It’s no secret that a growing homeless encampment on Marathon’s 20th Street has become a cause for concern for local residents and businesses.
However the city chooses to address the matter, it will walk a fine line.
A fire in the area on Oct. 1, followed by a city-sponsored cleanup of the street, reignited discussions of long-term plans for the area, prompting public input Oct. 24 from several residents and business owners around the area of Fisherman’s Point and the street leading up to the decommissioned Boot Key Bridge.
As outlined by City Manager George Garrett to open the meeting, one plan to allow continued public use of the area could include, among other items, a combination of newly-installed security cameras, enhanced lighting, increased surveillance and fencing along the sides of the road, in addition to continued use of a city-supplied Dumpster and portable restroom. Garrett also mentioned enactment of a citywide open container law, though both he and City Attorney Steve Williams panned the effect it would have outside of the area in question.
The other would involve a near-complete closure of the area, in which case the city would need to be prepared to allow the individuals to occupy other spaces throughout Marathon.
“It’s sort of an all-or-none issue here, and we can’t be selective about enforcement,” Garrett said.
Williams echoed Garrett’s thought, explaining again that as Marathon has no homeless shelter, actions taken may not specifically target the homeless population, which has a “right to exist in public.”
He repeatedly urged council members throughout the session to address matters on 20th Street solely from a perspective of public safety, touting the city’s actions so far as a “significant first step” that likely would not face constitutional challenges if continued.
“We’ve only done (the cleanup) once. We (could) do it again here in the near future and see what the results are and see what the responses are,” he said. “If we were trying to remove anyone who would reside in that area against their will, maybe someone … could tell us what it costs to operate (a shelter) each year.”
“Constitutionally, this is thin ice here,” he warned. “And the hazard of doing it incorrectly is very, very expensive.”
Public commenters including Hard Bottom Brewing co-owner Steve Pfaller – a potential future tenant of the property currently operated as Andy and Dave’s Garage – and Marathon Boat Yard manager Tony Iarocci praised the city’s efforts so far, but spoke of a need to revitalize the area for enjoyment by the general public, possibly turning the existing street into a walking destination with a quasi-park at its end.
Iarocci and others did not, however, mince words when speaking of the area’s current challenges, saying some employees from the street’s businesses were “scared to death” as they repeatedly dealt with alleged issues of trespassing, substance abuse, noise complaints, fires, burglaries, threats and other public safety concerns.
Councilman Kenny Matlock has thus far has been the most vocal in his requests for cessation of accommodating measures provided by the city. He floated the idea of prohibiting temporary structures on city right-of-ways, or even eventually leasing the area, technically under FDOT ownership at present, to a nearby resident or business, thereby changing the parameters for law enforcement in the area.
“If they didn’t bother anybody, it would be a different conversation. But that’s not what it is,” he said. “Don’t just facilitate (the situation) … while the business owners are the ones paying the bills.”
“I see all sides to it, but I also don’t think empathy is a bad thing,” responded councilman Jeff Smith, briefly squaring off with Matlock’s outlook on the area and its underlying causes. “Addiction issues are real. All of these are societal issues that we’re going to have to deal with. … I would suggest that somebody report back to us on a feasibility study (for) a homeless shelter.
“We need, I think, to put more than a push-around approach together. … There are experts in our town who do, on a daily basis, work with this population, and I would like to get their input.”
Mayor Luis Gonzalez asked Garrett to prepare a report of the number and severity of recent calls for Sheriff’s Office and other EMS personnel to the area by the council’s next meeting, during which he encouraged local professionals with expertise in dealing with Marathon’s homeless population to address the council with their thoughts on the encampment.
He also asked staff to begin discussions with FDOT about officially turning the property over to Marathon, a process Garrett said should arguably have already happened when multiple roads were turned over from FDOT to Monroe County and subsequently to Marathon in years past.
