Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0951 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to homelessness; providing a short 2
16	16	title; amending s. 420.621, F.S.; defining the term 3
17	17	"housing status"; creating s. 420.6215, F.S.; 4
18	18	providing legislative findings; prohibiting the denial 5
19	19	or abridgment of a person's ability to access public 6
20	20	services solely because he or she is homeless; 7
21	21	providing that a person experiencing homelessness has 8
22	22	specified rights; authorizing a court to award certain 9
23	23	relief, damages, and attorney fees and costs to a 10
24	24	prevailing plaintiff in certain civil actions; 11
25	25	providing an effective date. 12
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27	27	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
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29	29	Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Homeless Persons 16
30	30	Dignity Act." 17
31	31	Section 2. Present subsections (6) and (7) of section 18
32	32	420.621, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (7) 19
33	33	and (8), respectively, and a new subsection (6) is added to that 20
34	34	section, to read: 21
35	35	420.621 Definitions. —As used in ss. 420.621-420.628, the 22
36	36	term: 23
37	37	(6) "Housing status" means the actual or perceived status 24
38	38	of having, not having, or being at risk of not having a fixed, 25
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51	51	regular, or adequate nighttime residence. For purposes of this 26
52	52	subsection, the phrase "not having a fixed, reg ular, or adequate 27
53	53	nighttime residence" includes living in a primary nighttime 28
54	54	residence that is a public or private place not designed for or 29
55	55	ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for a person 30
56	56	or living in a shelter designated to provide temp orary living 31
57	57	arrangements. 32
58	58	Section 3. Section 420.6215, Florida Statutes, is created 33
59	59	to read: 34
60	60	420.6215 Homeless Persons Dignity Act. — 35
61	61	(1) The Legislature finds that: 36
62	62	(a) No individual should suffer unnecessarily from cold, 37
63	63	extreme heat, or hunger , be deprived of shelter, or be deprived 38
64	64	of basic rights due to the lack of shelter. 39
65	65	(b) Many individuals have become homeless as a result of 40
66	66	fleeing domestic violence, exiting foster care, experiencing a 41
67	67	natural disaster, or facing an ongoing shortage o f safe and 42
68	68	affordable housing. 43
69	69	(c) Persons 13 to 23 years of age are particularly likely 44
70	70	to suffer from deprivation of basic rights due to actual or 45
71	71	perceived homelessness. 46
72	72	(2) A person's ability to access public services may not 47
73	73	be denied or abridged solely because he or she is homeless. A 48
74	74	person experiencing homelessness must be provided the same 49
75	75	access to public services as any other resident of this state. 50
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	(3) A person experiencing homelessness has the right: 51
89	89	(a) To move freely in and use spaces ordinarily open to 52
90	90	the public, including, but not limited to, public sidewalks, 53
91	91	public transportation, public restrooms, and public buildings, 54
92	92	without discrimination on the basis of housing status. 55
93	93	(b) To access safe and clean drinking water, public 56
94	94	handwashing facilities, and public electricity sources without 57
95	95	discrimination on the basis of housing status. 58
96	96	(c) To the Housing First approach to homelessness as 59
97	97	provided in s. 420.6275. 60
98	98	(d) To not be subject to civil or criminal penalties for 61
99	99	standing, walking, or temporarily sleeping or resting in a 62
100	100	public place or vehicle in a nonobstructive manner, with or 63
101	101	without tents, sleeping bags, additional clothing, or other 64
102	102	supplies intended to make sleep comfortable and possible. 65
103	103	(e) To engage in lawful self-employment, including, but 66
104	104	not limited to, the right to seek self -employment in junk 67
105	105	removal and recycling that requires the collection, possession, 68
106	106	storage, and redemption of goods for reuse and recycling, 69
107	107	without being subject to harassment, arrest, or civil or 70
108	108	criminal penalties. 71
109	109	(f) To pray, meditate, or practice religion in public 72
110	110	spaces without being subject to harassment, arrest, or civil or 73
111	111	criminal penalties. 74
112	112	(g) To equal treatment by all state and local governmental 75
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121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125	125	entities without discr imination on the basis of housing status, 76
126	126	including access to 24 -hour and disaster emergency shelters, 77
127	127	transitional housing, social services, public housing, public 78
128	128	facilities such as libraries, and voucher or other similar 79
129	129	programs. 80
130	130	(h) To Internet acce ss and technology that enables 81
131	131	Internet access. 82
132	132	(i) To freedom from discrimination in employment, 83
133	133	education, housing, or public accommodations due to a person's 84
134	134	actual or perceived homelessness, which can include, but is not 85
135	135	limited to, lack of a permane nt mailing address or using a 86
136	136	shelter's or social service provider's mailing address. 87
137	137	(j) To have emergency medical care provided without 88
138	138	discrimination on the basis of housing status. 89
139	139	(k) For eligible citizens who are homeless, to vote, 90
140	140	register to vote, and receive any identification documentation 91
141	141	necessary to vote without discrimination on the basis of housing 92
142	142	status. 93
143	143	(l) To the confidentiality and protection from public 94
144	144	disclosure of all personally identifiable information in 95
145	145	accordance with the f ederal homeless management information 96
146	146	system, the federal Health Insurance Portability and 97
147	147	Accountability Act of 1996, and the federal Violence Against 98
148	148	Women Act of 1994. 99
149	149	(4) In any civil action alleging a violation of this 100
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158	158	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162	162	section, the court may award appropriate injunctive and 101
163	163	declaratory relief, actual damages, and reasonable attorney fees 102
164	164	and costs to a prevailing plaintiff. 103
165	165	Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 104