Homeless people started bathing in Lincoln Road’s fountains, so the city closed them
With Miami Beach’s tourism economy and social scene shut down due to coronavirus, the famed Lincoln Road promenade has all but emptied out — except for members of the homeless community, some of whom have used the strip’s fountains as “personal hygiene facilities,” according to a city spokeswoman.
The city has fenced off at least three fountains along Lincoln Road, the commercial walkway between 17th and 16th streets in South Beach, in response to the homeless people who gather there.
A video of two people bathing in the Bandstand Fountain, designed by Lincoln Road architect Morris Lapidus, quickly spread on social media. And a photo of a woman scrubbing her soapy back at the colorful fountain in front of the Colony Theatre sparked complaints from residents on Miami Beach Facebook pages.
“They are the only ones there,” Mayor Dan Gelber told the Miami Herald. “Typically, when most areas are activated, the homeless tend to go to Lummus Park. With so many public areas inactive, they have just gone to places that they typically have never been before or don’t congregate.”
Lincoln Road has closed every day at 9 p.m. during the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected at least 8,824 people and killed at least 195 in Miami-Dade County, the highest death toll in Florida.
Adding to the emptiness on the strip, beginning on Friday the city ordered all restaurants along Lincoln Road between Alton Road and Washington Avenue to close their entrances fronting on Lincoln Road to the public. Restaurants can only offer delivery, pick-up or take-out services through their rear or side-facing entrances.
The city and its elected officials have received multiple complaints from residents, which led to the temporary closures Friday. Before that, however, members of the city’s homeless outreach staff have visited the homeless across the city every day offering shelter. Most have “consistently” denied their offers, Maria Ruiz, the director of Housing and Community Services, said in an email.
“By no means are the people driving the complaints on Lincoln Road homeless by circumstance as they have all been offered shelter, relocation services and more,” she said. “These people are presenting themselves as homeless and do so by choice as they have chosen to remain in their circumstances despite offers of help.”
Ruiz said intoxication and aggressiveness have “taken hold within this population.” Her staff members have been “threatened several times just for asking if these people need help,” she said.
About 118 residents are experiencing homelessness in the city as of April and an average of 24 shelter beds have been open every day since the pandemic spread to the area. The homeless in Miami Beach have used one of the beds a night, if that many, Ruiz said.
“Therefore, despite the availability of beds, a curfew that remains in place and the uncertainty of a pandemic, our homeless continue to choose to stay on the streets,” Ruiz said. “We cannot compel people to act in their best interests. We will continue to offer help but only as long as we can guarantee the safety of our civilian personnel.”
The city offers portable toilets and wash stations at the following locations throughout the city: Fifth Street and Ocean Drive, 21st Street and the beach, Flamingo Park, Maurice Gibb Park, 36th Street and the beach, and at 75th Street and the beach.
This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 6:45 AM.
.JPG)