This is why I'm so thankful I moved away from here (Miami: 2014, condo)

[NorthStarDelight]

I'm coming up to ten wonderful, glorious years of moving away from Ft Lauderdale - there hasn't been a day I've regretted it. When I lived there, I was traumatized by the all the awful things that went on there, the grinding poverty, the terrible customer service, the terror of a runaway, oppressive government which takes and takes and never gives anything back, unlike the rest of the USA.

But this encapsulates why I'm SO GLAD not to live there anymore:

Fort Lauderdale Passes Law That Restricts Feeding Homeless People

This is just the most inhumane thing I've seen in a long, long time, and it's really a symbol of what's wrong with this place. Makes me furious that they'd put people IN JAIL for feeding the homeless - what is wrong with people down there??

How soon will the mass exodus from this place begin? I hope it starts tomorrow.

[loribell38]

Don't live down there either right now but have in the past & hope to in the future. This has been going on for many years. This time more people are hearing about it because this person is going on a hunger strike & set up a facebook page which was shared by thousands of people. There is a lot of controversy with stuff like this. If it is done correctly these type of things can work out pretty well. Problem is that with the many people that come to So. Fla. off the boats from Cuba everyday (all you have to do is really live there & watch the news everyday) which most people that do not live in the immediate area do not see that this is a daily influx of new people that are not americans & come off these boats & all they have to do is step on sand & they are safe.

All those people create huge population & add to it everyday of people who have no $$..& no place to go at all. Like I said if you do not live in the area & see that in the news practically everyday that there are people coming in by boats to come to our good old generous US of A you don't see first hand what is happening. There are some very good organizations that when I lived down there I did donate to all the time. You just need to find the legitimate ones as many are not so legit.

All things said this is horrible but not new.

Be prepared this thread might get bad. Hope not though. People are going to have their opinion on this topic & not many will agree with each others opinions.

[Caleb Longstreet]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

I'm coming up to ten wonderful, glorious years of moving away from Ft Lauderdale - there hasn't been a day I've regretted it. When I lived there, I was traumatized by the all the awful things that went on there, the grinding poverty, the terrible customer service, the terror of a runaway, oppressive government which takes and takes and never gives anything back, unlike the rest of the USA.

But this encapsulates why I'm SO GLAD not to live there anymore:

Fort Lauderdale Passes Law That Restricts Feeding Homeless People

This is just the most inhumane thing I've seen in a long, long time, and it's really a symbol of what's wrong with this place. Makes me furious that they'd put people IN JAIL for feeding the homeless - what is wrong with people down there??

How soon will the mass exodus from this place begin? I hope it starts tomorrow.

You should look up some of my rants on living down there for 8 years and having worked in and out of it for the next 17...NOTHING changes.....it's the home of the scammer, the thief, bad customer service and people who refuse to pay their bills. Again, if you were to walk down A1A on a Saturday afternoon or, better yet, Las Olas Blvd. and yell: "Stop, Thief!" fully half the people, of all ages, would run.

It's a place Whitey Bulger would feel right at home. The boiler rooms (even worse than the movie) ply their trade along Oakland Park Blvd (cheap space), the Maggot Mile (Glades Road), Coral Gables Ave....and on and on and on....

I could go on for DAYS about the dirty, the thievery, and the scams but, have said enough. And that IS a first. It's funny that Broward County and Ft. Lauderdale, a Democrat's dream come true, would dis on the homeless. Funny.

Hey, move them up to Boca and Adventura and watch half of Israel's "dual-citizen/no pay taxes" crowd have a fit. That, or simply put up x-mas lights during December. Believe me, it makes 50% of them real, real nervous....

[Mr. Lee]

Originally Posted by NorthStarDelight

I'm coming up to ten wonderful, glorious years of moving away from Ft Lauderdale - there hasn't been a day I've regretted it. When I lived there, I was traumatized by the all the awful things that went on there, the grinding poverty, the terrible customer service, the terror of a runaway, oppressive government which takes and takes and never gives anything back, unlike the rest of the USA.

But this encapsulates why I'm SO GLAD not to live there anymore:

Fort Lauderdale Passes Law That Restricts Feeding Homeless People

This is just the most inhumane thing I've seen in a long, long time, and it's really a symbol of what's wrong with this place. Makes me furious that they'd put people IN JAIL for feeding the homeless - what is wrong with people down there??

How soon will the mass exodus from this place begin? I hope it starts tomorrow.

My wife and I are very happy here and we feel as if we live in paradise, and while I feel sorry for them and none have ever bothered us besides the stink and mess they make, we will not miss the homeless if the county can find ways to get them off the streets and out of living in the parks.

I do believe that something has to be done for the homeless but them living in parks and using the parks for their own private restrooms and trash cans is not it.

There is no simple answer but I do feel govt needs to find a safe place for them to live in peace and be fed, while at the same time by doing this, it makes the city much nicer for those of us who pay taxes or rents.

I have an idea, how about those who do not like what the city is doing, take a homeless person into their home, if enough of you do it, then maybe there will no longer be homeless people.

[ysr_racer]

I live here a few weeks a year. They should put the homeless people in jail. No more problems.

[soulsearcher14]

Speaking from having been homeless in AZ 3 times..most homeless people are NOT felons..alot are mentally ill and a lot are hard on their luck (I worked in social work and saw plenty of professionals become homeless due to various reasons, commonly physical illness...so just saying..yes, its not a great thing to have homeless people sleeping on the streets but again, having been homeless and Im far from a felon, its not a fun place to be...God knows..Switzerland doesn't even have homeless people on the streets as they take care of their own, more than I can say for our country ;(

[Fl1150]

Yea I think what they did to the homeless was wrong but its not like Ft.Lauderdale is the only city in the country with restrictions on homeless people.

[snorkel17]

I live in this hellhole right now, and I can honestly say Fort Lauderdale is THE WORST CITY I HAVE EVER LIVED IN, PERIOD.
Addressing this "homeless issue", The people on here commenting that the city is wrong in voting them not to be fed in public spaces are Completely Ignorant of the facts. These bums and derelicts are drunks, felons, on dope addicts,and can be aggressive in their yelling asking for money and/or violent. There are "shelters" here. Plenty ,if you are not a "drunken drug addict"then you have food, a cot ,and shelter. PERIOD. How would you like to be accosted by these derelicts in the middle of every intersection, every Walgreens/CVS, every time you are at a park walking your dog,you may see them with their weiner out urinating/deficating tossing their fast food wrappers all over the park ,and their beer cans, naturally...
The city needs to start enforcing laws!!! They are way to lax, these people are trespassing, littering, loitering, and harassing people who work and pay bills. OUTRAGEOUS!!!
I have lived in Florida for several years now, and Fort Lauderdale just under one year, and can say that this city is THE WORST CITY regarding crime, scammers, bums, lackadaisical police officers who respond to calls and say,well we have more violent crime to attend to so maam here is the case number and give us a call if you need us to come back. DOING NOTHING. I am close to Victoria Park/Holiday Park, and this area is loaded with burglaries, car vandalism, car break ins, I have seen more crazy stuff in the months here than I have in years living in other cities around South Florida. Everyone has some scam, just today a woman at Sears Homegoods was talking to me in line,I thought nothing of it,then out in the mall she came up and told me I had "good energy"she could tell,and I was a "good person"and she could "provide"me with a "reading" for a FEE, LOL. oh brother!!!!
There are too many of these stories to list, I am serious! I could write a book!! Gay prostitutes are out in the open working out of the parking lot of Holiday Park, you can see this when you pull in to go for a walk/or bike ride. They are lurking in their cars and men going in and out of cars/vans and they openly are kissing/touching etc right there. I have personally seen one man there regularly who appears to be living out of his car and meeting "dates " there. It is disgusting. Condoms in the park, liquor bottles, bums laying down passed out during the day in the grass,not one, several!!! I will be out of this craphole before the end of this month,good riddance. I can say when I first moved to Florida Fort Lauderdale was pretty,and it was decent,it is such a shame the Police are so lazy,and the government here so corrupt that they do not care about what the criminal element has done to this city. It is ruined.

[tinytrump]

I am from there, the original point was to force the hungry and needy to places like the Camillus House -where things can change for them. In Pinellass and Hillsborough CTY similar ordinances have been passed. The problem is huge, In Miami one cold winter it was estimated there were over 5000 homeless downtown alone. The Camillus house received hot coffee and hamburgers from mcD's and other restaurants for those that went for help. They started a blankie line we ran down and donated 3 old blankets. The plan is some order, less crime, and HELP - so stop- you just didn't like FT Laud. Right now here in lake and Polk cty... there is a large population of high school homeless. let see who survives the next 2 yrs of politics with probably more social benefit cuts

[Enigma777]

Why do people post threads about why they do not live somewhere? Is there a point or do they simply enjoy basking in negativity?

Why aren't they out enjoying their lives where they now live rather than telling us how glad they are they are not here? Insecure about their decision, or are their new towns just too boring to occupy their minds?