In 2022, Ronald Lee Book claimed there are only 972 homeless in the community! Florida Action Committee counted 488 transient people required to register in Miami-Dade. That 488 number is not a claim, that’s fact and taken from the FDLE data file. And, that number also excludes those who have absconded, are in custody or the five who are registered in Miami-Dade but also deceased. If the numbers were not being misreported, that would mean that more than half of the homeless are on the registry and subject to the County’s residency restriction.
I conducted a headcount just this morning (3/25/2024) of the 1963 Persons Forced to Register on the FDLE registry listed as residing in Miami-Dade County, which includes 491 listed as “transient.” That is 25% of Miami-Dade’s registrant population. That’s also consistent with what FAC counted in 2022.
Ron Book forced people on the sex offense registry into homelessness, and as head of the Homeless Trust, consistently helped keep them homeless. So just how is DUI Ron going to end homelessness among the populace he made homeless in the first place?
Advocate Predicts Miami Will End Homelessness Next Year
By Karen Curtis, Mar 21, 2024
(Miami, Florida) - Homeless Trust Chair Ron Book says Miami-Dade is close to ending homelessness.
He cites a new Florida law signed yesterday by Governor DeSantis and adaptive reuse of affordable housing for the downward trend.
Book predicts by next year Miami-Dade will be the first urban community in the United States to end homelessness.
He says there are projects in the offing to create more affordable housing which is the key to eliminating the unsheltered.
He adds that the thousand chronic homeless people left on the streets of Miami-Dade who are "shelter resistant" will need affordable housing.
Book says a critical part of Florida's new homeless law requires local governments to provide the homeless with security, sanitation and behavioral health services rather than encampment.
The new law goes into effect Oct 1st.
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And here is the bill that Ronald Lee Book fails to mention by name:
DeSantis signs ban on homeless people camping in Florida public spaces
BY LAUREN IRWIN - 03/21/24 11:52 AM ET
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill Wednesday that bans homeless people from camping in the state’s public spaces.
“Florida will not allow homeless encampments to intrude on its citizens or undermine their quality of life like we see in states like New York and California,” DeSantis said in a statement. “The legislation I signed today upholds our commitment to law and order while also ensuring homeless individuals have the resources they need to get back on their feet.”
The bill, H.B. 1365, will take effect Oct. 1. Under the legislation, homeless people are prohibited from camping on city streets, sidewalks and in parks. The shelters they will instead be placed in will be monitored by law enforcement agencies, DeSantis’s release said.
It requires municipalities to create designated spaces for camping and sleeping if homeless shelters are full. The spaces must have access to “clean and operable restrooms and running water.”
The sites also must have security present at all times and access to behavioral health services, including substance abuse and mental health resources, according to the legislation. Drug and alcohol use on the properties will not be tolerated, and officials will “enforce this prohibition.”
In a post online, DeSantis released facts about the state’s homeless population. It said that even though Florida is the third most populous state in the country, it does not have a city on the top 10 of homeless populations. The release also said while Florida’s total population “has increased, the state has experienced one of the largest decreases in the homelessness rate” since 2019.
Democrat lawmakers said the bill was proposed despite there being no studies or data to support it, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“The lawlessness seen in ‘progressive’ cities–sprawling encampments, open-air drug markets, and homeless people endangering themselves and others–is entirely preventable,” DeSantis posted on X, formerly Twitter. “We won’t stand for it in Florida, and our action today is one of many steps we’re taking to keep our cities clean and safe for everyone.”
