MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – If you've ever been to a basketball game at the AmericanAirlines Arena, you already know that food prices inside make it nearly impossible to enjoy even a hot dog. But, food vendors outside have helped fill that void for years, but it may be coming to a stop.

Miami commissioners are poised to ban food vendors around the AmericanAirlines Arena. The ban would take place immediately and anyone with a permit would have the permit end in September.

Food vendors could still legally operate on private property, but would require a separate permit from the city. For hot dog aficionado Jessica Torres, the ban would end something she's loved for years.

"Bayside, anywhere that I see a hot dog cart, no matter where it's out, normally it's really good," Torres said.

Other hot dog cart fans said the ban would benefit everyone except the people who need the money.

"Who's benefitting from that? The arena? Not the poor people who need to make money some kind of way," said hot dog cart fan Jason Charlton.

The ban on outdoor food sales would stretch along Biscayne Boulevard from NE 5th to 11th Street and west to Northeast 1st Avenue. The effort to push the carts blocks away from the arena is being led by the American Airlines Arena and downtown restaurateurs looking to draw diners.

The idea is taking on heat though. The Downtown Development Authority's Facebook page has become a place to rant. Poster Jeff Morr wrote, "Shame on the city and DDA for sponsoring this. Its an outrage!"

CBS4's David Sutta talked to a handful of commissioners Thursday and none actually stopped for a hot dog at any time outside the AAA.

Instead, the commissioners and the AmericanAirlines Arena said the ban is all about safety.

"A couple of the hot dog vendors got pushed," said Commissioner Marc Sarnoff. "Some were pushed over. A couple of the arepas were pushed over. It becomes an ingress and egress safety issue."

Sarnoff said the vendors will still be allowed to be in business, just blocks away from the arena.

"No one is pushing them out," Sarnoff said. "You are just asking them not to be in a certain part of the district."

If the plan sounds familiar, it's essentially the same plan that was hatched to deal with the homeless in and around the AmericanAirlines Arena right before the Miami Heat started last season.

"A man who doesn't work, doesn't eat," said hot dog vendor Edgar Pietrs. "And this is our survival. I love what I do. People have to work and have to make a living. That's the way we make a living."

For now, the future of hot dog vending at Miami Heat games will be as obscure as what is actually in a hot dog. Commissioners will take up the issue at their next meeting.