The same census showed increases in the homeless population in the city of Miami and countywide.<\/p>\n
A chart shows how the homeless population in Miami Beach has changed over the past three years, according to overnight counts by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. Miami Beach Mayor\u2019s Office <\/p>\n
The new push began in 2023, when Miami Beach commissioners revised the city\u2019s camping ordinance so that police no longer had to issue a warning before making an arrest.<\/p>\n
Enforcement was sporadic at first. It picked up in 2024. Then, last year, arrests more than tripled compared to the year before, according to data obtained by the Miami Herald through a public records request. Since the ordinance was changed, officers have made more than 1,100 camping arrests.<\/p>\n
Last year, almost half of all arrests in the city \u2014 45% \u2014 were of people who are homeless.<\/p>\n
Beyond camping arrests, Miami Beach has gone to great lengths to make it harder for people to live outdoors.<\/p>\n
Police drone flights over dune areas have discovered 80 homeless \u201cencampments,\u201d according to city officials. The police department \u201cproactively surveils\u201d the dunes \u201cto aerially discover any encampments or illicit behavior,\u201d a city memo says.<\/p>\n
Miami Beach has also installed what\u2019s known as \u201chostile architecture\u201d to prevent people from comfortably sitting and lying down in certain areas, adding bumps along a low wall near volleyball courts in North Beach and to a wall on the boardwalk near Lincoln Road, a tourist hotspot.<\/p>\n
![\"Bikers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_110MBeachhomeless10NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_110MBeachhomeless10NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
Bikers ride by round concrete bumps installed by the city of Miami Beach on low walls along the boardwalk near Lincoln Road on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
In response to detailed questions from the Herald, city spokesperson Melissa Berthier said the decrease in Miami Beach\u2019s homeless population is \u201cencouraging\u201d and attributed the trend to more than just arrests.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile there may be a perceived correlation with increased enforcement following the updated camping ordinance, the City\u2019s approach is far more comprehensive and service-driven than enforcement alone,\u201d Berthier said. \u201cOur primary focus continues to be on connecting individuals experiencing homelessness with meaningful services, support, and pathways to stability.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city brought more than 500 people to shelters and reunited 239 people with their families or helped them relocate in the last fiscal year, Berthier said.<\/p>\n
[Click here to read the city\u2019s full responses to questions from the Herald.]<\/a><\/p>\n The decline in homelessness has been noticeable, said Eugene \u201cGino\u201d Gordon, who is homeless in the city and was arrested for camping in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very unfriendly right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gordon, 47, said he has found ways to navigate the camping ban, including training himself to wake up to the sound of a police ATV approaching if he falls asleep on the beach. He has faced other low-level charges but hasn\u2019t been arrested for camping again.<\/p>\n But he often goes days with only a few hours of sleep, he said. Sometimes, he asks people for permission to sleep near their businesses or homes, and they agree not to call the cops.<\/p>\n \u201cI have some people that are rooting for me,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cI have a little bit of comfort to know that I may be able to sleep through the night.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitch Novick, the longtime owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel in South Beach, said he sees fewer homeless people than he did in the past when he runs and rollerblades through the neighborhood each morning. That\u2019s a positive step, he said, though \u201cthe problem still persists.\u201d<\/p>\n Previously, Novick said he saw the same homeless people each day \u2014 and got to know many of them. That\u2019s no longer the case.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, if anything, it\u2019s more transient than ever,\u201d Novick said.<\/p>\n The city has been under pressure from some Miami Beach residents to take action.<\/p>\n In a June 2024 Facebook post<\/a>, Commissioner David Suarez noted that residents had been \u201cdemanding action on the homeless problem\u201d and said enforcement was picking up.<\/p>\n One resident commented that he moved to Miami Beach from California \u201cprecisely because we were sick and tired of the absurdity of the homeless policy there . . . What Miami Beach is doing is the only possible way to preserve the integrity of our city.\u201d<\/p>\n Miami Beach officials stress that the camping ban requires that homeless people be offered a shelter bed before they can be arrested. And they point to millions of dollars that the city spends each year on services for the homeless population.<\/p>\n Miami Beach is \u201ca compassionate city that leads with services first,\u201d Meiner wrote in a March 5 email to residents.<\/p>\n \u201cOur dedicated homeless outreach teams are active every day, and shelter placements and reunification efforts are also making a real difference,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cAt the same time, we continue to enforce our anti-camping laws to protect neighborhoods, parks, and public spaces. It is truly a balanced approach. And our strategy is working in a big way!\u201d<\/p>\n Camping arrests lead to jail time<\/p>\n People arrested for public camping are frequently spending time behind bars, according to data from the city\u2019s municipal prosecution team<\/a>, which handles city ordinance violations in state court.<\/p>\n City prosecutors have regularly asked judges to require bonds in camping cases. The defendants, facing bonds in the range of $150, can rarely pay their way out. Some have spent more than two months in jail on camping charges, records show. Often, they plead guilty and are released with \u201ccredit for time served.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen a client is homeless, there\u2019s no way they\u2019ll be able to afford a bond,\u201d said Carlos Martinez, the Miami-Dade County public defender.<\/p>\n More recently, city prosecutors have agreed to let people go free if they don\u2019t have any violent felony convictions in the past 10 years. Those people must also agree to report to the city\u2019s homeless outreach office within 24 hours of their bond hearing.<\/p>\n For many, the camping ordinance has meant a revolving door between the street and a jail cell. The Herald reviewed police data and identified 187 people who have been arrested under the ordinance more than once. One man has been arrested for camping a dozen times.<\/p>\n Ron Book, who leads the county\u2019s Homeless Trust and has<\/a> sparred<\/a> with Miami Beach leaders, said he wasn\u2019t surprised to see the city\u2019s homeless population going down, something that belies county trends.<\/p>\n Across Miami-Dade, the Homeless Trust identified 1,184 people living on the street in its January survey, the county\u2019s highest number since 2008. The count found 605 such people in the city of Miami, an 11% increase from a year before.<\/p>\n Miami Beach officials are \u201cexporting their homeless problem,\u201d Book told the Herald.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the evidence suggests that after those people served their short-term jail stints, they were simply released back into homelessness elsewhere in the County,\u201d he said in an email.<\/p>\n Using the criminal justice system to combat homelessness \u201cis costly and does not result in improved outcomes,\u201d Book added. The Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department estimates that it costs taxpayers $294 a day to keep someone behind bars.<\/p>\n No other city in Miami-Dade is mimicking Miami Beach\u2019s camping crackdown, despite a state law \u2014 which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in Miami Beach<\/a> alongside Meiner in 2024 \u2014 that subjects cities and counties to lawsuits for allowing people to sleep in public.<\/p>\n But Berthier said the city \u201cstrongly disagrees\u201d with Book\u2019s characterization that the city is \u201cexporting\u201d its homeless population.<\/p>\n \u201cThe data and day-to-day operations of our Homeless Outreach Services Team reflect a comprehensive, service-driven approach focused on engagement, stabilization, and long-term outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness \u2014 both within our City and across the broader County system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Offers of shelter beds often go rejected<\/p>\n There are no shelter beds in Miami Beach. But the city has contracts that allow it to use more than 90 beds in mainland Miami, officials said. The city also has a walk-in center for homeless people near City Hall and contracts with a nonprofit, New Hope CORPS, to provide overnight outreach services.<\/p>\n Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who supported the camping ordinance change in 2023, said part of the goal was to protect homeless people from becoming victims of crime<\/a>. Whether they accept shelter or face arrest, Fernandez said, the hope is that they will end up \u201cin a safer, cleaner place than sleeping on the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, when police offer shelter in lieu of arrest, people usually say no, city records show. From January 2024 through February 2026, police sent 189 people to shelters. During the same period, officers made six times as many camping arrests, the Herald\u2019s analysis found.<\/p>\n People decline emergency shelter for various reasons, including dangerous shelter conditions, strict rules, and limits on how much they can bring into the facility. Beds are typically only available for 24 hours at the Salvation Army in Miami, meaning people may return to the street the next day \u2014 without all of their stuff.<\/p>\n \u201cThere can be completely understandable reasons why somebody might turn down shelter,\u201d said Stephen Schnably, a University of Miami law professor who studies homelessness. \u201cThat one night can be very costly.\u201d<\/p>\n David Peery, who founded the nonprofit Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity and was a plaintiff in a landmark case<\/a> on homelessness in the city of Miami, said a 24-hour shelter bed is \u201cbasically a glorified holding cell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt simply recycles you back onto the streets again,\u201d said Peery, who himself was homeless for years.<\/p>\n Berthier said that, after people are placed in a 24-hour bed, city workers meet with them at the shelter to conduct a \u201ccomprehensive needs assessment.\u201d From there, they may be able to remain in a shelter if a bed is available, get placed into a specialized program, or be reunited with family or relocated \u201cwhen a verified support system is available.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the initial placement is typically short-term and immediate, it is designed as an entry point into a broader continuum of care \u2014 supported by both City outreach teams and specialized providers \u2014 that can lead to longer-term stabilization and housing solutions,\u201d Berthier said.<\/p>\n \u2018Remove the homeless\u2019<\/p>\n Bobby Hernandez, who leads the Miami Beach police union, said officers were initially hesitant to enforce the camping ordinance out of fear that they might be accused of violating people\u2019s civil rights. But amid questions from elected officials in May 2024 about a lack of enforcement, Police Chief Wayne Jones encouraged officers to make use of the ordinance, Hernandez said.<\/p>\n In an email to police leadership that month, Maj. Ian Robinson framed camping arrests as a form of \u201cbroken windows theory\u201d policing \u2014 addressing \u201csmaller issues\u201d to get \u201cbad actors out of our city\u201d and possibly \u201cprevent a worse incident from occurring later on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe camping ordinance is a bit unique in that it still gets homeless people shelter out of our city (if they accept) thereby accomplishing the same goal as an arrest if no other charges apply,\u201d Robinson wrote.<\/p>\n The number of camping arrests began to tick up around that time, records show. Now, Hernandez said, \u201cEverybody\u2019s enforcing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernandez, the city commissioner, said elected officials have sought \u201caccountability\u201d from police and city staff. He asked the city manager to provide weekly memos<\/a> on initiatives related to homelessness, including data on camping arrests and shelter placements.<\/p>\n The memos track the percentage of people arrested<\/a> for all offenses citywide who are homeless: 45% last year, up from about a quarter of arrests in 2021.<\/p>\n Residents are often on the front lines of enforcement, contacting elected officials to complain and share photos of those who appear to be homeless. The officials then pass the messages along to the city manager and police chief.<\/p>\n In August, someone emailed Meiner a series of photos showing people sleeping outside \u2014 on a wall near the boardwalk, on the beach sand, atop a lifeguard stand. \u201cThis is dangerous. It\u2019s also horrible for business,\u201d the person wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree that this is not acceptable,\u201d Meiner responded, copying the city manager and police chief.<\/p>\n In December, another resident emailed Meiner: \u201cCould you please , send a police @ night and remove the homeless from 917 Alton road. Garbage side. I have someone camping there behind the garbage.\u201d<\/p>\n Meiner forwarded the message to the police chief and city manager, who replied: \u201cMr. Mayor, We are on this.\u201d<\/p>\n At a City Commission meeting last week, Meiner said he doesn\u2019t receive as many complaints as he once did about the homeless population \u2014 an apparent result of the city\u2019s ramped-up efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to get complaints all the time about homeless individuals,\u201d Meiner said. Now, \u201cit\u2019s much more rare.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Eugene](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_2DAV_BEACH_CAMP.jpeg\" "\\"MIA_2DAV_BEACH_CAMP\\"")
Eugene \u201cGino\u201d Gordon is pictured on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in Miami Beach. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"As](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_2026-03-24AD0092MiamiBeachhomeless.JPG\" "\\"MIA_2026-03-24AD0092MiamiBeachhomeless.JPG\\"")
Since last year, Miami Beach police have conducted more than 40 drone flights over the dune area along the beach that located 80 homeless \u201cencampments\u201d and resulted in eight arrests, according to city officials. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_Homelesscensus_SN_00009.JPG\" "\\"MIA_Homelesscensus_SN_00009.JPG\\"")
A homeless man sleeps at a bus stop in downtown Miami during the Homeless Trust’s biannual homeless census on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. SAM NAVARRO Special for the Miami Herald <\/p>\n![\"Miami-Dade](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_MIA_08HOMELESSCOUNTM_6_1_K8Q8F1H8_L882788752.JPG\" "\\"IMG_MIA_08HOMELESSCOUNTM_6_1_K8Q8F1H8_L882788752.JPG\\"")
Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust Chairman Ron Book, center, participates in an overnight count of the homeless population on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"Miami](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_2026-03-20AD1625SpringbreakFridaynightcopy.JPG\" "\\"MIA_2026-03-20AD1625SpringbreakFridaynightcopy.JPG\\"")
Miami Beach police monitor Ocean Drive on Friday, March 20, 2026. Officers have increased enforcement of a city ordinance banning public camping, heeding the requests of elected officials. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MIA_106MBeachhomeless10NEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_106MBeachhomeless10NEWPPP.JPG\\"")
The city of Miami Beach installed concrete bumps on low walls near the Unidad of Miami Beach senior center at 7251 Collins Ave. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner responded to an email from a resident who raised concerns about the homeless population last August. <\/p>\n