JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Councilman Reggie Gaffney said the River City Inn has been declared a public nuisance, and he will ask the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to increase area patrols and surveillance.
Back-to-back shootings just a few hundred feet apart are raising concerns along Harts Road in Jacksonville, and now, a city councilman is stepping in with plans to increase safety in the area.
RELATED: Monday marks 1 month since the JAX garage fire. A Nassau County woman just retrieved her car
On Sunday, a man was found shot in the area after getting into a fight with two other men. Investigators said that during the fight, one of the suspects pulled out a gun, shot the man, and then took off in a silver Jeep.
Less than 900 feet away, a woman was shot at a Red Roof Inn just last month. In that case, investigators say she and the suspect were in one of the rooms when an argument broke out. She was shot, and both left the scene. Witnesses ended up calling 911.
Longtime Northside residents expressed their disappointment about what’s going on in their neighborhood.
“I’m very disappointed the community as a whole is starting to decline in safety really puts us at a disadvantage when we’re trying to go to and from businesses in the locations,” Marvin Crowley said.
The recent uptick in crime has led Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. to push for several changes in an effort to reduce crime along Harts Road.
“It’s concerning. It’s upsetting. You know, the Harts Road community deserves better,” Gaffney said. “Right when you think you’re slowing the crime down, you get another shooting. So it’s just frustrating.”
He added that he’s spoken to several officials on the matter, and that a potential solution could be achieved by adding extra surveillance to the area.
“I spoke with the chief commander for zone CS off Harts Road, and right now we’re in the process of filing legislation to potentially get cameras and surveillance on Harts Road,” he said.
Gaffney said he’s also considering asking JSO to increase patrols or surveillance in that part of town, and has received assurance that the request will be fulfilled.
He noted that the River City Inn—a location tied to ongoing issues—was just declared a public nuisance and is now under city review.
“They are working with the city, and they are working with JSO, and we have to meet certain restrictions and comply in order to stay open,” Gaffney said.
Josh Cockrell, the Nuisance and Abatement Chair, talked about what makes a property become a nuisance.
“They have to have had several two or more qualifying incidents within a six-month period,” Cockrell said. “So certain events take place that are defined by statute, such certain crimes that are felonious, between shootings, drug deals, prostitution that occurs on site.”
Once declared a nuisance, the property enters a one-year compliance period giving owners time to improve safety.
That could mean better lighting, new security cameras, limited guest stays and more collaboration with police.
“We have worked closely with numerous properties,” Cockrell said. “We have not had a property in which we have declared a publication and have forced to close. But that last resort is closing a property, which is the last thing we want to do.”
Rafaell Harris gave his opinion on the inn and it becoming a public nuisance.
“River City Inn should have been gone years ago, right when the bowling alley was closed, it’s not good, it’s very like an eyesore when you pass by going to your home and you see stragglers going in and out of the hotel, like it’s a rundown hotel,” Harris said.
Marvin Crowley, who’s lived in the neighborhood since 1993, said the heart of the neighborhood still feels safe, but the entry point off I-95, where most of the motels sit, has changed.
“When I first came here, I hardly ever heard of crime, you know, being committed,” Crowley said. “It was a safe area. When I went to work in the morning, I will see a patrol car somewhere in that vicinity, which is a deterrent for a lot of crime. I don’t see that anymore. Haven’s seen in the last 10 years, I guess, but it’s progressively just gotten worse.”
JSO said both cases appear isolated, and so far, no arrests have been made. Investigators are asking anyone with information or surveillance footage to contact JSO or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.
Councilman Gaffney said he plans to hold a community meeting at the Highlands Library on July 31 at 6 p.m. to hear directly from residents.