hassle.

I was really just looking for something to pass the time & maybe pick up a few bucks while sitting on the beach.

Anyway thanks again for the heads up on that Puerto del Sol RV park, I google satellite map'd it and the location is pretty sweet, costs are reasonable too, especially with electricity being included in the monthly rates, so I'll definitely check it out while I am down there & maybe we'll end up being neighbors!

I'm really looking forward to a life of kicking back on the beach, eating fresh caught sea-food & swilling down ice-cold drinks any time that I want.