FL Republicans want stadiums to house the homeless

[chanel]

A pair of bills making their way through the Florida legislature could have local homeless sleeping on the 50-yard-line of Sun Life Stadium or up in the rafter of the AmericanAirlines Arena.

Florida State Senator Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton) and State Rep. Frank Artilles (R-Miami) have introduced bills to demand Florida’s professional sports franchises to either start housing homeless folks in their stadiums and arenas, or give back the hundreds of millions of dollars they have received from the state.

Homeless Bills Targeting Pro Sports Teams Make Legislative Rounds « CBS Miami

"hundreds of millions of dollars they have received from the state"?

Can someone explain this to me? We have been debating "corporate welfare" for months now. Why are sports arenas never mentioned?

 

[Ravi]

This is based on: (from your article):

The law Bennett refers to is a provision of a 1988 statute requiring teams that take state money to convert to homeless shelters when the teams aren’t playing. In the 23 years the law has been in existence; it has never been enforced.

I think it is a great idea to enforce this and I don't know why it hasn't been enforced all along.

 

[blastoff]

Well I hope they think to set aside the several million dollars it'll likely take to restore a sports facility after the stranded guests' departures.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Oh no! We can't have the great unwashed desecrating our shrines to the NFL Gods!

NFL Akbar! Death to the infidels! At least make them wash their feet before they go in.

 

[blastoff]

I like my seats so, yes, please bathe them.

 

[xotoxi]

I was going to say that this is bullshit unless there had been an agreement between the teams and the state that they would house homeless if they received the money.

Then I discovered that there had been an agreement between the teams and the state that they would house homeless if they received the money.

The law Bennett refers to is a provision of a 1988 statute requiring teams that take state money to convert to homeless shelters when the teams aren’t playing. In the 23 years the law has been in existence; it has never been enforced.​

 

[Katzndogz]

These teams agreed to the provision to house the homeless without actually expecting that they would ever have to do it.

It could be problematic. For instance are the stadiums supposed to provide security to make sure the homeless drug addicts don't kill one another? Who is going to pay for clean up costs? Liability when the paying public starts getting vermin left behind by the homeless.

It isn't as easy as you might think.

 

[chanel]

We all seem to agree that a contract was made and apparently broken.

But I am still baffled why the stadiums received taxpayer money in the first place. These owners and players make a fortune. Why the handout?