Daytona Beach, FL – The top elected official in Daytona Beach is calling for a special meeting to figure out what to do about the homeless camp that’s led to Volusia County closing its Administration Center in downtown.
In a Monday phone interview on WNDB’s Marc Bernier Show, Mayor Derrick Henry said he wants to have the Daytona Beach City Commission and Volusia County Council gather in the same room to work out the problem, one that’s vexed leaders in both government bodies since the camp sprung up around 2 months ago.
This move comes after Volusia County Manager Jim Dinneen ordered all operations at the 250 North Beach Street building to cease over the weekend for liability reasons following County Property Appraiser Morgan Gilreath’s decision to close his office at that location.
Gilreath used his website to make the announcement last Friday, saying that a female employee entering the building was “accosted” by a homeless man as she went to work.
Gilreath told WNDB News after the announcement that a “thug” element is starting to creep into the homeless camp and that he was not going to allow his employees to work out of there anymore because many were scared of the situation.
Henry acknowledged to Bernier that he’s worried about business or other locations on Beach Street – considered the heart of the downtown business area – also shutting down because of this situation, especially if there continues to be no concrete action to remedy it.
“This has become a major crisis for people,” Henry added. “It’s been an issue downtown for 30 years. But this is a deliberate effort on the part of those who’ve organized these people and they’ve recruited them to this area for this purpose.”
Henry also said that the city’s police department is unable to move the homeless from the property because it belongs to the county and they’re the ones who must request that the homeless be trespassed.
“It’s not that simple,” Henry stated. “The county – the way that I understand it – is concerned about litigation if they trespass people for being on county property.”
Part of the reason for that fear is due to the lack of shelter space in the city to house the homeless. The Salvation Army’s Daytona Beach chapter opened additional shelter beds on Ballough Road Monday, taking in some of those living at the homeless camp.
But Henry told Bernier that many of the homeless are actually being encouraged by organizers to not accept any help and stay right where they area.
“[It is] an effort to continue to dramatize and draw attention to the situation,” Henry said. “They feel like they will get what they want – which is a safe zone in the core of the city – if they continue to basically dramatize the issue that’s before us.”
The camp sprung up soon after the city closed nearby Manatee Island Park, claiming the park had to be repaired due to damage caused by the homeless who were living there. The Volusia County Council demanded last week that it re-open, but other than briefly opening to allow for county staff to inspect, the park has remained closed.
Henry did not specifically say when the DBCC and VCC will meet – indicating that a date has yet to be set – but did state that this situation could happen in other parts of Daytona Beach and it’s critical that some sort of long-term plan be implemented as soon as possible.
The city is pushing for the creation of a 250-bed shelter near Volusia County Jail known as “Safe Harbor” that would house all the county’s homeless while also giving them job training and anything else they might need to get back on their feet. But funding for that project has been a major stumbling block for Daytona Beach. No other city in Volusia County has pledged any money towards the project.
The VCC has offered the land for the shelter and $4 million to have it built but want no part of running the shelter, estimated to cost around $1.6 million annually.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.