As community leaders in Fort Walton Beach explore the idea of a tent city or campground for the homeless, a similar issue is unfolding in Escambia County.
A nonprofit outreach group called Sean’s Outpost has turned a 9-acre parcel off Massachusetts Avenue on the west side of the county into a camping area for homeless people.
The property, known as Satoshi Forest, has sparked opposition from nearby residents who say the campground violates county regulations. A hearing on possible code violations has been continued until Feb. 4.
Jason King, who founded Sean’s Outpost, said a campground is an allowable use under the property’s commercial zoning.
“What we’re doing is legal,” said King, a retired network engineer. “We don’t feel we’re in violation.”
County officials say the nonprofit has not completed the county’s permitting process for the campground.
“The only thing the county is concerned with is that it’s permitted properly,” said Bill Pearson, the county’s public information officer.
If the nonprofit is found in violation, it could face daily fines and court costs, Pearson said.
King said Sean’s Outpost simply wants to help homeless people who need shelter in a county with too few available beds.
The nonprofit group bought the land in July for $89,000, King said.
“We have this vision of it being this beautiful campground for the homeless and nature preserve,” he said. “It’s our mission statement to create sustainable solutions for homelessness.”
The property only has campsites and operates with “very strict policies on drugs and violence,” he said.
King said Satoshi Forest has the potential to enhance the surrounding neighborhood and that his group has cleaned up the property.
“We chose this area because it’s in a blighted part of Pensacola,” he said. “We have literally hauled over 2 tons of trash from the property. And we found 18 crack pipes out there.”
King said many of the complaints against Satoshi Forest spring from a fear of the homeless as a population.
“There’s a very strong anti-homeless sentiment in this county,” he said. “In this society … We fear being poor and homeless.”
King said he was surprised that community leaders in Fort Walton Beach are considering building a campground for the homeless.
“That kind of shocks me,” he said. “ … I also applaud that.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.
