By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that Florida residents can now sue counties that fail to enforce the state’s new strict homeless camping crackdown law?
In 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis signed an anti-public camping bill that designated only specific areas throughout our state that allowed for the homeless to reside/sleep outside. The new law also requires municipalities to designate a specific area for camping and sleeping with full approval needed for the Department of Children and Families. These areas must include security, behavioral health services, and bathrooms with running water.
The ban on the homeless living and sleeping anywhere they wish, went into effect last October, but the subsequent part of the law went into effect just last week on January 1st. The section now mandates that if your local jurisdiction is not enforcing the law from October, you can sue. Impacting the homeless person if they violate the law, they could go to jail.