JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The City of Jacksonville Beach is responding to community concerns following a deadly stabbing Wednesday night involving two homeless men.
The incident is raising broader questions about homelessness in the beachside community and whether enough resources exist to help.
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Police say officers were called to the Jacksonville Beach Pier around 10 p.m. after a witness reported seeing two homeless men fighting beneath the structure.
When the witness returned, one of the men had been stabbed.
The victim was identified as Stephen Beegle, 38, a former Georgia resident described as homeless. A family member told News4JAX he was a father of two and had a good soul.
Dennis Perry, 60, was taken into custody near the scene and charged with first-degree premeditated murder. He has been booked into the Duval County Jail.
Following the stabbing, News4JAX took a closer look at homelessness in Jacksonville Beach, what resources are available and whether those resources are enough.
Some residents say they have noticed more people experiencing homelessness in the area.
“I’m seeing the homelessness is just picking up more and more I mean, with where the economy is growing,” said Drake Staten, a Jacksonville Beach resident.
But others say that doesn’t change how they see the people themselves.
“Homeless people are people just like us,” said John Miller, a Jacksonville Beach resident.
“They’re minding themselves and smiling,” Miller added.
Mission House is the only day center for people experiencing homelessness in Jacksonville Beach.
Located about a 20-minute walk from the pier, it provides hot meals, clothing, showers and free walk-in medical care.
Executive Director Lucas Seilhymer says the need has grown significantly in recent years.
“In our facility, we’ve seen a large increase in our day services. Two or three years ago we were serving maybe 35 meals, which we do twice a day, seven days a week. As of now, we are seeing 65 per day,” Seilhymer said.
He says the increase is most likely tied to economic instability, high property costs and people struggling to find affordable housing, as well as a ripple effect from cleanup efforts in other areas.
“A lot of that we believe is just a shift as they continue to clean up downtown and the new state law that is in the books. We’re finding that the people have to go somewhere and a lot of them are coming this way,” he said.
Mission House is a day center — not an overnight shelter. The organization says creating a place where people could stay overnight would require a much larger facility and significantly more funding.
For those living on the streets, even knowing where to find help doesn’t always mean finding a place to sleep.
One woman News4JAX spoke with says she has been living on the streets for weeks.
“We have been living on the streets for four weeks without shelter. I’ve realized the resources and programs, but everybody that’s transparent says that it can be six months to a year before there’s placement into a shelter,” she said.
The City of Jacksonville Beach says it takes concerns involving crimes and violations of state and local ordinances seriously and that the safety of residents is its number one priority.
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department regularly patrols the beach and pier area to address criminal activity and enforce the law, which prohibits sleeping on the beach.
Officials say they will continue to monitor the area surrounding the pier and ask residents with concerns to call Jacksonville Beach PD.
To learn more about the nonprofit Mission House, click here.