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Florida lawmakers on security and civility post-assassination attempt, homeless encampment ban and weekly briefing

 A person sleeps inside a makeshift shelter on park bench in downtown Miami, late Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Florida will ban homeless people from setting up camp or sleeping on public property under a bill lawmakers sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who supports the idea. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
Rebecca Blackwell
/
AP
A person sleeps inside a makeshift shelter on park bench in downtown Miami, late Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Florida will ban homeless people from setting up camp or sleeping on public property under a bill lawmakers sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who supports the idea.

Florida lawmakers on security and civility post-assassination attempt

Several Congressional committees have announced investigations into the shooting of former President Donald Trump. We spoke with U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Miami), who serves on one of those committees, about these efforts.

The violence has also led to calls for cooler political rhetoric, including a bipartisan letter co-signed by U.S. Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Parkland) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Pinellas). Luna joined us to discuss how she plans to foster civility across the political divide.

Guests:

  • Rep. Carlos Gimenez, U.S. representative (R-28th) 
  • Rep. Anna Paulina Lluna, U.S. representative (R-13th) 

Homeless encampment ban 

Beginning in October, it will be against the law for homeless people in Florida to sleep or camp on public property. That’s when new legislation will take effect that requires homeless people to stay in temporary shelters. Once those reach capacity, the law allows local governments to create temporary campsites.

Starting Jan. 1, 2025, cities and counties could face legal action for failing to comply with the new law. We discussed how local municipalities and outreach organizations are preparing for this major shift.

We also heard from Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward about Dignity Village, a former encampment site, courtesy of Áine Pennello from partner station WUFT.

Guests:

  • Martha Are, CEO of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness and the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. 
  • Dawn Gilman, CEO of Changing Homelessness in Jacksonville. 

Weekly briefing  

A new law went into effect July 1 that prevents local governments from passing any heat ordinances requiring businesses to provide protections for workers from extreme hot weather.

At the same time, the Biden administration is moving forward with a proposal that would require those protections for workers across the country.

The nonprofit Climate Central released a new analysis examining how heat in urban areas fluctuates from block to block.

In Orlando, the city has partnered with a local church to provide a place to help folks cool off.

After an initial delay, a state panel finalized the financial impact analysis for the abortion amendment.

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