FL Bills Target Homeless Camps, Blocks Heat Safety Mandates: Reports

FLORIDA — A bill prohibiting local mandates protecting workers from heat, and another that keeps people who are considered homeless from sleeping on public property, have passed the GOP-controlled Florida Senate, per media reports Wednesday.

Both bills take decision-making authority away from local governments, many of which are more politically liberal than the Legislature, the Tallahassee Democrat said.

Senate Bill 1492, which states city and county governments cannot require water breaks and resting time in the shade for workers, was approved Tuesday by a 28-11 vote, NBC News reported.

While labor unions say workplace standards are needed to protect people from heat, supporters of SB 1492 said the bill provides "uniform regulations," NBC News reported.

Opponents said local laws on working conditions are needed because “we have very different climates in this state,” Sen. Tina Polsky, (D) Boca Raton, said.

Last summer many parts of the state saw temperatures reaching more than 100 degrees, WCBJ reported.

If Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill, it will take effect on July 1.

Furthermore, the Senate approved Tuesday by a 27-12 vote a bill that would allow counties to designate areas for the homeless community for up to a year with security, sanitation and access to mental health services, the Associated Press reported.

Proponents of the bill believe it will remove "the nuisance" of having those who are considered homeless sleeping in parks and on public property, the outlet reported.

DeSantis is expected to sign the measure (HB 1365) into law and it will take effect on Oct. 1.

The Senate's 27-12 vote, divided along party lines, came after the House advanced the measure last week to ban the homeless from camping out on city streets and parks, the newspaper reported.

Read more via the Associated Press and NBC News.