ST. PETERSBURG – Friday came and went without a showdown at the tent city for the homeless along the 1200 block of Fourth Avenue N.The St. Vincent de Paul Society, which had allowed a group of homeless to pitch their tents on its lot, had set a deadline of noon Friday after the social service organization was cited for code violations by the city. Living in tents, even on private property, is prohibited by city statute.
But at the appointed hour there was no police sweep, and the residents and their advocates admitted they weren’t sure what would happen next. St. Vincent de Paul officials said they were waiting until midnight – the deadline the city gave them to evict the tent city residents or face fines of up to $250 per day – to see how many people remained before they decided whether to ask the police to move them out.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” said Pat Waltrich of St. Vincent de Paul.
Tags: Homelessness
