{"id":42968,"date":"2024-03-15T17:59:57","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T21:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=42968"},"modified":"2024-03-15T18:00:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T22:00:01","slug":"will-floridas-new-homeless-policy-reduce-panhandling-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2024\/03\/15\/will-floridas-new-homeless-policy-reduce-panhandling-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Florida\u2019s New Homeless Policy Reduce Panhandling in Florida?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Session\/Bill\/2024\/759\/ByVersion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Solicitation of Contributions Act<\/a>, as it was called, proposed the following:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/1112_bn9_mark-sifuentes-polkjpg.jpeg?resize=1024%2C576&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42969\" style=\"width:427px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/1112_bn9_mark-sifuentes-polkjpg.jpeg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/1112_bn9_mark-sifuentes-polkjpg.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/1112_bn9_mark-sifuentes-polkjpg.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/1112_bn9_mark-sifuentes-polkjpg.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prohibits panhandling under certain circumstances; prohibits a person from approaching an operator or another occupant of a motor vehicle for the purpose of panhandling; provides additional violations that constitute felony; requires individuals engaged in solicitation in certain areas to identify on whose behalf &amp; for what purpose contributions are being solicited.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specifically, the bill would ban panhandling under all of these conditions:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/homelessviaflickr.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42970\" style=\"width:462px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/homelessviaflickr.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/homelessviaflickr.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/homelessviaflickr.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/homelessviaflickr.jpg?w=1320&amp;ssl=1 1320w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>All roadways&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All sidewalks&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Within 50 feet of commercial properties, bus stops, parking lots, parking garages, and public restrooms\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Within 100 feet of schools and daycare facilities&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inside of public buildings&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposed legislation would have also made it illegal to panhandle under any circumstances if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Profanity while panhandling would be prohibited as would any physical contact. The penalties for violators would have ranged from $100 and up to 30 days in jail for first time offenders to $200 and up to 60 days in jail for repeat offenders. But none of that will be taking place in Florida anytime soon. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bill died in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, without having been brought to a vote in that committee, at the conclusion of the state\u2019s legislative session last week. As it pertains to your other question&#8230; There is likely to be an impact from the new homeless law.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida\u2019s soon-to-be new law pertaining to homelessness, the Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping, law \u2013 which will take effect October 1st (once Governor DeSantis signs it \u2013 which he will), is likely to have a significant effect on homelessness and subsequent panhandling in our communities. As I noted earlier this week,&nbsp;there are approximately 12,300 homeless individuals who are currently living in conditions that wouldn\u2019t be deemed acceptable under this legislation. Specific to the Palm Beaches, there were&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/search?pglt=43&amp;q=homeless+population+in+palm+beach+county&amp;cvid=3bb0efbd03a0428f8c22a7270165ead1&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQABhAMgYIAhAAGEAyBggDEAAYQDIGCAQQABhAMgYIBRAAGEAyBggGEAAYQDIGCAcQABhAMgYICBAAGEDSAQg3MjA5ajBqMagCALACAA&amp;FORM=ANNTA1&amp;PC=HCTS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1,855 homeless individuals<\/a>&nbsp;accounted for most recently. Using the state\u2019s estimates, there are 740 people in Palm Beach County which will be directly impacted under this policy.&nbsp;Here\u2019s what we know about the relationship between homelessness and panhandling.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Various reports have suggested that as few as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/gitnux.org\/fake-homeless-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5% of panhandlers<\/a>&nbsp;are homeless with others suggesting that as many as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/brandongaille.com\/21-amazing-panhandling-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">82% of panhandlers<\/a>&nbsp;are homeless. The truth, as is often the case, is likely somewhere in between that especially wide range. It\u2019s probably around 65%. Why do I say that? A National Institute\u2019s of Health&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC121964\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study of panhandlers<\/a>&nbsp;several years ago pegged it at that number. It\u2019s also a study that helped frame public policy pertaining to the issue from the federal government. So, it does appear to be the case that most, perhaps as many as two-thirds of panhandlers are homeless. And we know that about 40% of those who are homeless in Palm Beach County aren\u2019t sleeping in shelters currently. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peterleeson.com\/American_Panhandlers.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a>&nbsp;has also found that those who sleep in public spaces are also those most likely to panhandle in public spaces (often in close proximity to where they\u2019re sleeping). Based on Florida\u2019s new law, where no sleeping or camping on public grounds that hasn\u2019t been designated by the county for doing so is permitted, it\u2019s reasonable to expect those instances of panhandling are likely to be reduced.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What the exact impact of the change will be obviously will depend on multiple factors. Will the county opt to designate extra space for shelters\/encampments as outlined under the law? If so, where will they be? Will those most inclined to panhandle become less inclined when staying in a sheltered environment? Will some opt to leave the area or state altogether? There are more questions than answers, however there is enough data to suggest that there is likely to be a reduction of panhandling in certain communities that are most impacted by homeless individuals sleeping in public spaces.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The&nbsp;Solicitation of Contributions Act, as it was called, proposed the following:&nbsp;&nbsp; Specifically, the bill would ban panhandling under all of these conditions:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The proposed legislation would have also made it&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[7832],"class_list":["post-42968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-will-floridas-new-homeless-policy-reduce-panhandling-in-florida"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}