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But he’s learned firsthand this summer that many suburban St. Louis cities have opted to rethink — and not end — how they cite panhandlers.

More than a year after a federal judge struck down county solicitation laws and awarded Fernandez $150,000, officials from several suburban cities now say street begging is surging, as are complaints from their residents.

In response, the cities are changing their own municipal ordinances in hopes of keeping panhandlers off streets, even if that means limiting all roadway solicitation, no matter the party.

“It’s something we’ve heard has been a big safety concern for several communities along Manchester within the last year,” said Manchester City Administrator Justin Klocke.

Brentwood, Chesterfield, Des Peres, Ellisville, and, as of this week, Manchester, among others, have all rewritten laws in an effort to limit people approaching drivers, while also avoiding lawsuits.

Fernandez himself has already been cited five times in Des Peres since May, where a revised solicitation law more clearly defines all solicitors the same way, regardless of the type of speech.

“We’ve been continuously enforcing against solicitation for over a decade and the lawsuit didn’t end that,” City Administrator Douglas Harms said, adding that the Des Peres Department of Public Safety did not arrest Fernandez when he was cited. “We get flak from the charities too, but it’s a safety issue having people standing out there.”

But the new laws may still face legal challenges, especially if they’re used only to enforce panhandling.

Fernandez’s lawyer, Bevis Schock, said he plans to get Fernandez’s new citations thrown out as continued violations to his right to free speech. He said his client still relies on panhandling for income.

Fernandez did not agree to an interview for this story.

Resident complaints grow

The changes came last year.

Fernandez, who was homeless then and had been cited dozens of times for vagrancy and solicitation, sued the county. That May, U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. found the county’s laws infringed on Fernandez’s free speech rights by banning panhandling but not limiting other types of speech, like charity collection, petitions or protests along roads.

The ruling mirrored anti-panhandling cases nationwide.

That left cities across St. Louis County refiguring. And, over the past year, they have largely taken similar approaches to rewriting their panhandling laws — often broadening them to bar all types of speech, not just panhandling, in the right of way.

The Manchester Board of Aldermen on Monday became the latest, when it passed an emergency measure banning all pedestrians or wheelchair users in the right of way, including on medians, when a sidewalk is available.

Residents there reported panhandlers with children and drivers worried for their safety. Others complained of debris in medians and disruptions to traffic.

“We aren’t banning panhandling because that’s a constitutional right. The lawsuit showed that,” said Klocke, the city administrator. “They can still do it on the sidewalk.”

Chesterfield City Administrator Mike Geisel called panhandling an ongoing complaint. The city has added a measure to its sign ordinance to prohibit all types of soliciting in rights of way.

Brentwood City Administrator Bola Akande said she and other city leaders have fielded more resident complaints about panhandling recently. In response, Brentwood in February passed a ban on pedestrians remaining on roads in a way that disrupts traffic, and also made it illegal to distribute or receive anything from people in vehicles. Roadside solicitors are now required to get licenses from the city.

Brentwood police recently tasked an officer with attempting to connect panhandlers with social services.

“While there are limited options, we will continue to make contact with these groups, issuing summonses when appropriate,” the department said in a statement to residents earlier this month.

‘They haven’t walked in my shoes’

Some still believe the Fernandez suit has allowed for more panhandling in St. Louis County.

One recent afternoon, a panhandler stood at the exit from Interstate 270 onto Manchester in Des Peres. He leaned on his crutches, held up a “Help a Vet” sign, and said the spot near West County Mall gets some of the highest traffic in the area.

The man, who identified himself only as Tony, said he’s been panhandling around St. Louis for more than 15 years, and noticed police are a lot more lenient recently in St. Louis County.

“I used to not come out here because they’d throw you in jail,” he said. “Now the police do come out, but I tell them I know I have a right to be here. I know about the Fernandez lawsuit. They don’t expect us to know about it, but then they leave us be.”

Tony said he finds the new laws too restrictive.

“How am I supposed to get money from a car if I can’t walk in the road?” he said.

He said he knows many drivers don’t like panhandlers.

“They haven’t walked in my shoes,” he said. “They don’t know what we need to do to survive.”