Christell and her dog Cupid shelter from the rain on Sunday, Oct. The last week of September marked one year of homelessness for year-old Lana Wise. She often struggles to find a private place to use the bathroom, sometimes going for more than 24 hours without relief.
Francis House in downtown Gainesville. Now, she said she struggles to come to terms with a new bill that went into effect Oct. House Bill , signed by Gov. Sam Garrison R said. Garrison said it took hours of debate and months of deliberation with city mayors to come up with the bill, which will allow Florida counties to enforce the provisions how they see fit.
Under the provisions, Florida counties can designate certain public places for encampment in a specific time period, to be approved by the Department of Children and Families. After Jan. The city will then have five days to take reasonable action to remove those publicly sleeping or encamping, Garrison said. If they fail to do so, citizens or business owners can sue their local government. If counties do not have sufficient shelter space for those suffering from homelessness, the bill will push officials to make sure there are designated, safe and sanitary areas for public sleeping and encampment, he said.
Instead, Ward said problems from the new bill will lie within communities that do little to nothing to support its homeless population. Alford said she thinks the new legislation will instead push the homeless away from safety and into more isolated camps. For Isaac Butler, who takes residence across from St. Despite his support of the bill, Khan urges the city to take action in favor of these individuals in front of his place of work.
Contact Kairi Lowery at klowery alligator. Follow her on X kairiloweryy. Kairi Lowery is a third-year journalism major and a metro general assignment reporter for The Alligator. When she's not writing you can find her lounging on the beach with a book or collecting vinyls. Skip to Content , Navigation , or Footer. Donate Now. We inform.
