Proposed change would make it illegal for homeless people to block a sidewalk in Orlando

Proposed rule would impact Orlando homeless

The City of Orlando is considering a law change to make it illegal for someone to block a sidewalk, but some think it unfairly targets people who are homeless.

People in some Orlando neighborhoods say they've seen the issue of homelessness continue to get worse.

"We’ve seen an increase with folks that, unfortunately, are sleeping on the sidewalks, obstructing sidewalks with tents," said City Commissioner Regina Hill.

"We noticed that there were a lot of folks who were camping out on the sidewalks," said Rich Black, the president of the Lake Sunset neighborhood association. "We have seniors. We have people who are disabled and have scooters or wheelchairs, and we don’t want people running over people on the sidewalk."

They say it's a safety issue.

A proposed rule change would make it illegal to walk, stand, sit, lie down, or place an object in a way that intentionally blocks a sidewalk.

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Police could issue a fine or put someone in jail for breaking the law.

The Orlando Police Department sent FOX 35 a written statement saying, "This proposed ordinance should not disproportionately affect anyone, including our unsheltered population, as it is aimed at illegal activity."

But homeless advocates say this is directed at people who are homeless and might not have anywhere else to go.

"It’s not just going to affect the homeless, it’s going to affect the entire community because when you keep playing musical chairs with the homeless, that never ends well," said Scott Billue, the president of Matthew's Hope. "And that’s basically what we’re doing here. Just push them over here. When that doesn’t work, we push them over there."

The city recently voted to invest $6 million to provide more services for the homeless through the Christian Service Center in Orlando.

Billue says that's a great step, but points out that it will not add any beds and thinks the area still needs much more.

"I am so disappointed in our leadership, and I am so disappointed in the fact that somebody sees fit to come up with this kind of legislation," Billue said.

"Our hope is not to arrest," Hill said. "We know we cannot arrest our way out of homelessness, but we also have to consider the residents and businesses."

The Orlando City Commission will have a final vote on the rule change when it returns from the holidays next year.

The first reading was passed unanimously.