Florida’s homeless regulation is now in impact. On Tuesday, sleeping or tenting on public property within the state was made unlawful, and tenting areas should be set as much as accommodate the homeless group.
Statute 1365, previously Home Invoice (HB) 1365, will make it unlawful for folks combating homelessness to sleep outdoors on public land.
“HB 1365 prohibits counties and municipalities from authorizing or permitting people to usually sleep or camp on public property, at public buildings or their grounds, or on public rights-of-way inside their jurisdictions,” stated the county’s mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, in a memorandum despatched to the Board of County Commissioners in September.
Beginning January 1, 2025, cities or municipalities that fail to conform inside 5 days of a written grievance may “face authorized motion from any resident or enterprise proprietor inside their jurisdictions or the Florida Lawyer Normal,” acknowledged the memorandum.
The tenting areas the municipalities are mandated to supply should be authorized by the Florida Division of Kids and Households and embody safety, behavioral well being companies, and bogs with working water.
Homeless disaster:I lived in a homeless encampment for every week. I noticed how Housing First would not work.
Florida cities react to new homeless regulation
The mayor of Pensacola, D.C. Reeves, introduced that he deliberate to make use of $1 million in unencumbered American Rescue Plan Act funds to buy small, semi-permanent shelters, in keeping with the Pensacola Information Journal.
“Arresting our manner out of homelessness is just not going to unravel our downside,” Reeves stated. “So, having that launch valve of further items coming on-line a lot sooner than a protracted course of, it is actually why I pivoted from the low-barrier shelter that we have been speaking about.”
Reeves was beforehand inquisitive about utilizing the funds to kick-start a low-barrier homeless shelter, however that concept was taken off the desk earlier this yr when a report from Jon DeCarmine, government director of GRACE Market in Gainesville, confirmed start-up price could be between $2.19 million and $3.47 million.
Shelters shall be positioned all through the group to extend the inventory of housing out there and get folks off the road.
In the meantime, one company in Miami-Dade County would not suppose the brand new statute will assist scale back homelessness.
“We reject sanctioned encampments and consider there isn’t any proof that they scale back homelessness,” stated Ron Ebook, Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Belief, in an announcement. “We’re dedicated to investing in options that ship long-term outcomes and bringing new companions in, as we firmly consider we are able to finish homelessness in Miami-Dade.”
Within the final yr, the Metropolis of Miami, Metropolis of Miami Seashore, and Miami-Dade County have seen a a 2% improve in homelessness since 2023, in keeping with an annual census carried out by the belief.
It should conduct the census once more in January, as mandated by america Division of Housing and City Growth.
USA TODAY has contacted Miami-Dade County and the Metropolis of Tampa concerning the new regulation, however has not but heard again.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You’ll be able to join along with her on LinkedIn, comply with her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or electronic mail her at jgomez@gannett.com.