On October 1st, 2024, Florida put a brand new law into action. The Homelessness Law bans sleeping in public places. This is a long-awaited law for many citizens in Florida as the number of homeless people increases drastically every year. This law will create more sheltering opportunities for homeless people and help keep the sidewalks less crowded.

This new Homelessness Law aims to address the growing issue of homelessness across the state. This law also includes measures to increase funding for homeless shelters, providing more resources for those that are in need. The Law also aims to create more supportive services for homeless people, such as substance abuse treatment, job training, and mental health care that will allow some of these homeless people to transition back into a normal, working life. By passing this, the government hopes to create a more coordinated and effective way to respond to the increasing homelessness rate.

Starting on January 1, 2025, cities that fail to cooperate with this new law could face legal action. The mayor of Pensacola, D.C. Reeves, announced that he planned to use $1 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide small, semi-permanent shelters. He thinks this law is pointless as he stated  “Arresting our way out of homelessness is not going to solve our problem.” An agency in Miami-Dade County doesn’t think this new law will help reduce homelessness, as they stated that “We reject sanctioned encampments and believe there is no evidence that they reduce homelessness,” “We are committed to investing in solutions that deliver long-term results and bringing new partners in, as we firmly believe we can end homelessness in Miami-Dade.”