Fort Lauderdale is under pressure to find a solution for the homeless

Fort Lauderdale City Council, which is still working on housing the homeless, continued the debate on Tuesday, fully aware that the city will face lawsuits from residents if it does not come up with a plan soon.

For months, the Fort Lauderdale commission has been preparing a statewide law against public camping and overnighting that is set to take effect on October 1. Cities across Florida that do not enforce the controversial state law – which Governor Ron DeSantis signed in March – can be sued starting January 1.

Now Fort Lauderdale is facing a new, unexpected development: Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony makes it clear that county jails will not house homeless people who face arrest under local anti-camping laws.

“In the next few weeks, cities and counties across Florida will be adopting new ordinances to remove homeless people from public parks, streets and buildings,” Tony wrote in an op-ed in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Jail is not the place to house and provide assistance to the homeless. I have directed our detention center to stop accepting people who are taken to jail for mere violations of municipal ordinances. Rounding up homeless people and taking them to downtown Fort Lauderdale or Pompano Beach to house them in county jails is neither a good nor a practical solution.”

Downtown Fort Lauderdale, where the county jail and bus station are located, is a known hotspot for homeless people. In recent years, homeless people have found other places to hide, including the beach, alleys and parking lots.

On Sunday, Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidate Jim Lewis shared what he thought was a great idea: Why not build a homeless camp next to Chase Stadium near Commercial Boulevard and Interstate 95, where Inter Miami plays?

A park is to be built on the property, which is currently used as an overflow parking lot on game days, but it will be months before the groundbreaking ceremony takes place.

“We don't know if we're going to have a park in 2025, 2026 or 2027,” Lewis said. “But we do know that in October we're going to have a homeless crisis that these people need to go to. Please find a place. Do it now.”

Commissioner John Herbst, who represents the district, sharply criticized the idea on Tuesday.

“This is zoned as a park,” he said. “We're not building it in a park. We're never going to have a homeless camp in a park.”

Lewis replied, “Go outside and look. This is not a park. This is a garbage dump.”

Another idea from Commissioner Warren Sturman would have the city create homeless villages in public parking lots for people who live in their cars.

Herbst enthusiastically supported the plan and suggested that the city create a “safe parking zone” on the roof of the city hall parking garage.

But critics, including Mayor Dean Trantalis and Vice Mayor Steve Glassman, say the idea is absurd given the dangerous thunderstorms and heat in South Florida.

Local resident Charlie King, a frequent critic of City Hall, suggested that Fort Lauderdale bus its homeless out of the city and into California.

“They should be handing out bus passes,” King told the commission on Tuesday. “We need to get these people out.”

Trantalis asked a question: “Bus ticket to where?”

King quickly replied, “Anywhere. Do you want to go to Seattle? Do you want to go to San Diego?”

This idea was also rejected by Trantalis, who expressed his displeasure with the deadline set by the state.

“I would really like to see the governor step in and put this on hold until the issues are resolved,” Trantalis said. “It's a big burden on both the Democratic and Republican counties. (We all) need more time to fund and plan for this.”

Glassman agreed.

“These unfunded mandates are difficult,” Glassman said. “You can't just have laws passed in Tallahassee and force local governments to take care of it and pay for it.”

Herbst’s answer was met with applause from the audience.

“I think we have a better chance of the governor suspending the sheriff,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd. “I hope Sheriff Tony reconsiders before Tallahassee steps in and asks him if he wants to look for work elsewhere.”

Sturman defended his plan for “safe parking zones,” an idea borrowed from San Diego.

“Nothing is perfect,” Sturman said. “It's a temporary situation. But it's better than what they (the homeless) have now. We should at least look at it and not reject it from the start.”

Trantalis noted that everyone is doing their best to find a solution with the deadline fast approaching.

“Nothing is set in stone,” he said. “These are just ideas we're putting out there. We've talked about it. Now we need to put those conversations into action.”

Glassman expressed concern that Fort Lauderdale is being held responsible for solving a problem it did not cause.

“This is not a Fort Lauderdale problem,” he said. “We cannot bear the burden (alone).”

You can reach Susannah Bryan at [email protected]. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan

Originally published: September 3, 2024 at 19:08