GOP lawmaker touts a ‘carrot and stick’ approach to dealing with the homeless in FL
Clay County GOP Rep. Sam Garrison says he’s advocating for a bill to address the homeless situation in Florida because he doesn’t want the state to become like California.
“We’re going to do a different model,” he told a committee in the Florida House on Thursday. “It’s a model that has both carrot and stick. We’re going to provide the resources necessary for the COC’s [Continuums of Care] in the communities to do the best for their communities. The best for their citizens. But we’re also going to have a pretty hard line to say we are not going to allow the public space that we all enjoy that’s essential for a thriving community be lost. We’re just not going to do it. “
Speaking in support of the measure was one of Tallahassee’s most influential lobbyists, Ron Book, who has served as chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust for the past 25 years. Book mentioned that homelessness in Miami-Dade is remarkably lower than in other major urban areas around the country and says it’s because his organization follows a plan that focuses on getting the homeless off the streets.
“We discourage encampments,” he told lawmakers. “While other governments seem to think it’s a good thing to do, we’re supposed to make it harder for people to survive on the streets so that the continuums can bring them in off the streets and get them services and get them care and get them housed.”
The veteran lobbyist testified in support of the proposal (HB 1365) that would prohibit any city or county in Florida from authorizing or permitting public sleeping or camping on public property, public buildings or public rights-of-way without a lawfully temporary permit.
According to the most recent “point in time” count conducted almost exactly a year ago in Florida, there were approximately 15,706 individuals who were unsheltered, which is defined as people sleeping in cars, park benches, abandoned buildings, or other places not meant for human habitation. That was a 34% increase from the year before, according to the Florida’s Council on Homelessness’ most recent annual report.
That same report said that overall, there were 30,839 homeless individuals in Florida last year, an increase from 25,959 in 2022, and an overall 9% increase since 2019. It also showed that 4,668 are children under the age of 18, and 8,646 are individuals over the age of 55.
Also under Garrison’s bill, cities and counties would be allowed to continue to provide public spaces for the homeless, but the regulations would seem to make that a tough sell for most local governments. They must include the following: access to clean running water and bathroom facilities; 24-hour security; a ban on drug and alcohol use for all users and access to substance abuse and mental health treatment resources; and it may not be in a location where it “adversely and materially affects the value or security of existing residential or commercial properties.”
The proposal was criticized in committee by homeless advocates, who say it does nothing to address the root causes of homelessness. In fact, they contend that it will only exacerbate the problem.
“The bill places an impossible mandate on local governments, burdening them with undue financial responsibilities without offering a long-time solution for those experiencing homelessness,” said Jackson Oberlink with the group Florida Rising. “It does not address the housing crisis, and instead of providing housing, it criminalizes those who have no alternative but to sleep outdoors.”
Tim Adams, who told the committee that he’s been homeless in the past, said the measure would make it illegal to sleep outdoors. “If sleeping is a crime, then basically you’re saying that being human is a crime,” he said. “I think that’s wrong, and I highly oppose anything that tries to criminalize being a human.”
Similar bills have approved in recent years in Texas, Tennessee and Missouri, and all have been pushed as model legislation by the Texas-based Cicero Institute, a conservative think tank. Unlike some of those proposals, however, the Florida bill does not include any criminal penalties. That’s why South Florida Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb said he supported it. “I’m hoping that there’s no nefarious intent in the bill,” he said.
The bill, however, does allow individuals to pursue civil penalties against a municipality if they are found to be in violation of the law.
A similar proposal filed by Lee County Senate Republican Jonathan Martin (SB 1530) will get its first committee hearing in that chamber next Monday.
In regard to the homeless situation in California that Garrison said he didn’t want Florida to become, the Golden State had 171,521 people experiencing homelessness in 2022, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
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