Homelessness

The Feb. 21 death of August Bucki has stoked debate over Florida’s anti-camping laws and their enforcement.

Dangerous wintry road conditions has led Opening Doors Northwest Florida to cancel its survey of unsheltered individuals, as part of the annual Point-in-Time Count in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

In an election year during which state and local laws have taken aim at the homeless, those most impacted face unique barriers to voting.

“The idea is to use this building to break that cycle and actually shrink over time, significantly, the homeless population," Judge Steve Leifman said about the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, which is gearing up to open.

Bettina Grzeskowiak founded Embrace of Celebration, a nonprofit that reaches thousands of families living through Central Florida's housing crisis.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a controversial bill designed to prevent homeless people from sleeping in public places, continuing to say he doesn’t want Florida to become like places such as San Francisco.

Legislation backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that seeks to prevent unhoused people from sleeping in public places is ready to go to the full Senate and House.

During a Monday press conference in Miami Beach, he spoke in support of a bill that would ban cities and counties from allowing people to camp or sleep in public parks, sidewalks and streets.

The annual Point In Time Count of homeless people living in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties is coming to a close, with some early tallies showing increases across some demographics.

Clean up has begun at an encampment on Murphy Road and Beggs Lane in Pensacola. Although trespass warning signs were posted last month, no one has been removed from the property.