JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s ban on public sleeping and camping officially went into effect Tuesday, as did local legislation creating penalties and a new outreach team.
However, many parts of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s plan to address this issue are still on hold.
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Deegan’s plan initially called for $13.6 million to be spent on several initiatives, including hotel rooms, expanded shelter bed capacity, and a shelter village.
None of those items made it into this year’s budget, but city officials have taken several steps in recent weeks to comply with the state mandate.
“We’ve kind of had to shift our thinking a little bit because that’s going to make a big difference in how we address homelessness,” Councilman Joe Carlucci (R-District 5) said.
Carlucci explained in the recently approved city budget, roughly $2.5 million was set aside to fund the local Homelessness Initiatives Commission and a new seven-member outreach team within the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
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A bill creating penalties for public sleeping and camping was also passed.
Offenses could result in a $50 fine and up to 30 days in jail, but Carlucci said JFRD would be the first point of contact and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office intervention would be a last resort.
“We don’t want to be putting them in jail. That’s not the goal. The goal is to first make sure they’re okay and then the goal is what services can we provide to them?” Carlucci said.
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Dr. Tracye Polson, the mayor’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, said she envisions the first 90 days will mostly involve the JFRD team informing homeless individuals about the law and learning what unmet needs they have.
“We won’t really know until we get out there, and when I say we it’s the collective we, but we’re really curious about the needs of the folks that we, all of us, see,” Polson said.
And while the bulk of the funding and initiatives proposed by the mayor were not included in this year’s budget, Polson said she is hopeful the council will give some of it the green light over the coming months.
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“To expand shelter beds. Also, the case management services because we know that a lot of folks will have significant mental health needs, likely addiction issues, as well as understanding their medical condition,” Polson said.
Starting January 1, the stakes will be raised, as the city will be exposed to civil lawsuits if it doesn’t enforce the law.
Carlucci said he’s optimistic the city will be positioned to avoid that possibility by that deadline.
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