Florida House could vote on homeless bill during Friday session

Florida House could vote on homeless bill Friday

Florida lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill Friday that would ban camping in public spaces. Some critics of the bill say it targets homeless people. House members debated the bill on the house floor Thursday.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill Friday that would ban camping in public spaces.

Some critics of the bill say it targets homeless people. House members debated the bill on the house floor Thursday.

If approved, your tax dollars could fund homeless camps run by local governments. An advocate interviewed by FOX 35 News said that money is better spent on creating more affordable housing options.

Governor DeSantis backs the bills as part of an effort to "combat homelessness and keep Florida's streets clean."

"We're not going to let Florida become San Francisco where homeless are everywhere," DeSantis said last week.

The bill would ban camping in public except where local governments say it's okay. Those areas would need access to bathrooms and running water, and the bill calls for security to ensure it's all drug-free.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) argued against the bill Thursday.

"We have to have compassion and realize these are complex issues, and this bill doesn't address the nuance," Eskamani said. "It just says, 'We don't want to see it.'"

State Rep. Sam Garrison (R-Fleming Island) supported the measure on the house floor.

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"You just cannot have a situation where the public space becomes no longer public space, and it becomes basically a de facto homeless camp," Garrison said. "That is just not where we are going to be."

The City of Tampa tried a designated homeless camp for two months during the pandemic. The city told FOX 35 it costs roughly $60,000 monthly for every 100 homeless people.

At about $600 per tent, that's $720,000 a year.

Eric Gray, a homeless advocate and Christian Service Center executive director, said whether people stay in a tent or find a shelter bed, the costs are about equal.

"I don't expect that you're going to see counties around the state of Florida going to the lengths of actually establishing an organized encampment," Gray said. "I think what you're more likely to see is counties reacting to the fear of lawsuits from local property owners to actually start having the discussion to start some kind of congregate shelter."

In recent weeks and months, several municipalities in Florida have enacted laws cracking down on sidewalk camping.

"You don't want the homeless intruding on quality of life," DeSantis said. "On public safety. Businesses and the economy, and that has to be the firm line that you have."

Gray said leaders in Tallahassee see homelessness as a business issue, not a humanitarian one.

"This is really all about how homelessness is affecting property values, and while that is certainly an important issue to consider, it is not the only issue to consider," Gray said.

The bill would allow cities and counties to claim financial hardship when considering campsites. It would also increase shelter funding, plus mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Gray said a majority of homeless people do not need treatment for either substance abuse or mental health issues and said real change comes with eliminating that stigma.

If passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor, the bill would take effect Oct. 1.