Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new bill that will ban thousand homeless people from setting up camp or sleeping on public property.
"We want to make sure that Florida streets are safe for our residents," DeSantis said at a bill signing event in Miami Beach on Wednesday.
Supporters say the bill will help eliminate the nuisance of homeless people living on public property and parks. They also argue it will be easier to provide local services to the homeless if they're in one location.
"We've seen homeless population throughout the country grow between 2019 and 2022 by 3 percent, over that period of time Florida's population of homeless declined by 11 percent," Desantis said.
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Counties, with approval from the state Department of Children and Families, would be able to designate areas for the homeless to camp for up to a year under the bill the Senate passed 27-12 on March 5th.
The bill defines public camping as “residing overnight in a temporary outdoor habitation used as a dwelling or living space and evidenced by the erection of a tent or other temporary shelter, the presence of bedding or pillows, or the storage of personal belongings.”
Opponents said the bill is simply an effort to gather up the homeless and get them out of public view.
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“This bill does not and it will not address the more pressing and root cause of homelessness,” said Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones. “We are literally reshuffling the visibility of unhoused individuals with no exit strategy for people who are experiencing homelessness.”
Opponents also said there's nothing in the bill that ensures sexual offenders and children won't be living in close proximity in the government-designated encampments, or that the encampments will be safe and sanitary.
"This will require that the services are there to get people on back on their feet," DeSantis said, "Things like substance abuse and mental health, those issues need to be addressed."
The bill doesn't apply to people sleeping in legally parked vehicles. It will take effect Oct. 1.
