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.”…