Squatters and homeless people in Pensacola, Florida, have left a neighborhood in ruins, forcing weary residents to navigate through trash piles and outdoor toilets near their homes.
‘It is dangerous. It is not healthy. And it’s really starting to take a toll on our neighbors and how they feel about letting their kids play in the yard,” Jessica Allen told WEAR.
She is one of the residents of the Northpointe community who have lived near the limits of their endurance near piles of trash and tents for a year. Allen said her neighbors can’t avoid the homeless squatters because they encounter them on a weekly basis.
Another county resident told local media that squatters were using a tree as a toilet and workers cleaning a property had become sick from work.
As squatters have broken into residents’ yards and broken through fences, the community has lost its sense of security and normality.
Residents in Pensacola and Escambia County, Florida, say squatters have left areas near their homes full of trash. A county resident told local media that squatters were using a tree as a toilet and workers cleaning a property had become sick from work
Jessica Allen, a resident of Northpointe, Florida, said her neighbors can’t avoid the homeless squatters who have taken over her street, calling them “dangerous” and “unhealthy.”
“Some of our neighbors suddenly have a homeless man in their backyard leaning against the shed and smoking a cigarette,” Allen said.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has been called to Le Jeune Drive about 70 times, but each time property owners are informed that the only way to solve the problem is through code enforcement.
There are currently two open squatting cases with Pensacola law enforcement on Le Jeune Drive, where Allen and her neighbors live.
The squatting on Le Jeune Drive began when homeowners on the street allowed people to live in their homes. One of those owners has since passed away and another has moved to an assisted living facility.
The property managers and lawyers of these houses have now been informed of the situation and are considering legal action to evict the unwelcome squatters.
Pensacola City Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier said she saw the problem herself as she spoke with residents and property managers about their concerns.
According to the Pensacola Code Enforcement website, the department is made up of both civilian personnel and sworn police officers.
Tons of trash lined Le Jeune Drive as squatters invaded residents’ yards and went through fences, neighbors claim
Pensacola City Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier said she saw the problem herself as she spoke with residents and property managers about their concerns
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has been called to Le Jeune Drive about 70 times, but each time property owners are informed that the only way to solve the problem is through code enforcement
There are three responsibilities that oversee law enforcement officers in the city.
“Enforce all state laws and municipal ordinances dealing with code violations, monitor all licensed carriers operating in the City of Pensacola, and mow and clean non-compliant, overgrown, vacant lots within the City of Pensacola .”
Similar situations involving squatters and homeless people are occurring in other areas of Escambia County.
“I’ve been on the phone with the police and the sheriff’s department. “There are at least 15 to 20 people walking down my driveway all the time to get to their (camp) to buy drugs, do prostitution or whatever they do there,” Gwen Gibson told the Pensacola News-Journal.
Gibson also mentioned that she constantly had to contend with piles of trash and fires set by the squatters near the fence of her home. She has also found homeless people on her property passed out after taking drugs or getting into fights.
“I’ve been working on this for years. “I feel very unsafe,” Gibson said. “It was hard and sometimes I think I can’t do it anymore, but I’m not giving up.” I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I have to go?’
The squatting on Le Jeune Drive began when homeowners on the street allowed people to live in their homes. The property managers and lawyers for these houses have now been informed of the incident and are considering legal action to evict the unwelcome squatters
There are currently two open squatting cases with Pensacola law enforcement on Le Jeune Drive
Similar squatting problems arose in other states when a SWAT team raided a suburban Atlanta home that had been taken over by four squatters who ran an “illegal strip club” on weekends and had a horse on the property.
Neighbors had reported the squatters to the police several times before they were caught because they were bothering them with occasional gunfire and the smell of marijuana.
Squatters also recently took over a town in Wyoming, leaving millions of dollars in damage to a motel and 500 pounds of human feces in the downtown area.
It happened in Casper – the second largest city in the state of Wyoming, home to 60,000 residents and about 200 homeless people.