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was Jan. 27. Detailed results have not been released yet, but Barwin will provide the big picture. Homelessness in Sarasota County "appears to have declined by 99 from 2013," he reports in a memo. But homelessness in Manatee County "appears to have increased by 277." The census is conducted by the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness. Its prelim- inary results indicate the "regional homeless" number increased 8.7 percent. The number of homeless children dropped to 361 from 439 in 2013. The nonprofit organization reports, "The number of Black/African-American individuals counted jumped from 241 to 443 and is statistically higher than the county demographic." It found 316 people were "sleeping in a place not meant for habitation in Sarasota County," and 233 people were considered "chronic homeless," defined as homeless at four or more times in the past three years." The part- nership stressed the annual survey always "undercounts" the actual number of homeless. Barwin is offering 53 pages of statistics gath- ered by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office while it has been operating the Pinellas home- less shelter for the past three years. A third agenda item concerning vagrancy and homelessness will be the second and final reading of a new ordinance banning loitering in the middle of a roundabout. One individual is found almost daily on the inner apron of the roundabout at Pineapple Avenue and Ringling Boulevard in downtown Sarasota. % City Manager Tom Barwin discusses homelessness issues during a joint meeting of the City and County commissions in February 2013. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader May 2, 2014 Page 63