Guest AuthorPicture this: Middle-class parents save much of their adult lives to buy a home in a safe neighborhood in Florida, with a mortgage they can just barely afford. They move in with their children, pleased to have captured a bit of the American dream — and, most important, the safety of a good neighborhood for their children.
Slowly, properties near their home begin to have a flurry of activity: drug transactions within feet of where their children play, people coming and going at all hours of the night, screaming in the early morning, catcalls directed at preteen girls and police presence on a nonstop basis.
In time they realize that a poorly managed transitional living facility for recovering drug addicts, commonly known as a “sober home,” has moved onto their street. Their previously safe and quiet neighborhood is physically threatened with the arrival of this poorly managed business.
This is not fiction. This is reality and it is happening every day in Florida. As a former member of the Boca Raton City Council and a current member of the Legislature, I have seen firsthand the effect some of these businesses have had on our neighborhoods. With little or no oversight, a sober home can occupy any dwelling. Under Florida law, “sober homes” are not defined, though they are essentially homes for recovering addicts.
Some of their owners would have us believe that under the Fair Housing Act they can create any disturbance and disregard most any law in general. Of course, they are wrong. No such law and no constitution anywhere legalizes such behavior.
The lack of oversight has caused problems. Anyone can own and operate such a business. A recent example of lack of oversight is that of Troy Charles, a felon who is charged with murdering an individual recovering in the “sober home” Charles operated in St. Petersburg.
This example is just the beginning. Several sober homes have been operated by people arrested for sexual assault and drug activity. Recently, along with other elected officials, I heard from residents of the town of Palm Beach Shores outlining the shocking conditions that some of these homes have unleashed.
These are the same neighborhoods where our children play, where our senior citizens walk and where our colleagues traverse the streets. We have a duty to keep each of these individuals safe and free from fear.
Our towns have often found their hands tied when it comes to mismanaged sober homes. Delray Beach, with a reputation for such facilities, has worked on a solution that protects citizens and respects those being treated. It is a tough balancing act.
In all of this, we need to be careful to note that many such homes are well managed and there is a true need for these rehabilitation services. People in recovery deserve the respect and non-discrimination of all of us, and likewise, deserve to have our protection as well.
This year, I have filed House Bill 479, which addresses some of the major problems certain sober homes create. The bill requires a sober home to annually register with the state Department of Children and Families, requires background screening of those who operate these facilities, and authorizes DCF to conduct inspections and, if needed, revoke the registration of a sober home. This is a good step toward solving this problem.
Republican Rep. Bill Hager represents District 89 in the Florida House of Representatives.
