SAINT AUGUSTINE SOUTH, Fla. — The Florida governor signed a law Wednesday morning that will put a tall order on local governments in the state.
It is aimed at people who are homeless. It will prohibit sleeping overnight in public spaces such as parks, piers and sidewalks.
The new law will also require cities and counties to provide places to sleep instead.
Wednesday morning, Barry Fox visited the site where a new homeless drop-in center will be built in St. Augustine on the corner of State Road 207 and South Dixie Highway.
He explained that at the new facility, people experiencing homelessness "can get cleaned up and get showers and laundry done here. But at the same time, we can help them get mail."
Fox is the city’s homeless liaison manager.
When asked about the new state law, Fox said, "It will be challenging, but I think it's a step in the right direction."
The new law will prohibit homeless individuals from camping in public spaces such as city streets, sidewalks and parks. Municipalities will be required to provide other locations for overnight sleeping such as a shelter or "a designated camping area. It can’t be near a residential area. It also has to have sanitation and security and all sorts of other requirements," Isabelle Lopez explained. She is the City of St. Augustine Attorney.
Lopez added that the new state law will not apply to St. Augustine because there is already a city ordinance in place that prohibits sleeping in public spaces overnight. She explained that if a police officer finds someone sleeping outside at night in a public space, the officer forwards that person to the St. Francis House, a homeless shelter.
Fox, who is also the former St. Augustine Police Chief, provided some perspective about how other cities and counties will deal with this new law.
"It’ll be a challenge in reference to the municipalities trying to locate those properties as defined withing the state law," Fox said, "because there are certain ramifications on where these locations can be. Counties will probably struggle with trying to meet those."
The new homeless drop-in center that will go be built on State Road 207 in St. Augustine will not factor into the new state law or the current city ordinance. That’s because it will provide services only during the day.
Lopez explained, "The new state law only applies to outdoor camping or sleeping in public overnight."