DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona Beach homeless were camped outside a Volusia County government building for 44 days before it was brought to an end Friday night.
Undercover officers said crime was committed in plain sight at the camp, leading to multiple arrests. The officers said the camp had descended into a den of drugs, debauchery, prostitution and extortion.
Officers said many of the people cleared out of the camp were not who they appeared to be.
"During the daytime when the news media was there, we had this, 'Woe is me; we need to help the homeless.' When the news vans went away and the Internet pastor went home it became a totally different (place)," Daytona Beach police Chief Mike Chitwood said. "Nefarious activities were going on. You heard about prostitution, you heard about drug deals, you heard about beat downs, you heard about shakedowns."
Officers told Channel 9 that there were beatings at night, prostitutes offered in the back seats of cars and most there had plenty of money for drugs and alcohol.
"You have people that are not homeless, and they went out there purported to be homeless and they made a buck out of it," Chitwood said.
Gang members would offer free drugs and demand money later, beating down those who didn't pay, officers said.
"They had money to pay. Sure there's money to pay. A lot of those folks collect disability a lot of those folks collect Social Security. A lot of them are out panhandling, making hundreds and hundreds of dollars a day," Chitwood said.
At least 25 arrests were made by officers.
Cox Media Group
