ORLANDO, Fla. – A controversial Florida law designed to prevent homeless people from sleeping in public places while requiring local governments to address the issue goes into effect next month.
Starting October 1, 2024, the law will bar cities and counties from allowing people to sleep at places such as public buildings and in public rights of way.
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Senate sponsor Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, said the goal is to provide safer locations for people than sleeping at places such as parks or under overpasses and pavilions.
“Insufficient shelter beds and insufficient permanent housing solutions result in unsheltered sleeping and camping in public places, places that we want our kids and grandkids to enjoy, like the parks,” Martin said. “This bill is a compassionate response to the shortage of shelters and supportive housing by providing an alternative to sleeping in the streets.”
Democrats argue the state would provide limited resources to local governments to carry out the measure, potentially exposing the local governments to lawsuits.
Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said the measure is “literally reshuffling the visibility of unhoused individuals with no exit strategy for people who are experiencing homelessness.”
“I understand that this bill does not make it illegal for people to sleep in public places,” Jones said. “But rather, it appears to make it illegal for local governments to ignore people sleeping in public.”
The measure allows local governments to designate certain property for sleeping or camping if the sites meet standards set by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Such areas, which could only be used for one year, would have to include access to such things as restrooms and running water, have security and be deemed alcohol- and drug-free. Also, the sites must not harm values of nearby properties or safety.
The bill gives residents and business owners standing to file civil lawsuits against local governments for allowing illegal sleeping or camping on public property.
Fiscally constrained counties --- mostly rural counties --- would be exempted from certain requirements if complying would create a financial hardship.
HOMELESSNESS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
The Point-in-Time Count is a survey that collects estimates on the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
During the PIT Count, trained volunteers and outreach workers go into the community and count the number of people who are unsheltered.
Shelter providers count the number of people in emergency shelter and transitional housing. The data collected during the count is used to better understand the scope of homelessness in Central Florida.
Here’s the most recent data compiled by the survey.
ORANGE: 2,013 (24% increase compared to 2023)
SEMINOLE: 420 (53% increase compared to 2023)
OSCEOLA: 343 (4% decrease compared to 2023)
BREVARD: 1,116 (6% increase since 2023)
VOLUSIA: 1,053 (17.8% increase since 2022)