Press releases and earned media around FJI area of focus: Housing and Poverty
By Amelia Orjuela Da Silva | July 28, 2026The Miami Times After hours of emotional testimony and debate, the Miami City Commission
By Elisabeth Campbell | July 21, 2026The Miami Times City of Miami commissioners are facing a July 23 vote to pass an
By Noah Hertz | November 23, 2025Jacksonville Today Legal challenges have put the enforcement of panhandling prohibitions around Florida into question.
The Florida Justice Institute has filed a lawsuit against Hillsborough County against an ordinance that criminalizes panhandling.
The Florida Justice Institute (FJI) and Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP have filed a lawsuit against the City of Miami, challenging an ordinance that criminalizes panhandling. This law raises First Amendment concerns by targeting specific speech forms. With nearly 400 arrests made, the plaintiffs—Miami residents experiencing homelessness—argue that it fails to address poverty’s root causes. Discover how this case seeks to protect the rights of vulnerable communities and challenge poverty criminalization in Florida.
April 22, 2025— As local governments grapple with enforcement of a new state law banning people from sleeping in public spaces,
April 8, 2025 Today, Southern Legal Counsel, the National Homelessness Law Center, the Southern Poverty Law center, and the Florida Justice Institute
November 25, 2024 Following FJI’s lawsuit against a Lake City ordinance that prohibited standing, soliciting, or leafletting at certain intersections,
September 9, 2024 FJI has reached a settlement with Columbia County, resolving its lawsuit against the ordinance which prohibited solicitation
