Crackdown on homeless in cars

ST. PETERSBURG - Some of the homeless in St. Petersburg are being told to move along, and take their cars with them.

They've been living inside the vehicles outside a homeless shelter. But now their landing zone is about to become a no-parking zone.

"No Parking" signs will go up Thursday on 15th Street North between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, outside the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen.

St. Petersburg police say about 90 people are sleeping on the sidewalks there every night, and some of them are living out of their cars.

Moving them out is a response to complaints from nearby residents.

"There's a lot of pedestrian traffic and the thought is that people could be in and out of the parked cars, and because of the decreased visibility, it might be a safety concern," department spokesman Bill Proffitt explains.

Lori Brown is one of those with a car that she shares with two other people.

"I do sleep out on the sidewalk," she says. "My friend sleeps in the car there, watches the car. We switch around because it gets cramped up in the car, so you can go lay down and stretch your legs and stuff."

Like others, she is not sure where she will park now.

City attorney John Wolfe says she can park on other city streets, so long as it is not posted "No Parking."