Trish Rafferty is eating breakfast on a bench.

She sets down her belongings — which are in a backpack — on the side of South Rosalind Avenue inside a small area marked off by dashes of blue.

While city ordinances don't allow her to panhandle before sunrise, she gets to the spot before 5 a.m. to claim her territory.

The dashes of blue indicate boxes that are painted on the ground throughout downtown Orlando. They indicate designated spaces where people are legally allowed to panhandle. The blue lines dictate how some people live their lives. Rafferty is one of those people.

"Some days, I do really well," Rafferty said. "Other days, not so good."

City officials said it's a delicate balance of free speech and making pedestrians uncomfortable, but Rafferty said the boxes are her way of life.

Rafferty said she gets to her box early because of the limited spaces. With lots of panhandlers, some spots are hard to come by.

"There were two other guys that I competed with," she said.

Panhandlers said the issue of there not being enough designated spaces is growing,

"There are not that many boxes anymore," Woodrow Acres said. "If you don't get there first, you don't get the box. You're not allowed to panhandle anywhere but the box."

There are 27 exempt zones within Orlando's city limits — down a few from when the program first started about 15 years ago due to construction and growth in the area.

City officials said the blue boxes are a balancing act.

"It's worked well to maintain the balance between free speech and the right of pedestrians to go about their business unobstructed," said Thomas Chatmon Jr., of the city of Orlando's Downtown Development Board.

There are specific rules of conduct in the box, including no yelling as passersby and no aggressive nature.

Rafferty, who said she's been homeless since 2008, said she sleeps on the streets despite there being shelters in the downtown area.

"Salvation Army — you've got to pay every night," she said. "It's $9 a night, which is totally out. So, we just stay out, and last night was really bad. Didn't get much sleep, but that's alright."

A spokesperson for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, which is in walking distance from the blue boxes, said the agency is ready to provide free meals for the homeless on an everyday basis.

The blue boxes aren't just for panhandling, either. City ordinance states the designated areas are also for solicitation, which includes selling tickets and handing out religious or political pamphlets.

Rafferty said the blue boxes have been a good thing for her because they have allowed her to legally hold a sign asking for money. She has to be gone by the time the sun goes down, though.

She'll do it all over again the next day.