11/05/24
January 26, 2012
Florida Requires Pro Sports Teams to Take In Homeless: Two Republican state legislators in Florida have introduced bills that would require the state's pro sports franchises to house homeless people in their stadiums or give back the millions they've received from the state. "I want to make good citizens out of them," said state Sen. Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton), who authored the legislation with state Rep. Frank Artilles (R-Miami). A never-enforced 1988 law required teams that take state money to house the homeless when they're not playing. "The rule was you took the money you were supposed to use it for a program for homeless people and you didn't do it and therefore we want our money back."
Make each team owner pony up a million bucks to build a homeless shelter in their communities, create a dozen or so jobs, donate another million or so to the whistleblower's campaign fund, and sweep the issue under the rug. Sound good? Sound right? Or...
A week or two from now this will be a non-issue. The legislators will have wrung a campaign donation and their 15 minutes out of it and they'll move on to some other momentary headline that shows all of us how much they care...
OK, maybe that's a little harsh, but after watching President Obama's State of the Campaign Speech the other night, where he touched on all the same things he did nothing about in the past four years, I guess I AM cynical. And I'm a democrat! If you haven't made any progress by the time November rolls around, I just might have to rethink my vote. YOU, Mr. President, need to do something, not 'Send me a bill and I will sign it right now.' Make it happen! My apologies, readers, for going off topic and on a tangent.
posted by mitchigan at 11:46 AM on January 26, 2012
If there was a law passed in 1988 why do they need another and not just enforcement of the existing one?
posted by billsaysthis at 12:00 PM on January 26, 2012
Enforcement costs money; political grandstanding is free.
posted by rocketman at 12:42 PM on January 26, 2012
Please, please make this happen to Jeffery Loria.
posted by deflated at 01:49 PM on January 26, 2012
"And Johnson runs for it and.... OH he's tripped over Old Jimmy, the alcoholic hobo, and that's a run scored..."
posted by Drood at 10:54 PM on January 26, 2012
maybe the shelters could form teams...The Orlando Outcasts...The Tampa Tramps...
The Saturday morning shopping cart races might draw a decent crowd.
Seriously, if the law is there, enforce it. This does smack of grandstanding, which isn't too surprising in a year full of grandstanding.
posted by dviking at 11:22 PM on January 26, 2012
And then when the season starts, do they send the homeless back onto the street again?
posted by roberts at 07:13 AM on January 27, 2012
At least the Marlins can guarantee they won't have many empty seats in the stands again...
posted by Bonkers at 08:24 AM on January 27, 2012
I like the general idea. It sends a good message. Not about the homeless - about public money.
It's bullshit and won't happen but I immediately thought of Loria and had to smile.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:07 PM on January 27, 2012
Have them put up the money for shelters and programs ... I could imagine the problems that would be encountered in trying to remove people from a facility before a public event.
Republicans probably want the money to cover a budget deficit with fewer cuts to the poor and middle class. (I'll leave the politics alone now)