Two brothers surviving in a Miami park fear impending homeless crackdown

MIAMI – On a blisteringly hot day in August, all too familiar for Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood, people stay inside for the sweet release of A/C. With no shade to be found, two brothers still play basketball at the local park. After sweating profusely and playing a one-on-one game to 11, they sat down on the coral wall at Miami's Peacock Park and started eating out of a box of snacks. Lucky leftovers from a child's birthday party.

Khalib and Elijah Carter, 20 and 22, have been homeless for four years now. Just reaching adulthood when they became homeless, they drove from their hometown of Philadelphia to Miami in an SUV, in search of some income and a better life. They wound up living in their car.

"After our aunt kicked us out in Philly, we drove to Miami because a friend of ours said he had a job for us," Elijah Carter, the eldest brother, said.

In search of job opportunities in the area, they used their car to reach various warehouses for work. After they got into an accident with the vehicle that totaled their car and only shelter, they were forced out onto the streets.

Starting Oct. 1, a new Florida law will make it illegal for the siblings to sleep in public areas anymore. According to the upcoming legislation, counties will be prohibited from allowing public sleeping or camping. Signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, House Bill 1365 , titled "Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping" was passed on March 20 and seems to primarily affect the homeless populations of Florida who encamp in public parks to sleep.

"This [bill] affects everyone. This is an outside world, this is the Earth we live on," Khalib Carter, the younger brother, said. "Urbanization is leading to bills passing where people can't be comfortable outside."

There are already many counties and cities that have public ordinances preventing public sleeping in their parks, including Deerfield Beach and Ft. Lauderdale . The effectiveness of these ordinances remains unknown, as homeless people still seek shelter in public places in those areas.

According to the City of Miami, encampments on public property are prohibited and may include fabric or other materials for the purpose of living accommodation or human habitation.

This ordinance uses similar verbiage to the all-encompassing Florida bill, which would likely see similar situations occur across the state.

The two brothers still have yet to find permanent housing, often sleeping on blanketed park benches in parks where the city ordinance applies. They alternate between sleeping and exercising so one sibling is awake the entire time.

"A cop walked up to us when I was sleeping and told us we couldn't stay," Elijah said. "If you bring a picnic blanket to a park, it's fine, but when we put a blanket down we get kicked out."

They still choose to sleep in these parks, against the City of Miami's ordinance, as it is much safer for them than other areas of Miami.

Also under the new law, homeless individuals who are camping in public areas, including sidewalks and parks, will be relocated to temporary shelters with law enforcement present to monitor them. This could put a strain on police departments that may not have the resources to implement this law effectively in their respective counties. It is also unknown how many of these temporary shelters will be created.

The new legislation empowers the Department of Children and Families to oversee local governments that seek to set up designated areas for homeless people to encamp temporarily. It is still unclear how often public places will be designated for homeless individuals, as it depends on the decisions of various counties locally.

Miami-Dade Police Department already enforces the city's ordinance but also plans to enforce the upcoming Florida statute. However, according to their statement, the department will monitor its impact when it goes into effect.

"Its details and the effects of its ratification are still being monitored and evaluated by our Department," Detective Andre D. Martin told MediaLab.

The two brothers expect police officers to enforce the new law.

"Becoming a cop you have so much on your agenda. Waking people up that are sleeping isn't really your main concern," said Khalib, 20. "However it is now a law, so if a cop is bored at night he's now just doing his job."

Homeless people of Miami do receive aid from various homeless shelters across the area. These shelters often offer food, clothing, and even temporary or permanent housing for those affected by homelessness. Camillus House is one such shelter in Miami-Dade County. They reportedly serve 33,000 individuals and families that do not have consistent housing each year.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez committed $2 Million in city funding to the Camillus House in a bid to eliminate homelessness in the city, as part of his campaign promise to achieve functional zero homelessness. The target of this zero homelessness initiative is for people without housing to find consistent housing within the year they lose their house.

Elijah and Khalib do not use shelters, instead relying on food banks. "But that's about it," Khalib said. "Maybe a church." Churches often provide aid to those without food or shelter through donation programs.

Homeless individuals are still prevalent in Miami, frequently seen on street corners or in parks like Elijah and his brother Khalib. With the upcoming bill going into effect next week the two siblings may have to look for other places to sleep or seek out homeless shelters in the area for support.