Governor Ron DeSantis is working with the Florida state legislature to ban RV stealth camping on public property throughout the state. At a press conference on Monday, DeSantis said he wants to prevent situations like the ones in San Francisco, New York, and other locations of homeless encampments throughout the United States.
Along with the ban against camping on public property, the governor is in discussions for providing additional shelters and beefing up assistance for mental and substance abuse health issues. DeSantis says this is an effort to maintain law and order while simultaneously fighting homelessness.
House Bill 1365 was filed in January. It prohibits camping or sleeping on public property without a permit. The bill would give local municipalities the power to designate specific areas for sleeping or camping. Such properties must have restrooms, running water, security, and access to health care for mental and physical health. Also under the provision the specified areas may not negatively impact local businesses.
RV stealth campers will want to follow the progress of this bill as it moves through the approval process. It may have an impact on van campers or folks who want to continue street or stealth camping.
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The wording you’re using to describe House Bill 1365 sounds like it could prevent any boondocking on any local public land. Also, the part about not negatively impacting any local businesses means any nearby rv park could complain about nearby boondocking taking money from their park. Other rv parks around the country have filed similar complaints in the past, but putting this wording in the bill could legitimize any complaint of a local rv park.
As usual, there will be unintended consequences for quick overnight boondocking style ‘camping’. I understand Governor DeSantis’ desire to keep FL from becoming another sewer like San Francisco, but . . .
Spot on Tommy.
Consequences typically follow policy. When policy follows consequences, it creates more consequences which creates more policy which creates more consequences which creates more policy which creates more conseq……
It’s how the tax code got to be 7 feet thick of single spacing and how every bill in congress seems to be 7000 pages dealing with Consequences of the previous 6000 pages.
Exactly. I’m sure the intention is to not have large areas with lots of “homeless” just staying there. But the impact will be bad on us RVers who occasionally park in a public area and get some shuteye, while enroute between 2 locations. There is a big difference in that, but laws like these usually don’t take that into consideration. People that are there one night, or not even the full night, should not be a problem.
“The wording you’re using to describe House Bill 1365 sounds like it could prevent any boondocking on any local public land.”
Don’t think of it as prohibit, but more like control. No boondocking *without a permit*.
and where do you get that “permit” at 5 PM when you are tired and just need a place to stop so you don’t fall asleep at the wheel?
And that permit becomes another moneygrab no doubt!
“Without a permit” is code for “without paying”. That’s what this is really about. Thousands of campers not paying any fees or taxes on their activities.
To me, the highlights of the bill sound like a good approach that balances public interest and a need to help the homeless. The bill allows for permitting on public properties. I feel for business owners who are having major impacts to their livelihood because no sane customer wants to walk through the mass of homeless packing the streets. I feel even more for homeowners whose rights have been trampled to not have their properties impacted or be looking out their windows at homeless encampments virtually in their yards for months.
On the surface, this effort seems to be considering everyone.
Lastly, IMO, “stealth” insinuates inappropriate behavior. Doing “right” isn’t “stealth.”
Thank you, Gail! Is this something that is common, widespread, stealth-camping, that is? It seems that the homeless encampments are not stealthy at all. Safe travels! 🙂
Yes, Neal. Van camping and stealth camping is our son’s dream. Others in his age group like the idea of it, too. He just needs to get his pup adjusted to the idea.
Thank you, Gail! I hope that his puppy comes to enjoy the travel. 🙂
Really? Was that necessary? Asking for a friend.
People sometimes get fatigued and pull over to the side of the road for a couple hours of rest. I had someone break down near my home (in Florida) and slept in the car because they did not have a cell phone to call for help. I didn’t see them until morning. I would hope law enforcement agencies are given or will use a wide range of discretion when it comes to enforcement of whatever is passed by the legislature.
This will attempt to solve an unsolvable problem. The heart of it all is $$$$.
If there is money in keeping the streets of Florida safe and inviting, you should come to California and see what it looks like where there is no revenue from people who live on the streets in derelict RVs or tents.
I’m an RVer and a Floridian. I applaud Governor DeSantis. There is no more “stealth”. Every van and car is suspect nowadays. For 10+ years many Walmarts along the Gulf Coast prohibited overnight parking. We have beautiful rest areas for travelers. St Petersburg has just passed a new ordinance to ban long term parking on city streets and good for them! We need these laws now. I’ve seen the future and it looks like Oregon.
I’m glad to see some political leaders recognizing the problem before it surmounts to a crisis. I don’t associate recreational camping with that which is done in RVs beyond the limits allowed on city streets.
I don’t often agree with the Florida Governor, but I do agree with him on this issue.
Most politicians don’t fight for the majority taxpayer anymore, that one does.
I’ve not seen a state less hospitable to RVers than Florida. They’re happy to take the tourist’s dollar, but they don’t want the tourists physically there.
Can you explain why you feel that way, Susan? We’ve rv’d in the Sunshine State for years and have always been warmly welcomed.
I’m a FL resident & both you are right to some extent.
Not against this type of legislation, but the devil is always in the details. Living near Seattle, I wish WA state had something to prevent the long lines of derelict campers “parked” near Alki Beach and other places in town. The garbage and filth just oozes out onto the streets creating public health and safety concerns for all citizens, including these “campers”. In FL, I would hope legit boondockers can easily get a permit, but I suspect this will be wrapped in bureaucratic red tape.
Likely what is occurring in your state is already against regulations. The rules there are just not being enforced. Take if from me, a resident of California, there is no government income unless enforcing the rules on folks who can pay the fines.
Bravo for FLORIDA. I would have sure voted for DeSantis had he run. I live in Marin/Sonoma California- the belly of the Liberal Beast- and we have junker hobo campers parked all over the place and clueless bleeding heart types falling all over them with virtue-signaling “help”….just as long as they don’t park in THEIR neighborhood!
Frankly- I’m considering abandoning RVing altogether. Why? Because it seems to be associated these days with bums and hobos, which I am not. Back in 2012 when we bought our first RV, the situation was totally different. Mostly, we saw retirees. Not the case now.
I think it is the nature of an RV being a vehicle. When a building is not maintained or is damaged, it can be condemned and if not repaired, torn down. And that derelict building is not going anywhere. Not so with aging RV’s. And thousands or hundreds of thousands of poorly constructed RV’s are built each year. As RV’s age out, many become these derelict rolling accommodation for the homeless on the streets. Maybe the same laws that apply to buildings should apply to RV’s. If not maintained, they are crushed like old cars.
Another non-issue by Duhsantis to keep his name in the press while the real problems faced by Floridians – sky high property insurance premiums and extreme housing costs to name a few – are ignored.
Do you think that high insurance rates in Florida have something to do with those pesky hurricanes? Any correlation? Maybe?
Is the high cost of real estate related to it being a highly desirable place to live? If so, is it desirable because:
A) low crime,
B) good education,
C) personal freedoms,
D) DEI sanity,
E) all of the above
How about None of the above. This bill will become law as the legislature follows what Ron D wants.
I’m fine with ‘None of the above’ but then maybe you can give an explanation of why housing is so high in the sunshine state. There is a reason. Help this old country boy understand. I offered 4 reasons, just give me one objective reason I missed.
Gov DeSantis is showing demonstrating leadership. Get ahead of the problem, lead from the front and not from the back! Just look at NY, SF, SEA, Portland….. lack of leading is the result. It makes no difference what party he or anyone else is; Leading goes with the job! Too bad we don’t have more leaders at both state and national levels! We have a serious problem looming in this country and it just could prove to be our downfall.
So you are not an RVer! You have never parked an RV in a friend’s driveway for a couple of nights while you visit! You have never pulled into an abandoned parking lot – or a Walmart – for a safe nights sleep! None of these will be legal under the proposed law. I get the desire to prevent homeless encampments, but I really don’t want to lose so much of the use of my DP.
No need to be snarky. Parking in a friend’s driveway is not parking on public property which is what the proposed legislation addresses. It comes down to how the legislation defines “public property.” Walmart may be considered private property open to the public.
Well said. I one-hundred percent agree.
Ok. So explain how parking on the street in front of the house is bad.
This doesn’t address the homeless situation in anyway. It’s just a way to fleece people who don’t want to buy an expensive camper or pay expensive camping fees and all of the taxes associated with those things.
Yes it makes sense to me. I live in Seattle -next door to a green belt-public property is considered fair game by transients who drive up in their vehicles damaging the forest floor with their ‘footprints “ of tire tracks, and litter sprayed about. And yes- getting the city to remove these vehicles – is next to impossible once they embed themselves with a tent a tarp or an RV. More laws need to be written In Front of the problem not after the fact. I hate De Santos’ politics but applaud this piece of legislation.
I fear that those who write laws, bills and codes have vague or jaundiced ideas of what terms like ‘camping’, ‘camper’, or ‘rv’ really mean. I fear their legislation will be either so broad or so inaccurate that it will hurt those who enjoy the respectful, unharmful, and otherwise legitimate use of their recreational vehicles. Uses like possibly spending a night or two parked in their class C in front of their Aunt Becky’s home in Tampa while visiting from out of state, or maybe driving and boondock-parking their travel van at Grandson Billy’s two-day softball tournament at the city park in Ocala. We’ve seen well intentioned but poorly written laws before.
I understand Florida’s governor not wanting the homeless mess that exists in California where I live. Most jurisdictions I am aware of in California already do not allow camping on the street in an RV, not in an industrial area or a residential area. To include laws not allowing living in an RV on private property in many locations, typically in towns and cities. The real problem in California despite all the laws intended to make the state an enjoyable place to live is “Enforcement.” Unenforced rules are no rules at all.
The state can’t collect any taxes if you’re not paying a campground. I have no clue why anyone would assume the intention of such laws has anything to do with the excuses made to justify them.
Well intentioned law that will restrict your freedom when imposed by petty local jurisdictions, beware…!!!
What makes you think it’s well intentioned?? Because they come up with a plausible excuse to fix a non-existent “problem”??
Do people honestly fall for this gibberish?? There are already laws preventing the types of homeless encampments we see in California. The people who cause those problems don’t even pretend to be “stealthy”.
No. This is about the 10’s of thousands of people who travel to Florida every year. Many of them are starting to have the audacity to think they can stay in the state without paying taxes on hotels or campgrounds. So the cities and municipalities will collect fees on permits instead. I mean, surely no one is simple enough to believe those permits are going to be free right??