Fort Lauderdale, ground zero for Broward’s homeless population, was hoping the county would take the lead on coming up with an emergency plan for housing the homeless in light of a statewide crackdown that bans sleeping or camping in public places.
As of today, Fort Lauderdale commissioners are still waiting for the county to approve a plan.
“They don’t seem to share the same sense of urgency that the city of Fort Lauderdale is laboring under,” Mayor Dean Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday. “I think that’s a false sense of complacency. The law is already in effect and the enforcement of the law is just a few weeks away. When they start getting hit with huge attorney’s fees that’s going to be a huge wakeup call for the county and all of the cities.”
On Nov. 12, county commissioners voted 4-4 to reject a proposal to build 100 tiny homes for what was estimated to potentially cost $14 million . The homes likely would not be in place for two years.
Two years is a long time to wait, considering the fact that cities who fail to enforce the anti-camping ban can be sued starting on Jan. 1.