JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents of the Arbor Oaks apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Westside continue to face challenges despite water service being restored last week following News4JAX’s reporting.
The I-Team has been investigating ownership questions and ongoing problems tenants say remain unaddressed.
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News4JAX spent several days at Arbor Oaks, where residents describe management as “ghosts” because of their lack of communication and responsiveness.
On the fifth day of visits, we noticed that three city citations previously posted on the apartment door had been removed. Despite knocking, no one answered.
Resident Naportia Jones expressed frustration over the situation.
“It’s like a whole year I was seeing these people, and all of a sudden the water started going off, and now your office is closed, and there’s no one but a ghost that keeps snatching letters off the door,” she said.
Jones said she plans to withhold her rent and possibly break her lease if the leaking water tank in her apartment is not fixed. She said the office address where she intends to leave documents is the same one the I-Team has repeatedly knocked on without success.
“That’s pretty much the only address that I have on the door where someone’s taking the citations,” Jones added.
News4JAX has been on site since last week, when water was turned off. During visits, we observed bugs covering one resident’s kitchen counter and noted issues with outside lighting. The City of Jacksonville cited Jacksonville Rental Properties LLC, the registered owner according to the property appraiser, for the lighting problem and other issues, including a sagging ceiling.
“Right after you did that, that same night, I think the hallway light came on, now they have light here,” Jones said.
Jones said she paid rent to the apartment complex next door, which is owned by Peoples Choice Apartments LLC, the previous owner of Arbor Oaks, according to property records. However, when the I-Team knocked on that address and the office address left on the door, no one answered.
Andrew Sallee, listed as the registered manager of Jacksonville Rental Properties LLC, told News4JAX he is not the owner but has not provided records to show otherwise.
Councilman Rahman Johnson, whose district borders the Westside, has been following the situation since our reporting began. He acknowledged the severity of the issues.
“I want to say this last thing, while this is a sad moment that we have, allow me to say, I’m sorry, I apologize. The ball has been dropped, and if no one has heard it, I hear you,” he said. “I don’t want to say this is a slum, but I use the colloquialism ‘slum lords,’ because if you have a property and you are not taking care of it, then I have to lump you into that category as a slum lord.”
News4JAX reached out again to Jacksonville Rental Properties LLC, but has not received a response. The mayor’s office advises tenants of any apartment complex issues to call 904-630-CITY (2489).
News4JAX also tried again to contact Councilwoman Tyrona Clark-Murray, whose district the complex falls in, for her perspective on residents’ concerns, but we have not heard back.