JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents of a Westside apartment complex, who just had their water restored after days without service, said this is not the only issue that they have to deal with while living in this property.
On Tuesday, the News4JAX I-TEAM helped restore water service at the Arbor Oaks Apartments on Jammes Road after bringing the concern to the City of Jacksonville and JEA.
Despite having her water back on, Naportia Jones said on Wednesday she is still not feeling great about this place.
“I want to leave, like, literally, there. There’s no trust in it,” Jones said.
Jones, who said she pays $900 in rent, was not the only resident to express concern to the News4JAX I‑TEAM; other residents said they have had trouble reaching management to report issues at the property.
“So if you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, we literally are using the bathroom in buckets. You see people carrying it outside to throw it in the trash, or you see the men literally walking to the back just to use the bathroom,” Jones said.
JEA turned the water back on after the I-TEAM highlighted the issue.
A spokesperson said the company listed as the owner, Jacksonville Rental Properties LLC, owes them $19,000. JEA also said there is evidence of tampering with the water meter, though at this point, they do not know who did it.
So what’s JEA’s policy for turning off water for residents over unpaid landlord bills?
We asked that question, and JEA responded in part:
“The health and safety of our customers is our primary concern.JEA only disconnects services as a last resort, after notifications and efforts to help customers resolve issues. We regret the Arbor Oaks residents were not notified of the deadline for disconnection of water service due to nonpayment. We are investigating to understand how that happened and are reviewing our processes,” a spokesperson wrote.
Local Attorney Glenn Banner said the tenant has very little leverage in these situations.
“Florida Statutes have a provision to allow you to provide what’s called a seven-day cure letter. And you serve that on your landlord, and it provides them seven days to repair, remedy, fix, whatever that issue is. If seven days expire, you then have the right to withhold rent or you can terminate the lease,” Banner said.
But residents said they can’t get a hold of anyone, and the office is empty.
After multiple attempts on Tuesday, News4JAX returned to the office on Wednesday to try to reach someone in charge. Once again, our attempts were unsuccessful.
“After restoring water service Sept. 2, JEA is working to secure past due amounts from the customer, Jacksonville Rental Properties LLC. If efforts are exhausted to recover payment, JEA will begin the notification process to the owner and all tenants of pending service disconnection. We also will notify community partners and the City of Jacksonville to request assistance in alternative housing options for tenants,” JEA said.
As of 5:20 p.m., JEA said it had received no payment and had not been able to reach Jacksonville Rental Properties representatives.
Property records show the company bought the property in April. On the state website, it shows the company is registered to Andrew Sallee, who has a Fort Lauderdale address.
News4JAX sent messages to multiple emails to ask about the water situation and the conditions, which Jones said are not worth her hard-earned money.
“I don’t trust it. I mean, even with the water off, it still has me on edge, because now it’s like you wake up and you just check in the water,” Jones said.
On Tuesday, the City of Jacksonville told News4JAX they’ve received two complaints in the last several days about the lack of running water at the apartment complex.
On Wednesday morning, the city’s code enforcement was there checking things out to make sure everything was in compliance.
The I-TEAM will continue to follow this story and work to find the owner to get answers.