A judge has ruled that homeless sex offenders living in tents in Northwest Miami-Dade must vacate the area.
On Thursday, Judge Pedro Echarte denied a motion to delay the eviction of those living near NW 71st Street and 36th Avenue.
Legal Services of Greater Miami, the Florida Justice Institute and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit to prevent the eviction and arrest of individuals who they say are forced to live there and with nowhere else to go due to the county’s restrictions (which are stricter than state laws).
Miami-Dade’s local ordinance requires that registered sex offenders live 2500 feet away from schools and childcare centers. Florida state laws only require a 1000 feet boundary.
Sex offender camps are nothing new to South Florida. From 2006 to 2010, hundreds lived under the Julia Tuttle causeway until it was disbanded.
Last week, residents in West Kendall grew angry and protested after hearing that some of the homeless may relocate to a spot along Kendall Drive and Krome Avenue, where over a dozen people reportedly are already living.