A change to Miami's outdoor camping ban split the opinions of the city's five commissioners, and has some residents worrying about what will happen if they end up on the street.
At Thursday's city commission meeting, city leaders voted 3-2 to amend the city's prohibition on camping in public spaces, which allows police to arrest homeless persons sleeping outdoors.
The amendment removes the existing requirement that an officer give a person violating the law a written warning to pack up and leave before arresting them. Now, police can give a just verbal warning. Police must give the person a "reasonable amount of time" to pick up their things and leave, and cannot perform an arrest if there are no shelter beds or facilities to house them.
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Commissioners Christine King and Damian Pardo, who voted against the legislation, took issue with the "reasonable amount of time" provision, fearing an officer's discretion may not give a person enough time before they're arrested.
"How are the officers going to know what is reasonable? Is 10 minutes reasonable? Is 24 hours?" asked King from the dais.
City Attorney George Wysong clarified that a reasonable amount of time is as long as it takes for the person to remove themselves and their belongings from a public right-of-way.
Commissioner Rolando Escalona, who sponsored the legislation, said his office has been receiving complaints from businesses in his district that encampments are blocking their entrances and walkways.
"I have a lady calling my office because she's afraid to pass by Flagler Street and 12th Avenue. That is not fair," Escalona said.
Residents of the Silver Court Trailer Park in Little Havana, which is set to be redeveloped by the park's owner, attended the commission meeting to speak out against the camping ban. They argued that they are on the verge of homelessness as the park owner has ordered them to leave their homes and seek new housing.
"We're in an eviction process and we have until Sept. 30th to leave. We are low-income people, we don't have a place to go. We may end up on the street, and with this ordinance we will be victimized," Silver Court resident Elvin Alebalo told WLRN.
Commissioner Ralph Rosado, whose district includes Silver Court, pledged that he will not let the residents become homeless.
