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MIAMI (AP) — A judge cleared the way for officials in Miami to dismantle a tent village of nearly 100 homeless sex offenders.
The Miami Herald reports the new law gives police the ability to arrest sex offenders for sleeping on county property near Hialeah.
Judge Pedro Echarte Jr. called conditions at the camp "deplorable."
Legal Services lawyer Jeffery Hearne said the ruling leaves no choice but to find another roadside to set up camp.
Assistant Miami-Dade County Attorney Michael Valdes said officials have tried to find apartments for the tent-dwellers. They've also brought in portable bathrooms and hand-washing stations. He says the county isn't trying to ban them from the streets. He said the issue is the semi-permanent tent encampment.
Sex offenders aren't allowed at the county's homeless shelters and there are many restrictions on where they're allowed to live.
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Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
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