Sponsor of Florida homeless law touts U.S. Supreme Court ruling
TALLAHASSEE — The sponsor of a new Florida law designed to prevent homeless people from sleeping in public places praised a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Friday that upheld the constitutionality of an Oregon city's ordinance cracking down on public camping.
Rep. Sam Garrison, R-Fleming Island, called the Supreme Court ruling in a Grants Pass, Ore., case a "victory for common sense." The ruling came after Florida lawmakers in March passed a controversial measure (HB 1365) that will prevent cities and counties from allowing people to sleep on public property, including at public buildings and in public rights of way.
It will allow local governments to designate certain property for sleeping or camping if the sites meet standards set by the Florida Department of Children and Families. Such areas, which could only be used for one year, would have to include access to such things as restrooms and running water, have security and be deemed alcohol- and drug-free. Also, the sites could not harm values of nearby properties or safety.
"Florida has chosen to reject comfortable inaction and tackle this problem head on," Garrison, who is slated to become House speaker in 2026, said in a prepared statement Friday. "That is our right, and our obligation. We will continue to work with all 67 counties in our state to support innovative solutions that simultaneously protect public spaces and respect the dignity of every human being."
But Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, blasted the ruling.
"This is a devastating ruling that ignores the reality of homelessness in America," Eskamani said in a statement. "We will continue to do what we can at a local and state level to push back against the criminalization of our fellow Americans who deserve evidence-based interventions, not incarceration."