Dozens of unhoused people will be displaced as trespass orders begin Thursday, June 15 at an encampment on Marshall Lane in Escambia County.
Michael Kimberl, Director of the Alfred-Washburn Center, which is located less than a mile away from the encampment, raised awareness during the public comment period at last week’s Escambia County Commission meeting.
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“I kind of feel like that mad scientist in the movie that has all the papers coming before the board to tell you about an impending disaster,” he said at the meeting.
Residents and businesses owners around the encampment, have been working with the county code enforcement to clean up the area. At a Special Magistrate Meeting on March 7, property owners, which includes local business owner Collier Merrill, were ordered to remove the encampments as well as the garbage and debris that’s accumulated over the years by the end of April.
Merrill said he's spent $75,000 over the years to clean up the property. When he didn't meet the the April deadline, he said he's been trying to make contact with campers to let them know of the trespass order while paying daily fines for not being in compliance. Code violations include nuisance, trash and debris, inoperable vehicle, outdoor storage, and temporary shelters.
"It's not like bulldozers will be coming out tomorrow (Thursday)," he said. "It's a double-edged sword...and it's not fair to the neighbors. The property has gotten out of hand."
Kimberl was at the March 7 meeting. Seeing what could be happening next, he started to get to work on finding solutions for the campers.
"I started reaching out to local branches of government and staff asking ‘where can they go? What are we doing?’” Kimberl said to commissioners. “We’re now at two months and the property owner has posted they are going to be using local law enforcement to trespass and arrest anyone who is on their property, which, of course, is their legal right to do. But we also need to recognize they are 50 to 70 people that have nowhere to go.”
There are “countless” campsites like Marshall Lane around the county, said Kimberl, although it’s difficult to pinpoint where they might be. In January 2022, more than a hundred campers were removed from under the I-110 bridge.
“They’re constantly moving,” he said.
At his property, Merrill says he's meet some short-term and long-term residents, including one lady who called herself "the queen of the camp." He said he's tried to bring resources out to the site. Last time he checked the property a few weeks ago, he said there were 15 people there.
"I've talked to five different agencies (for help)," Merrill said. "They all have different ideas of what the solution should be."
Homelessness is on the rise locally. According to Opening Doors Northwest Florida’s 2023 Point in Time count, there are 1,180 people experiencing homelessness in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, up from 727 in the 2022 PIT count. A majority of those individuals are completely unhoused. And there are not enough beds for them all. Most of the local shelters are first come, first served.
Kimberl estimated that people have lived in the camp for more than 10 years. One resident, Gwen Gibson, told the Pensacola News Journalthat it has been an issue for years and that she’s concerned about safety. She’s seen campers — some intoxicated or suffering mental health issues — at all times of the day. Other neighbors say they’ve had break-ins.
As a homeless advocate, knowing that local shelters are mostly at capacity, Kimberl tried to be proactive before the trespass warnings began. He offered to manage the space and help clean it up and remove any “bad actors” much like he does with the Satoshi Forest campgroundwhich allows up to 20 camping spaces for unhoused people, but Kimberl said he did not get a response back.
Kimberl is worried for the campers who will be scattered around the county and likely setting up camp somewhere they’re not supposed to be. Their cycle of instability will only continue.
“They’re going to lose their belongings and it’s going to further exacerbate the time they’re experiencing homelessness,” he said. “Where are they supposed to go? It’s a health and safety issue and we need to be proactive and address this in a holistic way and not in a punitive way.”
