Borough Park, NY - Cops Cracking Down on Unlicensed Flower Peddlers

Borough Park, NY - Cops in the predominantly Hasidic neighborhood are cracking down on the unlicensed hawkers after legit florists complained they are costing them between $5,000 and $10,000 a week in sales.

The squeeze comes on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, when tradition calls for thousands of flowers to adorn the inside of homes and synagogues.

“We’re going to be enforcing illegal vendors and making sure the legal vendors comply with their licenses,” NYPD Deputy Inspector Michael Deddo, of the 66th Precinct, recently told a meeting of community leaders that was attended by at least 20 neighborhood florists.