Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
County adopts public-camping ordinance; commissioners add referral-to-services language
Summary
Indian River County commissioners adopted an ordinance to prohibit public camping on county property to comply with a new state law. The board amended staff's draft to add a requirement that law enforcement attempt referrals to local homeless services before penalties are sought; advocates urged stronger ties to coordinated entry and housing
Indian River County commissioners adopted a public-camping ordinance on March 11 intended to bring the county into compliance with recent state legislation. The ordinance prohibits sleeping or camping on county property and public rights-of-way unless a location is formally designated for recreational camping.
Why it matters: The board's action responds to a state law requiring local governments to adopt prohibitions on public camping; commissioners and service providers said the law must be implemented in a way that balances public-safety, property rights and the needs of people experiencing homelessness.
What the ordinance does and how the board amended it County counsel presented a draft ordinance patterned on the state requirement. Counsel said the ordinance is not intended to criminalize homelessness but to avoid civil litigation and to provide county staff and law enforcement clear authority to prohibit camping on government property and rights-of-way. Under the draft, law enforcement must warn an individual and attempt to secure…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
