Earlier this year, The Florida Legislature passed HB 1365, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed it. The bill essentially criminalized homelessness by making it illegal to sleep on public property throughout the state.
Related: The Supreme Court Sides With DeSantis in Punishing Disney World Cast Members
When Governor DeSantis signed the law, he claimed that it would restore “law and order” in the state and that homeless people would receive the support they needed to find affordable housing. However, with some affordable housing options on the way, it doesn’t solve homelessness now.
When the Florida Legislature passed its original law, there was concern that it would directly impact Walt Disney World Resort cast members. The exact number of cast members who are homeless is unknown, but some estimates put the amount at around 10 percent.
After the new law preventing homelessness in the state went into effect, a similar law in California was brought before the Supreme Court and upheld by the court 6-3. Florida could remove any homeless person from public spaces with the Supreme Court’s backing.
However, Governor DeSantis’ law has unintended consequences that very few could have seen coming. The law has made it more challenging to fight a hurricane in Florida.
The first difficult part comes in finding homeless people when a hurricane is about to hit the state and bringing them indoors to safety. The other issue comes after the hurricane, as workers in Florida are finding out in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
With the homeless population spreading out after a hurricane, it becomes more challenging to bring them supplies or determine how many were able to survive the store in the elements.
However, there is also another problem with the law. If someone loses their home during a hurricane and sets up camp on their property, does that mean they violate Florida law?
Noah Patton, the manager of disaster recovery at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, told Vox:
It’s going to be a challenge for how leaders actually enforce these [anti-camping] laws, like if I’ve lost my house from a hurricane and I’ve lived in that town for a decade, will I be found in violation of the law and are they going to arrest me?
These laws create significant complications, will really make aid more difficult to sort out, and what I have been saying is it makes a community less resilient to disasters.
With Hurricane Milton bearing down on Central Florida, there is not enough time to sort out these complications before it hits on Wednesday. This complicates matters for all Walt Disney World cast members, including those with their own homes.
What do you think of the Florida law that punishes people experiencing homelessness?