311GNV assigned this issue to Code Enforcement Department (Primary)

This "homeless camp" is back. And it's a mess! I don't understand why our folks in Code Enforcement and/or Law Enforcement let this just "happen". It was dismantled and cleaned up a couple of years ago, and now they're back. And more will come. It would be great if the City could be more proactive about these things. But lacking that, can you PLEASE get them moved out? I'll help come clean up after they're gone...

It seems like there's been constant piles of junk and/or disabled vehicles across from the post office for more than a year now. The issues in this area seem to be growing in frequency and severity. I've seen more people; open drug use; and fighting. I've rarely seen any police presence or city services there. It's sad to see this unsafe area getting worse and growing in territory.

The homeless camp has expanded down to 1108 NE 1st St. (an abandoned house) where we've found buckets of human poop nearby. Trash has piled up everywhere and is flowing into the retention pond which then flows right to the Duck Pond. We've been reporting this homeless camp and the one at 1108 NE 2nd St. for quite some time to GPD (latest is Issue ID: 5976067), but all the reports get routed to Lt. Dave Rowe who never responds to us.

If Code Enforcement could check on both locations and accomplish something, or get Lt. Rowe to reach out to us via all the open cases here we have, that would be wonderful. We are all getting rather frustrated with this situation.

It is completely gross. The homeless people on 1 st street are loud, angry, and high. I wish code enforcement would do something about people living on abandoned lots

I just sent the following email to GPD: Neighbors in our neighborhood of the NE Duckpond and NE 2nd St have been complaining for some weeks via the ClickFix app that the homeless camp on NE 2nd St near 16th Ave has now expanded down to 1108 NE 1st St. (an abandoned house) where buckets of human excrement have been found. Trash has piled up everywhere and is flowing into the retention pond. The homeless camp just grows bigger and bigger. The Clickfix app says "Issue ID: 5976067" has been routed to a Lt. Dave Rowe, but he has never responded. We are thinking now that perhaps the Clickfix app isn't really connected to GPD. Could someone respond to us? I can post the response on Clickfix for you if needed.

I called Lt. Rowe a few minutes ago and left a voicemail message as well. This should get some traction now. Hopefully he calls me back.

I can't even fathom the amount of time and money the city is wasting chasing these camps from one spot to the next all over G'ville when it would be as simple as banning panhandling. If it infringes on their constitutional rights then make it illegal to pass money out of an auto unless you are interacting with a licensed or permitted business. If the free money dries up this homeless population will move on to greener grasses.

I spoke with Lt. Rowe in person at length just now. Please know that he does get all of these requests and comments delivered to his inbox, so he is seeing these and has being working at helping us all out behind the scenes already. Here is what I took away from my conversation:

Lt. Rowe is going to try contacting the owner of 1108 NE 1st St. and the owner of the lot across from the Post Office in order to get written approval to trespass people off said properties. This process can take a long time though. In the meantime, continue reporting the issues. If you want a police officer to come out, call the non-emergency line and ask for that on top of reporting it here. Just know that without written approval to trespass people off the property, there isn't a whole lot that can be done (yet).

Going the route of code enforcement is another angle to try. The lot by the Post Office was just reported for that offense in a different ticket. I will submit a similar report for the 1108 NE 1st street house. Code enforcement may have more power in the end as trespassing does nothing aside from putting someone in jail for a few hours at which point they get bail and come right back out again. He said some of these folks have been arrested many times, but our commissioners don't exactly see this as a problem (the homeless issue we are experiencing), and therefore don't want to strongly enforce repeat offenders.

Folks on public property have a right to be there, so complaints about people sitting on the grass along the 16th Ave. are usually difficult for the police to deal with. Not much they can do as people are allowed to sit there all day long if they wish. Kangaroo has already given GPD approval to trespass people off their property specifically, so that's a good start. That property owner has been working with GPD and will continue to do so. Same for some of the other businesses in the area. The liquor store probably isn't cooperating because they likely get quite a bit of business from said folks in the area. Just my guess on that though.

I have Lt. Rowe's contact information now if anyone would like to also have it. I will follow up with him in two weeks if I don't hear from him first regarding contacting the owners of the two properties. Once we have that contact information, we as residents here are welcome to also contact said owners and plead our cases with them directly. The owner of the property across from the Post Office is sympathetic to the homeless issues and tends to give them rights to live on his property. This is obviously a large source of the problems in our area, and explaining that to the owner ourselves may have more impact than GPD doing so. Code Enforcement obviously will work their angle as well hopefully at the same time.

Feel free to email me, even if it's just to give your contact information for potential future letters to the owners of the property. My email is foophil@Yahoo.com and I live in the newer house at 1108 NE 2nd St.

Thanks everyone!

Is he going to address the other lot on 1 st street?

He is aware of that too, along with the house right behind you that people still actually live at. He is looking to see if Code Enforcement still has an open case with them or not.

Very Good

Thank you for using 311GNV to notify the City of Gainesville of this issue. The issue reported is being investigated by the Code Enforcement Division. Case Number CE-19-01415 will be managed by Code Enforcement Officer Ed DiMuccio, who may be reached at 352-393-8324, or by email at DimuccioEE@cityofgainesville.org. The case’s status can be followed online at http://cityofgainesville.org/CodeEnforcement.aspx by clicking on "Case Status."