Miami-Dade conducts encampment sanitation through the Homeless Trust and MDPD homeless outreach. Sweeps offer shelter at Camillus House, Chapman Partnership, or Lotus House, then remove abandoned property after a 24-hour notice and store personal items for retrieval.
Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, established 1993 and funded by a 1% food and beverage tax on larger restaurants, coordinates outreach with MDPD specialized units. Encampment sanitation typically begins with a posted 24-hour notice. Outreach workers from Camillus House and Chapman Partnership offer shelter, case management, and transportation. After the notice period, abandoned property is removed and tagged personal items are stored at a central facility for at least 60 days. Property destruction without notice violates federal due-process precedents like Lavan v. City of Los Angeles, even though that case is not binding in Florida.
Disposing of identifiable personal property without 24-hour notice and storage exposes the county to federal civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. §1983.
See how Miami's encampment sanitation rules stack up against other locations.
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