JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Allegations of lead poisoning in children were lodged Friday during a meeting between Eureka Gardens tenants and federal representatives.
The representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were told that two children who live in the troubled complex have tested positive for lead poisoning.
City Councilman Garrett Dennis and three representatives from Sen. Marco Rubio's office were also at the meeting.
The lead contamination may be in the water pipes, sources said.
"It shocked all of us," Dennis said. "Federal HUD as well as the city and Marco Rubio's office was here, too. First time we've heard that, because you know they have protocol for lead-based paint, but is the lead inside the pipes?"
Ed Jennings with HUD said his department is taking the allegation seriously and will be following up immediately.
The news came from the president of the Eureka Gardens Tenants' Association, who said she's seen documentation of one child who is affected but believes at least two have been poisoned.
Officials with HUD's enforcement division told tenants Friday that they have brought in additional manpower and resources to make sure the embattled property owner, the Rev. Richard Hamlet with the Global Ministries Foundation, brings Eureka Gardens up to federal standards.
The News4Jax Investigative Team first exposed the squalor at the federally subsidized HUD property in September. City Code Enforcement stepped in with a raid in October, writing more than 100 citations for code violations.
Hamlet was called before a city magistrate Wednesday for missing key deadlines on repairs for those code violations, but he sent his attorney instead. The attorney bought GMF another 60 days to fix 29 outstanding code violations from faulty stairs to a roach infestation.
HUD has enforced its own deadline for correcting issues at the complex and has cut off any additional federal tax dollars until health and safety issues are fixed. HUD's deadline is Feb. 4.
HUD is scheduled to re-inspect the apartment complex Feb. 9-10. HUD's inspector gave Eureka Gardens a passing score last year, but that inspection was invalidated by HUD after problems at the complex came to light.
GMF is supposed to have been sending HUD weekly progress reports on the repairs since the notice was issued Nov. 4. HUD officials said so far they have received three written updates.
“We see some progress from GMF,” officials said. “We are working to get GMF to correct all of the deficiencies found at the property. We want the families residing in Eureka to live in housing that is decent, safe and sanitary.”
Officials said Hamlet did have an independent company conduct an "air quality report" to test the 400 units for mold. HUD is still waiting on that report.
Gas leak consequences
Last fall, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department's Hazmat team was called out to Eureka Gardens several times for reports of gas leaks that were making residents ill. In a report released Thursday, JFRD said GMF owes the city $7,825.04 for the fire department's efforts to mitigate those gas leaks.
After the leaks, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety sent an inspector to the complex in December to investigate.
READ: Eureka Gardens fire safety report
The DOT was alerted to the issue by HUD staffers, who found in looking into the current gas leak issues that the Office of Pipeline Safety had issued a warning letter to Eureka Gardens' management in July 2014 about likely pipeline safety regulation violations.
HUD is waiting on the results of the DOT's December inspection.
Clock is ticking
One of the biggest concerns now is whether Hamlet might purposefully try to run out the clock to avoid shelling out his own money. His federal contract to run Eureka Gardens expires in March, and if it isn't renewed that could indicate trouble for his five other housing complexes across the city.
Dennis sat front and center along with Hamlet’s Jacksonville attorney at Wednesday's hearing, which was conducted by a special magistrate and focused on outstanding code violations at Eureka Gardens.
“Federal HUD has issued a default letter and time is ticking on that and it just appears Global Ministries is trying to run out the clock,” Dennis said.
Dennis had hoped to talk at the hearing, wanting to push for stiffer penalties. Instead, Hamlet's attorney was granted 60 days to make outstanding repairs, mainly on faulty stairs scattered throughout the property, plus a roach infestation. That extension rather than fines does not comply with the current code ordinance, which is a problem for Dennis.
“There's a lot of things we need to tighten up and code enforcement is on the list, top of the list, actually,” Dennis said.
News4Jax spotted repair crews working Wednesday on broken gas lines and inside units. A new stair case and wood beam built to support a patio home for two families has also been installed.
Hamlet owns 61 housing complexes in eight different states. Here in Jacksonville, he’s established one umbrella company to run Eureka Gardens and five other housing communities.
“If Eureka goes under for any reason, then the other ones are in jeopardy and we're fully aware of that,” Dennis said. “We are moving swiftly, but cautiously.”
News4Jax also uncovered more than a million dollars in tax monies Global Ministries took in distributions from Eureka Gardens was demanded to be paid back by HUD last month. Officials said Hamlet "remitted substantial funds to the project account" and said he is now in compliance with HUD's request.
Hamlet's federal contract to run Eureka Gardens, which is up for renewal in March, gives him $3 million in taxpayer money every year.