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A pair of Atmore area residents addressed the Escambia County Commission on Monday in hopes of finding answers to ongoing safety issues in their neighborhood.
Korey Dailey and Anthony English said the neighborhood has been inundated with gunfire, reckless driving and loud music connected to parties held at an event venue in the neighborhood.
Dailey said a previous shooting connected to a party held at the Robinson Street venue, has had long lasting effects on his family.
“Our house was shot into last May by someone there,” Dailey said. “My daughter is still going to therapy because of that trauma. She sometimes cries herself to sleep when there is a party going on because she’s afraid it’s going to happen again.”
Dailey said the venue is still booking parties, and the same kind of activity that happened last May continues to occur.
“A lot of us (in the neighborhood) are concerned,” Dailey said. “It not only has an effect on my family, but the families in the area.”
English also addressed the commission with concerns on the same issue.
“We don’t have any zoning laws in place out there,” English said. “The area has grown so much that safety is now a big concern. With the parties that go on out there, you almost have to get home by a certain time or you can’t get home. There have been at least three incidents where there was shootings. They have shot into homes, people have been injured and shell casings are scattered around. We have seen the law there, but those people don’t have any respect for the law. It may get better for a while, but it just picks back up. There is no supervision at the events with no start or stop time in place. Sometimes when I leave for work at 4 a.m., there are people still there with loud music and racing up and down the street.”
With the concerns presented, District 5 Commissioner Karean Reynolds said there is little the county can do.
“We understand those concerns, but there is really not much we can do as a commission,” Reynolds said. “There is no zoning in the area.”
Commissioner Larry White said the current laws in place in the state limit the action the county can take when it comes to private property.
“There are some subdivision regulations in place, but no land use regulations,” White said. “The Constitution of Alabama does not allow us to have any authorization to create land use regulations. It would have to be initiated by the county commission, but would require a vote of the people to change land use regulations. It’s a tough situation you’re in. I know you have a problem, but it can’t be solved at this table.”
Escambia County Sheriff Heath Jackson said the problem has been ongoing and the power of the sheriff’s office is limited due to the location of the venue.
“The venue shouldn’t be where it’s at,” Jackson said. “This venue isn’t a licensed alcohol establishment. It’s a bring-your-own-bottle place and that skirts the law since they don’t have to have a license on private property. There’s nothing the sheriff’s office can do because it’s private property. The only thing we found is that they hadn’t renewed their business license in two years. They had to stop until that was taken care of. But, the only hurdle to that is paying the $10 — there are no other guidelines. I can only enforce the law, not generate it.”
Jackson said his officers have responded to shootings and other disturbances at the location, but those visits leave little in the way of problem solution for the long-term.
“The problem is once they are out of our eyesight, they are gonna do what they want to, especially when you add a little liquor. We can handle things on the outskirts, but if they make it to the private property, there’s nothing we can do.”
Dailey said he has lived in the community for many years, but is becoming more fearful for the safety of his family.
“I am willing to go the distance to protect my family,” Dailey said. “And, the families around me. Those parties go on for hours – even after midnight. Sometimes it feels like we’ve been dropped into Saudi Arabia – a war zone. I’m scared to leave my kids unattended.”
Jackson said he would like to be able to do more to alleviate the issue for the residents in the neighborhood.
“We can’t enforce what doesn’t exist,” Jackson said. “Our agency looked at an injunction on the facility. We were working through that process and discovered that a government agency cannot file for an injunction. But, a member of the community could file for an injunction.”
Commission Chairman Raymond Wiggins thanked the pair for bringing their concerns to the attention of the commission.
“We can do some research and discuss what we can do,” Wiggins said. “We can certainly sympathize with the situation. We will see what we can put into place or help change.”

In other business Monday, the commission:
• approved a contract for on-call surveyor with Wattier Surveying Inc.;
• Approved the renewal of an agreement with the Department of Conservation for the public boat landing area at Parker Bridge
• approved a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month;
• authorized a community observation of National Day of Prayer set on the courthouse lawn on May 1 at noon;
•approved the lease of a radio tower at 144 Dale Drive in Atmore;
• approved a no-cost change order for P@% Public Safety Radio System from 450 days to 744 days with notice to proceed on June 25, 2024 with an original completion date of Sept. 18, 2025 and a new completions day of July 9, 2026. Sheriff Heath Jackson said even though the new completion date has changed, he expects the use of the system would be available by mid-December. He said the seven towers involved in the new system had six towers that had some lengthy processes for approval;
• approved a letter of acknowledgement to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians for new bridge/culvert replacement from damage sustained in a rain event on April 5. Engineer Parker Ross said Poarch will be pursuing funding for the work through the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the damage on Curtis Road, Ewing Drive, Jack Springs Road and Bell Fork Road — all county-maintained roads but roads that fall into the inventory of Poarch. “Since this is seeking federal funding, the Tribe will provide the lead on this since this is in the Tribe’s inventory.” Wiggins said he appreciated the assistance from Poarch in applying for the funding moving forward.
• approved the re-appointment of Karean Reynolds on the board of Community Action of South Alabama.