Governor DeSantis signs legislation to address homelessness and protect the public and quality of life for Floridians
Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1365 to keep Florida’s streets safe. This legislation, which takes effect on October 1, 2024, requires counties to ensure that homeless individuals receive the mental health and drug addiction services they need while residing in a designated location off our public streets, prioritizing public safety.
“Florida will not allow homeless encampments to intrude on its citizens or undermine their quality of life like we see in states like New York and California,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The legislation I signed today upholds our commitment to law and order while also ensuring homeless individuals have the resources they need to get back on their feet.”
“With a challenge as complex as chronic homelessness, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of comfortable inaction,” said Representative Sam Garrison. “In Florida, we will learn from the mistakes of cities like San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles, and more, which are paying the price for their unwillingness to act. This bill will not eliminate homelessness. But it is a start. And it states clearly that in Florida, our public spaces are worth fighting for. The status quo is not an option. In Florida we choose to act. It is simply the right thing to do.”
“Floridians have been working endlessly to address many of the issues associated with homelessness,” said Senator Jonathan Martin. “Many groups from government agencies to non-profits have seen their employees and valuable resources spread thin while helping our homeless neighbors. This bill allows us to take a major step forward by providing a framework for these groups to more efficiently, safely, meaningfully, and effectively serve our neighbors. Further, it returns our parks, sidewalks, and public spaces to their intended uses for all to enjoy.”
Under HB 1365:
- Homeless individuals are prohibited from camping on city streets, sidewalks, and parks—and instead placed in temporary shelters monitored by law enforcement agencies.
- The state of Florida has the enforcement tools needed to ensure local governments comply.
- Homeless shelters will require occupants to not use drugs.
- These shelters will also include substance abuse and mental health treatments.
HB 1365 also provides alternatives for when homeless shelters have reached max capacity.
- It directs the Department of Children and Families to authorize temporary campsites that do the following:
- Maintain sanitation, including access to clean and operable restrooms and running water.
- Provide access to substance abuse and mental health treatment resources through coordination with the regional managing entity.
- Prohibit illegal substance use and alcohol use on the property and enforce this prohibition.
A great bill, and sorely needed to protect Floridians from the incompetence and willful neglect of local city leaders.
The only thing it is missing are massive fines and jail sentences for local leaders who conspire to destroy our quality of life.
Get ready for the wailing and gnashing from Gainesville’s leftists and their 🤡’s on the city commission.
I worked with hundreds of “homeless” over 2 decades. Most are hard drug addicts or alcoholics and have no desire to change their lifestyles. Its fine with them. Just sayin’
Here’s hoping Ward and Co find themselves a new home for violating state law – the local jail.
This bill is a GREAT start – especially for Alachua County.
However, until the Gainesville City Commission – before continuing their Massive Funding to GRACE Marketplace homeless center – require that GRACE change its “Low Barrier” policy – which equates to little to NO effective public safety policies that screen for outstanding warrants for violent crime and sexual predators – GRACE will continue to be a MAGNET for homeless people to CONTINUE coming to our community from all over the state and country to receive FREE taxpayer funded services – on the backs of GRU customers and taxpayers.
Remember, other than County Commissioner Ken Cornell and Chuck Chestnut, the County Commission have been praising Grace Marketplace for the way they manage their homeless center for year, as well as helping to fund Grace.
And, the City Commission would have to ENFORCE all the new public safety rules in order to see any REAL change in our community.
Let’s see how fast Gainesville follows DeSantis’ lead, kicking and screaming!
Gainesville is a spider web for the poor and homeless. So their bodies and souls can be sucked dry by lawyers, judges, NGOs, and donated to science by medical examiners.
California is presently fighting for control at the SC court level you cretins.
Cut the partisan crap and targeting of other states and other Americans. Florida is not doing well in several categories which other states could bring up every time they do something, that is if they were holes too.
Maybe you all missed the part about “ensure that homeless individuals receive the mental health and drug addiction services they need while residing in a designated location off our public streets…”. That means expenses and taxes you simpletons, exactly what the commission has been aiming at while you howl at the moon.
Of course it means more taxes – that’s the Democrats’ way of funding projects.
Howling at the moon sure beats braying in the field though.
It means more taxes only because you lack imagination. We can fund these services by requiring the homeless to ride stationary bicycles that generate electricity that is sold back to GRU; we can sell their labor to Texas to help build the wall; we can release relatively harmless pathogens into their community and COVIDiots can ask for grants from Bill and Melinda Gates to study the (in)effectiveness of masks.
Unique problems require unique solutions, but this bill is a step in the right direction.
That was my first thought too, that this will be paid for by the already overburdened tax payers. Seems that everybody but us counts.
Best part of this decree- you will not be allowed to use drugs at shelters in Florida! As of now shelters are like a bottom wrung where we allow people to use drugs because they have nowhere to go. But now we can tell a junkie that if he doesn’t want to quit using, he can go sleep out on some designated plot of land and be exposed to all the elements until he wants to ge sober. I bet this tactic will work better than any so-called rehab.
I give him credit for this but the best we can hope for is the homeless decide to go to another state. There’s only a small percentage that want the help and a smaller percentage of those that will do what is required to get and keep themselves off the street. Just the sad facts of this issue.
Case in point
https://alachuachronicle.com/homeless-woman-arrested-after-allegedly-ignoring-three-day-deadline-to-move-belongings-off-sidewalk/