A mother and her four teenage children were found sheltering beneath a tarp in a Port Charlotte Walmart parking lot during heavy rain, with no vehicle, no money, and nowhere else to go. Charlotte County Sheriff's deputies who responded to the scene ended up doing far more than filing a report — one paid for a hotel room out of her own pocket, and another bought the family a meal.
Walmart Staff Made the Call
Walmart employees at the store on Murdock Circle contacted the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office after spotting the family's makeshift shelter in the parking lot, according to a statement from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. When deputies arrived, they found an adult woman and her four teenage children with no car, no cash, and no place to stay as rain continued to fall. The mother told deputies the family had been staying with a friend but had left earlier that evening after they were no longer able to remain there, per the sheriff's office.
Deputies gave the family information about potential resources, including the Charlotte CARE Center, formerly known as the Homeless Coalition. But because of the late hour, none of the available organizations were able to arrange immediate placement for the family, the sheriff's office said. The CARE Center otherwise serves as a year-round point of entry for homeless services in the county, offering a supervised, low-barrier emergency shelter for stays of up to 30 days.
A Deputy Steps In With Her Own Money
With no resources able to help on short notice, Deputy Anabel Wadlington began searching for a local hotel room for the family. She then paid for the room herself, using her own personal funds, according to the sheriff's office. Deputy David Dziedzic, meanwhile, learned the family had not eaten in several hours and bought them a meal.
As WWSB reported, the sheriff's office did not say whether the family later received any longer-term housing assistance beyond that night. Sheriff Bill Prummell said deputies go above and beyond every day and rarely receive public recognition for it. He said deputies simply do what needs to be done rather than seeking credit for it.
A Snapshot of Homelessness in Charlotte County
The encounter comes amid a broader statewide picture of homelessness that shows some improvement but persistent strain on families. Charlotte County recorded 271 people experiencing homelessness in Florida's 2026 Point-in-Time Count, including 91 people in shelters and 180 living unsheltered, according to the state's Council on Homelessness Annual Report. That marked a decline from the county's 2025 total, though the exact prior-year figure is reported inconsistently across state documents — one report lists it as 333, including 211 unsheltered and 122 sheltered, while the 2026 annual report lists the 2025 total as 334.
Statewide, Florida's homeless population fell 10.45 percent year over year, from 28,498 people in 2025 to 25,519 in 2026, per the same state report. Unsheltered homelessness dropped even more sharply, down 25.4 percent to 10,180 people. Homelessness among Florida families with children also declined, from 6,911 individuals in 2025 to 6,558 in 2026, a 5.1 percent reduction — though the numbers suggest families like the one found at the Murdock Circle Walmart can still fall through the cracks on any given night.
