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Clermont police say new public‑camping ordinance has eased outreach; one arrest reported after officers found stored human waste
Summary
Police presented a one‑month update on the city's public‑camping ordinance, saying officers and a mobile crisis unit have mainly used the law to educate unsheltered residents but that one arrest was made after officers found containers of human waste and evidence of dumping on public property.
Clermont police and the city's legal counsel briefed the City Council on enforcement of a public‑camping ordinance that took effect in January 2025, saying officers have focused on outreach but made one arrest tied to sanitary and littering concerns.
Police Chief Broadway said the city has an estimated 30 unsheltered people within the city limits and that the police department's community policing mobile crisis unit visits known camp locations to offer resources and referrals. "Approximately 30 unsheltered individuals live within the city limits of Clermont," Broadway said.
The city identified common camping locations along State Road 50 near the Highway 27 overpass, wooded areas near Ace Hardware on Hartwood Marsh and Hook Street near Ford of Clermont and Goodwill. Broadway said officers, working with local homeless‑services organizations and veterans'‑specific resources where appropriate, have spent most contacts educating residents about the ordinance rather than arresting or removing people.
Rob Corbett, legal counsel for the police department, described a January 28 encounter at a State Road 50/Highway 27 location that resulted in one arrest. Corbett said officers attempted to hand out paperwork and educate a man they had been told had been camping overnight; the man was uncooperative, and officers discovered multiple containers of human waste stored in the public right of way and evidence of deliberate dumping into a rainwater runoff. "Because he was uncooperative with the officers and had been doing that, they arrested him under a state statute for littering," Corbett said.
Corbett and Chief Broadway said officers have been trained on the ordinance and that, aside from the single arrest, enforcement has been limited to education, referrals and voluntary compliance. Broadway told the council the department finds the ordinance helpful and appreciates the council's passage of the measure.
Council members asked about the point‑in‑time count used to estimate the unsheltered population and about collaboration with county and nonprofit partners. Broadway cited Lake County figures indicating 277 unsheltered people in Lake County in 2024 and reiterated that the city's outreach team is coordinating with local providers.
The city did not announce any new enforcement actions or policy changes; council members and staff agreed to continue coordinating outreach and monitoring known camp locations.
Why it matters: The ordinance gives the city a tool to direct outreach and to address public‑health hazards related to unsanctioned camping. Officials described early use of the law as mostly educational but signaled they will apply criminal enforcement where officers encounter public‑health violations or uncooperative behavior.
