Sheriff Simmons Calls Out Orange Beach for Dumping Homeless in Escambia County
A marked Orange Beach police cruiser caught dropping off an individual at Waterfront Rescue Mission has sparked a public confrontation over who bears the cost of regional homelessness.
Caught in the Act
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons went public last week after deputies caught an Orange Beach police officer dropping off a homeless individual at Waterfront Rescue Mission—nearly an hour from Orange Beach’s jurisdiction. It wasn’t the first time.
- “We go up to them and say, ‘Hey, can we help you? You’re pretty far out of your jurisdiction. What are you doing?'”
Simmons said the incident echoed a complaint from eight months earlier, when Deputy Chief Lyter raised similar concerns with Orange Beach leadership. That conversation appeared to resolve the issue—until deputies spotted another Orange Beach cruiser at the mission last week.
The Individual Didn’t Ask to Come Here
What made this case particularly damning, according to Simmons, was the account from the individual himself. Orange Beach officials publicly claimed the man requested to be brought to Pensacola. Simmons disputed that directly—and posted video evidence.
“He did not ask for the ride. He was offered to go somewhere, apparently other than Orange Beach, and then they decided upon Pensacola or Escambia County as being the location.”
The man ultimately refused shelter services and was released onto Escambia County streets—a direct transfer of one community’s problem to another.
Finite Resources Under Strain
Simmons framed the issue not as hostility toward homeless individuals but as a resource-equity problem. Escambia County funds shelters, outreach programs, and law enforcement responses—services other jurisdictions are quietly offloading onto.
- The sheriff also noted that while deputies were enforcing guidelines near Waterfront Rescue Mission the day before the Orange Beach incident, he drove up and found volunteers from Milton feeding homeless individuals outside the mission.
Escambia County does run its own bus-ticket relocation program (Project Reconnect),but with strict requirements: a verified destination and someone on the receiving end to take the individual in, such as a family member.
- Relocation must be vetted, not ad hoc
- A receiving party must agree to accept the individual
- Family reunification is encouraged and common
Escambia County officials are reportedly planning a meeting with Orange Beach leadership. Simmons said he hasn’t been invited—and isn’t losing sleep over it.
- “I don’t necessarily need to be in a meeting. This is not something I have to have. I just wanted a conversation. Someone explain why this is happening and we can go from there.”
Property Tax Reform Looms Over Sheriff Budgets
Simmons also weighed in on Gov. DeSantis’s homestead exemption proposal, which could strip nearly $4.5 million from the Sheriff’s Office MSBU funding. With 92% of the sheriff’s budget tied to personnel, even a flat-line budget means cuts—especially with FRS retirement rates projected to jump $2 million next year alone.
The Florida Sheriffs Association is monitoring the situation without taking a formal stance. Simmons said the earliest the amendment could reach voters is 2028, giving the county’s three-year budget agreement with the sheriff’s office time to run its course.
- “I’m not a sky-is-falling kind of guy,” said Sheriff Simmons. “But we’re keeping a pretty anxious eye on it.”
Listen to the full interview with Sheriff Chip Simmons on We Don’t Color on the Dog.
