The Gainesville City Commission passed an ordinance on Thursday to prohibit sleeping or camping on city rights-of-way. The ordinance comes after Florida approved a homelessness bill that would allow citizens to sue if cities or counties fail to provide a space for homeless individuals to go besides public property.
City commissioners said they had no desire to criminalize homelessness but voted 6-0 in favor of the ordinance—noting that cities have no choice in the matter because of the state law.
However, Phil Mann, special advisor to the city manager, said city staff will only use the ordinance as a last resort for individuals who refuse to move.
Mann said the first contact for a homeless individual in public rights-of-way will be the GRACE Marketplace outreach team, the newly hired Block by Block downtown organization or the Community Resource Paramedicine program.
After that, Gainesville Police Department officers would come to issue a warning. If the person stays on the right-of-way, then the city would lean onto the ordinance passed on Thursday.
Mayor Harvey Ward said it’s little comfort that the city currently only wants to use the ordinance as a failsafe to stop from being sued. Future commissioners, police chiefs and city employees might not view the ordinance in the same way once it’s law.
“Regardless, I agree with Commissioner [Reina] Saco. We are where we are, and we don’t really have a choice,” Ward said.
Ward anticipated in October that the Florida homelessness bill would impact other cities more than Gainesville. Through GRACE Marketplace, a shelter and services hub for homeless individuals, the city of Gainesville has tried to tackle the issue for years. And point in time homeless surveys show improvements.
Ward said the city will keep on doing the work, but with citizens able to sue, the city wants to ensure that if complications crop up, staff have the legal backing to take care of it.
Thursday’s vote was the first reading, and a second vote will be required. That second vote will come quickly as the Florida state law begins on Jan. 1, 2025.
The motion, created by Commissioner Bryan Eastman, approved the ordinance but reduced the fine associated with the citation from $125 to $25. Eastman said homelessness shouldn’t be criminalized at a higher rate than other citations the city has on the books.
“I feel uncomfortable criminalizing homelessness more than we criminalize smoking,” Eastman said.
Other commissioners said it probably doesn’t matter the dollar amount since a homeless person won’t be able to pay it. City Attorney Dan Nee said the citation likely wouldn’t be used in the case of sleeping or camping, instead the person would be asked to go with the officer off the property if they refuse to move on at the first warning.
“We are where we are” is similarly thoughtless as “it is what it is”. It reflects how useless local government is at meaningfully helping the homeless.
Downtown restaurants are closing, so now the law firms and elites who went there are worried they went too far making downtown inhospitable? Repeat offenders are what they created, too.
Law firms and elites? Try city, county, other local business employees and students. And as quickly as the occasional restaurant closes, a new one opens.
So sad. Homelessness is in every. state. in the United States. And this didn’t just ‘happen’ overnight.
Yes, there are many that are caught in addiction or disdain for work or rules. But if our country inspected the issue with the heart, it would find greed at the core. The kind of greed Jesus was talking about.
Everyone that breathes air will answer one day. Count on it.
A bit off topic but what’s the deal with member REINA SACO wearing the stupid mask at meetings (but not doing in the community)? Is this a political statement ? Should we joing in? What’s the deal. Pretty distracting to say the least.