JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Days after News4JAX posted a story about late-night noise complaints involving loud music during large gatherings inside the Paxon Shopping Center parking lot on Edgewood Avenue, News4JAX returned to the area to record what nearby residents had been complaining about.
It all began last Wednesday, when a woman who wanted to remain anonymous, out of fear of physical retaliation, reached out to News4JAX to complain about a noise problem that she said had existed for the past two years.
She even provided two cell phone videos showing what appeared to be a loud late-night car meetup inside the parking lot.
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“At some times, my windows will rattle at night because it’s so loud,” she said. “I have complained to JSO repeatedly, and it continues.”
She also mentioned that even when police respond and ask the drivers to lower the noise or leave, the disturbances resume shortly after the officers are off the premises.
“It’s just loud music. Screeching car tires. Racing. We try to sit outside at night, and it sounds like it’s on top of us,” said another concerned neighbor who asked to remain anonymous.
Later that night, News4JAX conducted a live news report from a faraway corner of the lot while loud music was playing. Before that live report, News4JAX observed the driver of a white Ford Mustang revving the engine through the parking lot before speeding out of the lot down Edgewood.
The muffler was so loud that it could be heard several blocks away.
Then the same car sped down Rockwood Drive and back onto Edgewood Avenue before returning to the lot.
A homeowner who spoke with News4JAX said the best time to really experience loud music was Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night after 10 p.m.
Friday Night
Just after 11 p.m., News4JAX returned to the area to get a better glimpse of why nearby homeowners were complaining. The parking lot was already busy with people gathering outside parked cars as loud music filled the air.
News4JAX drove a couple of blocks away from the parking lot to an area with homes, where the music could still be heard.
News4JAX then drove to a parking lot across the street from the Paxon Shopping Center and set up a camera to record everything that was happening.
For an entire hour, loud music continued to be played by a growing number of cars. However, no racing was witnessed.
Previous coverage can be seen in the video below
Later in the night, a food truck was set up in the parking lot for the crowds of people who were gathering.
The only business on the property open at that hour was a liquor store, which had a steady stream of customers. Large groups of people were standing in different sections of the lot as the loud music continued.
News4JAX also witnessed multiple occurrences of public urination in the parking lot.
Shortly before midnight, a security guard driving a SPEAR Security car drove through the parking lot and appeared to assess the large and loud gathering in the lot.
Then, just minutes after midnight, multiple JSO officers stormed into the parking lot with their emergency lights on. At least two of the officers could be heard over the loudspeaker ordering people to disperse or they would be arrested for trespassing. One of the officers was heard on the loudspeaker telling the owner of the food truck to pack up and leave.
Several minutes had passed before all the loud music came to a final halt. More cars, trucks, and SUVs appeared to be arriving at the parking lot, but soon left the area after seemingly noticing the police lights.
It took officers about 30 minutes to get most of the crowd to leave the property. Shortly after 12:30 a.m., all the officers were seen leaving the parking lot. By then, most of the people who gathered inside the lot had already left.
Saturday Night
The following night, around 11 p.m., News4JAX returned to the same spot and set up a camera to record a large crowd that was getting larger.
The music was not as loud as the night before, but more people attended the gathering.
By 11:30, two security guards driving separate cars were heard over a loudspeaker telling the crowds of people they could not loiter in the parking lot. It appeared the crowd was just ignoring the security guards, and the music began to get louder.
Then, around midnight, multiple JSO patrol cars stormed into the parking lot with emergency lights on. This time, officers got out of their patrol units and began ordering people to disperse or face being arrested for trespassing.
As people were leaving, a car full of people pulled up to News4JAX across the street and stopped in the roadway. A female passenger in the front seat asked why a news camera was recording everything. She was told about the noise complaints, and her response was, “Music is going to be loud because it’s a nightclub.”
It’s unclear if the woman was referring to the parking lot or an outdoor nightclub because no business within the shopping plaza has been designated as a nightclub.
According to 911 call data that was adjusted to show the number of times police have been called to the property between January 1 and October 21, there have been 97 total calls.
Six were for noise complaints. Five calls were for fights, and 4 calls were for armed disputes.
The woman who contacted News4JAX about the noise said she has also voiced her concerns at city council meetings, but said no effective action has been taken to permanently stop people from using the parking lot as an after-hours meet-up spot.
Last Wednesday, after first learning about the problem, News4JAX reached out to City Councilwoman Tyrona Clark Murray, who represents the area, for comment on the ongoing complaints. News4JAX has yet to get a response from the councilwoman’s office.
Monday morning, News4JAX spoke with Paxon Shopping Center owner Edmund Terry, who resides in Boca Raton. Terry said for the past two years, he has been dealing with neighborhood complaints about the late-night noise in the parking lot, as well as complaints about street racing.
“I have hired three security firms to remove people,” said Terry, who went on to say he’s paying thousands of dollars per week for security officers to keep people from using the parking lot as a late-night outdoor nightclub. “Unless police arrest and fine people, they will come back and keep doing it.”
Terry also told News4JAX that he has already contacted the owner of the Paxon liquor store, which remains open late at night, and told the owner his lease will not be renewed because the store is attracting crowds of people who are using the store as an excuse to remain in the parking lot while playing music loudly.
A manager of the liquor store told News4JAX that the people who gather in the parking lot and play loud music are not the store’s customers. The manager also went on to say that people started gathering in the parking lot more than a year ago when another nightspot on Moncrief Road was permanently shut down.
The liquor store has occupied space in the shopping center since it was built in 1958.
“I don’t want to lose their business, but I fear it will cause me trouble with my insurance,” said Terry, who said he is worried that if something were to happen to someone in the parking lot during a late-night gathering, he would be liable because he’s the owner of the property.