Ending the Enterprise of Homelessness on Miami Seashore – JP
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Edited by Douglas Ross
Homelessness in Miami Beach has become a humanitarian crisis, fueled not by compassion but by the corruption of the establishment. For years, residents have been told that endless taxes and private contracts would solve the problem. Instead, money has been diverted to insiders while people remain on the streets without treatment or hope.
The State of Florida has already committed resources and legal tools to address this crisis. Chapter 397 of the Florida Statutes, the Marchman Act, allows for the involuntary assessment and stabilization of individuals impaired by substance use when safety is at risk. Chapter 394, the Baker Act, allows for examination when serious mental illness threatens harm or neglect. House Bill 1365 requires cities to manage public camping by offering documented shelter and services. Most importantly, the Legislature has directed fifty million dollars specifically toward expanding behavioral health and housing solutions for the homeless population with substance abuse and mental illness.
The path forward is clear. Immediate bridge housing and detox beds can move people indoors and stabilize them quickly. Medical respite beds can support individuals who have been discharged from hospitals. Over the next several months, individuals must be connected to residential treatment for co-occurring disorders, psychiatric programs, and intensive outpatient care with sober housing. By six to twelve months, people must transition into permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, or recovery housing. This (method)is the proven model that combines treatment with housing and restores dignity.
The state has made the money available. The obstacle in Miami Beach has been local corruption. Contracts have been written to protect consultants, not patients. Ordinances have been crafted to shield private interests, not provide care. The establishment refuses to admit failure because it exposes the machine they built around misery.
Guardrails are essential. Providers must disclose conflicts of interest and publish their boards and consultants. Public reports must show how many people are served, how long they stay, and how many exit into stable housing. Payments must be tied to results. Independent physicians must oversee cases where involuntary treatment is used. These safeguards guarantee that funding serves people instead of politics.
If the public votes out the establishment, I can work with a new slate of honest leaders who will act in good faith. With their partnership, we can use the fifty million dollars available under Florida law, combine it with federal grant support, and create real capacity for treatment and housing that gets people off the streets and into care.
Ending the business of homelessness begins with repealing the Miami Beach ordinance advanced by Commissioner Alex Fernández, which was written to protect private contracts instead of those in need. That ordinance symbolizes how compassion was replaced by corruption. Repealing the first step toward real care.
The business of homelessness is not compassion. It is corruption. The result has been broken systems, wasted money, and human suffering. Florida has provided the framework, the funding, and the oversight to do better. The state is the best partner to ensure that resources go where they are needed, not into the pockets of those who profit from failure.
Miami Beach can lead the way. By rejecting the corruption of the establishment, repealing ordinances that shield private interests, and embracing the state’s partnership, we can show every city in Florida that homelessness for those struggling with substance abuse and mental illness can be resolved with solutions, compassion, and real care.