Seminole County makes first arrest in homeless camping ban

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The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has made its first arrest of homeless people after a state law banning sleeping or camping on public property went into full effect this January.

The camp was on Raven Park property, at U.S. Highway 17-92 and Raven Avenue in the Longwood area. It’s just north of The Sharing Center, a nonprofit that provides services to people experiencing homelessness.

Ten people received trespass warnings, which meant they could be arrested if they were found on the public property again. One individual was later arrested, and is now facing two charges: trespassing and possession of methamphetamines. 

Seminole County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bob Kealing said to the agency’s knowledge, this is the first arrest under the camping ban in Seminole County. 

“As to why this area was chosen, deputies say the entrances to this camp are visible from the roadway,” Kealing said in a statement to Oviedo Community News. “We do make a practice of educating homeless individuals on what services are available to them. This is in keeping with our belief that we cannot simply arrest our way out of the homelessness issue.”

The sheriff’s office declined an interview on the arrests. 

Editor’s Note: Oviedo Community News is not naming the individuals arrested or trespassed in this story because the arrests alone would not have been covered before the new camping ban law was in effect. 

According to the arrest affidavits, sheriff’s deputies arrived on the morning of Saturday, March 1, and gave trespass warnings to 10 people at the camp. That included taking their photos and telling them that they could be arrested if they were on the site after 6 p.m. the following night.

“Each individual was either sleeping or camping on the county property,” the report states. “It should be noted, prior to contact, it was confirmed the location is on county-owned property based on a review of the parcels on the Seminole County Property Appraiser’s website.”

The arrest didn’t occur until 6:45 a.m. on Monday. The individual was detained for trespassing, a misdemeanor charge. When deputies searched him, they allegedly found a lighter and a plastic baggie that police said tested positive for methamphetamines, a third-degree felony charge. 

Jay Zembower, the chairman of the Seminole County Commission, said there’s been no change in policy since the County Commission enacted a local ordinance banning sleeping or camping on public property last December. 

“We need to get those people the appropriate help they need,” Zembower said. But, he added: “If they’re breaking the state law or our ordinance, they have to be held accountable.” 

While this is the first arrest in Seminole County, it’s not the first arrest in Central Florida. The Orlando Police Department arrested 25 people in January, the Orlando Sentinel reported. That was the first month after citizens became eligible to sue governments if they complain about an encampment and it’s not cleared out. 

The Seminole County Commission in 2024 agreed to spend $208,000 with Aspire Health Partners to pay for outreach and housing stabilization case management to people experiencing homelessness. The county has also previously put money into Rescue Outreach Mission in Sanford, the county’s only homeless shelter. 

“It’s a situation all communities are going to have to deal with,” Zembower said.  

“We owe it to mankind to try and find the help these people need, whether it’s a drug addiction issue or something else.” 

Advocates for people experiencing homelessness say the biggest issue in Central Florida contributing to homelessness is the high cost of housing. Martha Are, CEO of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, said her agency doesn’t comment on specific arrests. 

“Many people think someone’s mental illness or addiction is the cause of homelessness,” Are said. “What the data shows is that the housing market is the cause of homelessness.”

Arresting people who are experiencing homelessness, she said, saddles them with an arrest record and fines they can’t pay. She said the new laws make people experiencing homelessness more likely to hide from first responders. 

“All of us spend more of our public dollars when it would be cheaper to make sure they had housing and the support services they needed to maintain that housing,” Are said. 

In addition to the arrests near Raven Park, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office also cleared out an encampment on private property over the weekend that resulted in several arrests.