JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tuesday is the first night people who are homeless in Florida may go to sleep and break the law.
The state's new law banning sleeping in public places takes effect Tuesday, but leaders in Jacksonville’s homelessness plan said they did not expect Tuesday to look any different. However, if people are still camping downtown come January 1, the city can be sued.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday begins their 30-day educational phase to inform the community about what to expect. They said during this time, people will be given a warning by police "if they are found in violation of the new regulations."
“This educational effort will be coordinated with the city and the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department to ensure that necessary services are provided,” JSO said in a statement to First Coast News. “Enforcement action by JSO will only be considered as a last resort if individuals decline these services.”
The new law has Joseph Starr worried, especially, he said, for people who are homeless and struggling with mental illness. First Coast News met Starr in downtown Jacksonville, where a piece of cardboard on the sidewalk was what he joked was his "palace."
Some of Starr’s day is spent at his job, but he said he doesn’t make enough money to spend the rest of his day anywhere but the sidewalk. Starr said he's been on a list to get housing for three years.
“This new law is just gonna really scare a lot of people. They don’t know what to do. It’s frightening, you know. It’s frightening. I might wake up with, ‘hey, hey, hey, hey, get up, get up,’ and clink clink clink," Starr said, making the motion of getting handcuffed.
Tracye Polson with the mayor’s office is in charge of the city’s homelessness plan.
“I think we’re a little bit more ahead of the game than we were," Polson said.
Polson said on the new law’s first day people would not be getting kicked out of where they might be sleeping in public.
“That’s not the plan," she said. "It is to begin to educate folks though about this new law taking place. Hopefully to begin letting folks know that there are some existing resources. A lot of those resources are at capacity and that’s what we’ll be looking to city council to say, ‘Hey, we’re in the field now, [Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department} is doing this. Here’s what they’re finding.’”
Polson said once the team of firefighters from JFRD that’s being formed to help get resources to people starts working and shelter capacity is expanded, they’ll be able to show city council why and where they need more funding.
In this year's budget, the mayor asked for $10 million to help with homelessness, but city council only granted a fraction of that. Now about $2.5 million is going toward homelessness, Polson said.
The city is now racing to beat the January 1 deadline, when residents and business owners can sue the city if they believe the new law is not being followed.
“There will be lawsuits in one or more of the 67 counties in Florida shortly after the January 1st date," said Dawn Gilman, CEO of Changing Homelessness.
Starr said he, and many others, have nowhere to go.
“It’s frightening for a lot of people," Starr said. "Not just only me, a lot of people, because they have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.”