Pasco commissioners press for tougher action on encampments and sweeps; staff outline protocols

A sustained and often emotional discussion about homelessness, encampments and code enforcement dominated the latter portion of the Pasco County meeting.

Several commissioners urged more aggressive sweeps and enforcement in districts where residents and businesses report public-safety and sanitation problems. They described recurring camps, open defecation, and impacts to retail patrons and noted that some encampments pose fire hazards and large clean-up costs.

"When you have all the homeless people in front of their businesses because now people don't want to go in, it happens for a lot of other businesses," one commissioner said, arguing enforcement resources should be reallocated and extended beyond standard hours.

Staff described protocols and legal constraints. Denise Anderson, director of code compliance, said sweeps can be officer-initiated or public-driven; the department now notifies neighborhoods via variable message boards and targeted social-media outreach (for example, Nextdoor) 10 days in advance and coordinates with media relations and public works. She said the office notifies commissioners before scheduled sweeps.

Assistant County Administrator Kathy Pearson and other staff noted enforcement of panhandling and some public-order matters falls to law enforcement, and entering private property to clear encampments generally requires a trespass agreement or sheriff's escort. They described ongoing coordination with Sheriff's Office personnel and other partners, and a planned public campaign to redirect charitable giving away from street panhandling toward vetted service providers.

Commissioners also described a recent private-property cleanup at the Green Key site; staff said firefighters and county teams used a state grant-driven training exercise to clear brush and remove encampment debris with the landowner's permission and that follow-up patrols were planned.

What happens next: staff said they will continue interagency work on homeless-encampment responses, report on additional resource needs for extended enforcement windows if requested by the board, and continue to refine sweep-notification processes and partnership strategies with nonprofits and the sheriff's office.

Sources: Board discussion and presentations by Denise Anderson (Code Compliance) and Assistant County Administrator Kathy Pearson.