The Palm Beach Post

Critics: Law on homelessne­ss falling far short on funding

Local government­s will have to meet mandates

- Kimberly Miller Palm Beach Post USA TODAY NETWORK Wayne Washington Palm Beach Post USA TODAY NETWORK

Former reality-TV star Frederik Eklund from the “Million Dollar Listing” series has burgeoning West Palm Beach on his “vision board” for projects he’d like to represent and already has an office of his powerhouse Eklund Gomes team in Jupiter.

Eklund, whose life was chronicled by

Local government­s could be required to pony up big money to meet the demands of legislatio­n Gov. Ron DeSantis signed barring homeless people from either camping or sleeping on public property.

The legislatio­n, which takes effect on Oct. 1, requires local government­s to designate a public space for camping or sleeping if shelter spaces are full.

Local government­s must also provide security, behavioral health services and bathrooms with running water, but Tallahasse­e is not sending additional money, so local government­s can fulfill that the Emmy-nominated Bravo TV franchise for 11 years, first in New York and then Los Angeles, moved to Miami in the summer of 2023 after new constructi­on in Golden State metro areas began to stagnate, he said.

Known for his signature high-kick and exuberant cry of “weeeeee,” the 6foot, 5-inch native of Sweden put his Beverly Hills home on the market in December.

“What I particular­ly do is new developmen­t and new buildings, and there is a lot of that here in South Florida,” said Eklund, who co-founded Douglas Elliman’s

Eklund Gomes Team with John Gomes, which opened a Miami office about five years ago. “In LA, there just wasn’t a lot of new constructi­on.”

The Eklund Gomes Jupiter office at the Jupiter Yacht Club launched shortly before the pandemic. A planned splashy entrance to the Palm Beach County real estate market was overshadow­ed by COVID-19, but marketing was renewed last year with Eklund throwing out the first pitch at a spring training game between the New York Yankees and

 ?? JAMES COLEMAN/PALM BEACH POST ?? West Palm Beach’s Kelly Perkins says he has been homeless for four years and that a sidewalk on Belvedere Road is his permanent home.
JAMES COLEMAN/PALM BEACH POST West Palm Beach’s Kelly Perkins says he has been homeless for four years and that a sidewalk on Belvedere Road is his permanent home.
 ?? LANNIS WATERS/PALM BEACH POST ?? Tents just south of Sixth Avenue South in Tent City, a homeless encampment at John Prince Park west of Lake Worth Beach.
LANNIS WATERS/PALM BEACH POST Tents just south of Sixth Avenue South in Tent City, a homeless encampment at John Prince Park west of Lake Worth Beach.

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