These MS Coast establishments are off-limits to military members. Why?

Three places on the Mississippi Coast are currently off-limits to military personnel.

Members of the armed forces at the Keesler Air Force Base and Naval Construction Battalion Center are banned from the William Bell Apartments in Gulfport and Osok’s Coastal Brasserie in Biloxi, according to a list provided by Keesler officials. Elevate, a nightclub in Biloxi, also remains on the list even though it closed after a shooting earlier this year.

The list is determined by the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, which offers guidance about health and safety of service members and addresses complaints against local businesses. The Board usually adds businesses and other establishments to the list when it deems them unsafe or otherwise unfit for military members.

Military officials do not disclose specific reasons why establishments are added to the list of off-limits places. It is unclear why Osok’s Coastal Brasserie, which has dozens of positive online reviews from customers, is included on the list, but a person who answered the phone there this week said the restriction was not affecting their business.

Elevate and the William Bell Apartments have been the site of shootings in recent years, and two children died in a fire at the William Bell Apartments in 2023. The city confirmed that Elevate, on Caillavet Street, closed after a shooting injured six people in March.

Military installations across the country also restrict service members from certain places, and establishments that get added to off-limits lists can ask to be removed. The list on the Mississippi Coast has varied widely over the years as businesses address issues flagged by the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board.

Capt. Paige Skinner, chief of public affairs for the 81st Training Wing at Keesler, said the Board gives establishments notice before they are added to the list and gives them a chance to correct possible issues.