Florida sleeping band enforced in new law, allows local business owners to sue [Video]

Council member Jimmy Peluso tells First Coast News this new law was something the city did not expect.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Local businesses in Florida can now sue the city for failing to stop people from sleeping on public property.

The city tells First Coast News that they’re in a good position to avoid potential lawsuits, but are calling on the state for more funding which will provide more resources for homeless people.

Dawn Gilman, the chief executive officer of Changing Homelessness, a social services organization in Jacksonville, tells First Coast News this new state law brought more attention to homelessness in Florida, but there is a major problem when it comes to resourcing.

“In Northeast Florida, we have more people experiencing homelessness than we have beds for them to sleep in,” she said.

Attorney Andrew Bonderud tells First Coast News that he’s hopeful the city can handle avoiding potential lawsuits.

“Around the rest of the state, I would …