Residents press council on homelessness, property blight and a community garden proposal

Several residents used the council’s public‑comment period to press the city for firmer action on homeless encampments, property blight and neighborhood disputes, and to propose a community garden.

Brian Ostovitz said people were living in vehicles and leaving “mounds and mounds of trash” along Bull Market Lake Road near the Biloxi River and asked the city to investigate because floodwater can carry debris into the river. “My concern is, what’s going on with the waste? What’s the garbage happening with?” Ostovitz said. He said code enforcement officers told neighbors they could not act because the property was obscured by tarps covering the encampment.

Tricia Hatton, who lives on Ridgeway Drive, said a storm-damaged house at 1768 Ridgeway Drive sheltering a mother and two children remained unrepaired for months. Hatton said she and other neighbors repeatedly contacted code enforcement and were told no violations had been issued; a dumpster arrived in late November after the September storm. “This is unacceptable for my neighborhood,” Hatton said.

Resident Wayne Gray urged the council to set aside three city parcels for a community vegetable garden and advocated a regional approach to ‘rough sleeping’ with nearby jurisdictions to create a program of counseling and small housing options. “If Biloxi, D'Iberville, Gulfport, Harrison County comes together and adopts a rough sleeping ordinance and find a place where all 4 communities can come together and start a facility for them to start over in life,” Gray said.

Julie Tang, describing herself as representing Starsea LLC, told the council neighbors were spreading false rumors about her property and that she has experienced harassment. She asked the city to ensure code enforcement does not act on inaccurate complaints.

Councilors and staff responded during the meeting and in subsequent council reports. Staff said code enforcement had visited some properties and that certain cases were resolved; the mayor and council also discussed ongoing monitoring of known sites (including regular checks near a methadone clinic and cleaning at Broadwater property). Public works and harbor maintenance staff said they patrol and perform cleanup duties in port areas and would add hourly checks of a walkway elevator at Small Craft Harbor.

Speakers asked for clearer enforcement, faster response times and coordination among city departments; several also requested follow-up from staff.