Jacksonville looks to comply with FL ban on public sleeping and camping without creating tent cities

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax learning more details about how Jacksonville leaders plan to comply with Florida’s new ban on public sleeping and camping.

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Mayor Donna Deegan’s proposed budget calls for a combined $15 million public-private investment for a plan to get the unsheltered homeless population off the streets and into shelter.

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One option that’s not on the table: Tent cities.

“The goal ultimately is not only just to get people off the streets, but to make sure that we can make them productive citizens in as much as that’s possible,” said Deegan Monday.

The mayor and council members like Joe Carlucci (R-District 5), who led a committee on homelessness this year, have until October 1st to get a plan in place.

Starting January 1st, citizens will be allowed to sue the city for damages if the public sleeping and camping ban isn’t enforced.

“I think it’s going to be a combination of efforts on the front end. I don’t think it’s going to be all hotel rooms, it’s not going to be all a new shelter,” said Carlucci. “I think we need to take inventory of what shelter space we have available that we can dedicate for these individuals and then if we need overflow into a hotel then that maybe serves that purpose.”

RELATED: SCOTUS ruling clears path for Florida’s ban on public sleeping and camping

This year’s preliminary ‘Point in Time Count’ estimated there are 567 unsheltered homeless in Northeast Florida.

Sulzbacher CEO Cindy Funkhouser estimates hundreds of new beds will be needed to meet the demand in Duval County alone.

“And there’s no funding associated with it from Tallahassee, so it’s basically here ya go, figure it out,” said Funkhouser.

But Funkhouser noted the new law is at least forcing communities to have the conversation.

“We have been laser focused on homelessness, but this just sort of gives us more of an impetus to sort of move those plans along more quickly I would say,” said Funkhouser.

RELATED: Florida lawmakers propose banning people from sleeping or camping on public property without permits

Mayor Deegan said she plans to unveil her plan in its entirety in the coming weeks.

She also noted it’s her hope the $15 million price tag this year will be lower in the years to come, once the project gets off the ground.

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