Just signed into law HB 1365 prohibits counties or municipalities from allowing people to camp or sleep on public property. Instead, it authorizes counties to designate specified areas for homeless encampments that cannot exceed a year.
Is Vero Beach ready to enforce this law? The law allows citizens to sue local government if it doesn’t cure a violation of the law within 5 days. The law goes into effect on October 1, 2024. The VBPD and City of Vero Beach are going to have 5 days to clean up the City’s homeless problem.
As you know the homeless problem in the City of Vero Beach has grown tremendously over the last several years. We have stopped taking children to Pocahontas park. Homeless people are eating out of trash cans at Humiston Park on the Beach as toddlers try and play in the park. Street corners have signs discouraging panhandling, (which only provide shade for the panhandlers propped against the signs).
What is the plan to comply with this law? We have heard nothing from the City Manager or the Chief of Police. Feel free to email them mfalls@covb.org or dcurrey@vbpd.org and let us know what their plan of action is. We are happy to post it for them here since they have been silent on the problem up until now.
Palm Beach County to spend $800K annually to enforce Florida’s new homeless law. Vero Beach has yet to announce a plan to deal with the new law.
