The Effect of Quality-of-Life Ordinances on Perceptions of Police Legitimacy Among Homeless Populations

• In Event: Police Legitimacy and Public Opinion

Abstract

In 2023, nearly 700,000 Americans experienced homelessness—a 12 percent increase from the previous year and the highest rate since 2012. In Central Florida, nearly 3,000 people were homeless in January 2024. In response, legislators and city officials enacted quality-of-life ordinances aimed at curbing behaviors often associated with homelessness, such as sleeping in public, public urination, and trespassing. For instance, Florida House Bill 1365, effective October 2024, prohibits unauthorized camping and sleeping on public property. Critics contend that these measures unfairly target marginalized communities by criminalizing essential survival activities. Moreover, research suggests that frequent police encounters—whether positive or negative—can foster mistrust, especially when influenced by past negative experiences or perceived systemic biases, ultimately undermining public confidence in fair law enforcement. This project examines how the enforcement of these ordinances impacts perceptions of police legitimacy among people experiencing homelessness (PEH). The study will utilize six years of municipal ordinance violation records and surveys of PEH served by a local nonprofit day shelter in the central Florida region. The analysis will focus on disparities in enforcement related to social factors such as race, gender, and arrest location.

Author

• Katherine Wilson McCoy, University of Central Florida