MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill creating new rules for homeless people sleeping in public during a press conference Wednesday in Miami Beach.
House Bill 1365 will prevent homeless people from sleeping in public places such as streets, sidewalks and parks.
The new law would allow counties to designate areas for the homeless to reside in for up to a year. It would require the locations to have access to resources like restrooms, running water, security and health care. Anyone using the encampments would be prohibited from using alcohol or illegal drugs.
Miami Beach Mayor Steve Meiner said this law will give law enforcement the tools they need to give homeless people the resources they might need. He said criminal activity and drug use are not acceptable in public spaces.
"This legislation will absolutely help people," Meiner said during the news conference. "It's tough love."
The bill, sponsored by two Republican senators, passed with a vote of 82-26 in the House and 27-12 in the Senate on one of the last days of the legislative session.
DeSantis previously supported the bill in February at a news conference, also in Miami Beach. Last month he stood behind a podium that said: "Don't Allow Florida to become San Francisco.”
On Wednesday, DeSantis again referenced the homeless population in California and said, "Doing the New York or San Francisco model is not the way."
Opponents of the bill argued that it did not address the causes of homelessness in the state and how to prevent them.
“We have families that have been forced out of their homes because we have failed to address all types of issues. Floridians can no longer afford to live in Florida. So, now they have made their homes in their cars oftentimes or these tents,” Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, said at a House meeting.
The law won't apply to people sleeping in legally parked vehicles. It will take effect Oct. 1.