As cities and counties across the state try to deal with homelessness, Florida lawmakers are eyeing a new plan that some worry could make a difficult problem even worse.
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Senate Bill 1530 cracks down on people camping and sleeping in public places.
While public camping is already illegal in most Florida counties, the bill bans counties from “authorizing or permitting” illegal camping.
Instead, local governments could create specific areas with security and social services for those living on the streets. Those designated camping areas must meet certain sanitation and safety requirements.
However, they cannot be in a location that impacts the value of nearby property.
Read: Organizations say new ordinance changes are Anti-homeless
The bill also allows residents to sue counties that violate the law by allowing people to sleep on public property.
“We need solutions. We need more funding, we need more affordable homes, we don’t need more laws that are basically going to end up with cities suing cities over this issue,” said Eric Gray, the Executive Director of the Christian Service Center which provides services to the homeless.