At its October 18, 2023 City Commission meeting, the Mayor and Commission adopted Ordinance 2023-4573, amending Chapter 70, Section 70-45 of the City Code, by amending the City’s existing prohibition on camping to ensure that the prohibition and enforcement measures comply with constitutional requirements.

At the February 21, 2024 City Commission meeting, Commissioner David Suarez and Commissioner Joseph Magazine co-sponsored item R9H to discuss an update on the City’s amended camping ordinance. The item was subsequently referred to the Public Safety and Neighborhood & Quality of Life Committee (PSNQLC).

The Miami Beach Police Department’s Homeless Resource Unit (HRU) consists of one (1) Sergeant, two (2) day shift officers, three (3) afternoon officers, and one (1) civilian. Through this unit, the Department continues its implementation of a comprehensive strategy to address homelessness in the City of Miami Beach. As part of the effort, the HRU conducted roll calls and training sessions/presentations to further educate all department sworn personnel. These presentations informed officers of appropriate and legal ways to interact with homeless individuals and provided detailed information about available resources.

The ordinance empowers and provides additional options to address homelessness by arresting an individual who is “sleeping or otherwise being in a temporary shelter out-of-doors” or “cooking over an open flame or fire out-of-doors.” In conjunction with the City’s Legal Department, the Police Department conducted PowerPoint presentations and in-person roll call training for the benefit of sworn personnel in the entire police department. This training was completed in October and November of 2023 and arrests began in December 2023. 

The top five (5) charges for arrested homeless individuals within the below stated timeframe are for 1) entering/remaining in a park after hours; 2) resisting without violence; 3) trespassing on property after warning; 4) controlled substance possession; and 5) trespassing. The HRU continues to participate in a weekly unified outreach initiative with various teams including Homeless Outreach, Park Rangers, Code Compliance, Sanitation, that addresses various areas of concern throughout the city.

The following are reported service numbers for the HRU encompassing October 1, 2023 – March 17, 2024: