Amsterdam’s flower bike man must return to Florida over lack of residence permit

On October 6, Warren Gregory, 55, known as the flower bike man, will return back to his native Florida. According to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND), the man is no longer permitted to remain in the Netherlands.

The IND said that Gregory has to leave because he does not have a valid residence permit, could not demonstrate means of subsistence, had no official residential address, and had earlier failed to comply with a reporting requirement.

Gregory offered his own account to AT5. “I could never afford a registered address. I have a BSN number and a bank account, and all the work I’ve done is registered. None of it was off the books; everything is documented. I am not homeless, but I don't have an official residential address.”

Gregory became known in Amsterdam for his striking bicycles fully covered in flowers. “I tried to make the canals more floral,” he said. “That turned out pretty well.”

The flower bike man was arrested on the 5th of August. It later became known that that was because he did not have a valid residence permit. The lack of means of subsistence also emerged as a factor. He has since been released, but his departure has reportedly been organized.

Gregory is worried about what returning to the U.S. will mean for his wife’s epilepsy. “Healthcare in the Netherlands is far better organized than in the United States. I also have back problems, and good care in America is not a given.”

The man said that he feels "sad, ashamed, and [like] a failure. I didn’t succeed in taking care of myself, and that hurts.” He added, however, that he does not want to be too negative. “They gave me time, again and again, to get my affairs in order. I can’t really say anything bad about it, because you can look at it from two sides.”