A revolution in how Florida handles its homeless starts Tuesday.
A new state law will ban people from sleeping on public property, and could force massive changes in how cities and counties respond to the growing unhoused population. Enforcing the ban may mean exponential increases in arrests of those with nowhere to sleep, advocates say.
The new law allows private individuals and groups to pursue litigation to force compliance, but that is not allowed until Jan. 1, offering a respite before the law’s most profound effects. Proponents of the law have praised the litigation clause as a way to crack down on lax local governments.
Eric Gray, the executive director of the Christian Service Center, said Monday that he suspects 911 operators and booking officers at county jails will likely see the initial impacts.
“They’ll start getting calls about people sleeping on sidewalks or near railroad tracks or public parks,” he said. “It could be one call, it could be 100 calls. I have no idea.”