Hollywood, FL Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

27(A) targets loitering or prowling "at a time, or in a manner not usual for law-abiding individuals under circumstances that warrant alarm for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity," and lists flight from police, refusal to identify oneself, or concealment of oneself or an object as factors bearing on whether alarm is warranted. Before an arrest, an officer must give the person a chance to identify himself and explain his presence and conduct, unless flight or other circumstances make that impractical; no conviction stands if the officer skipped that step or if the explanation given turns out to be true.

Division (B) separately bans loitering, standing, sitting, or lying on a public or quasi-public sidewalk, street, curb, crosswalk, walkway, mall, or privately owned area used by the public, once a police officer has issued a warning or a posted "no loitering" sign is present, if doing so unreasonably hinders pedestrian or vehicle passage; blocking a building entrance open to the public is also unlawful. Division (C) adds a distinct loitering-for-prostitution offense, covering a person who loiters in a public place with intent to induce, entice, solicit, or procure another to commit an act of prostitution, again requiring the officer to first afford an explanation opportunity before arrest. The section dates to a 1968 ordinance (O-68-66) and was amended through 1989.