Whether you came knocking at our door or we came knocking at someone else’s, the News4JAX I-Team was on top of uncovering answers in Northeast Florida in 2024.
This year, the I-TEAM dived into further cases of teacher misconduct in Duval County schools, fraud accusations at an embattled towing company, incomplete construction on homes and other cases.
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Here are the biggest stories that had our reporters working hard to expose the truth for the community.
Misconduct accusations continue at Douglas Anderson
The conviction of longtime Douglas Anderson School of the Arts music teacher Jeffrey Clayton seemed to lead to a flood of additional allegations and changes to the district’s policies and procedures for investigating misconduct.
Clayton was sentenced to 10 years in June for his crimes against a 16-year-old student. An investigative report obtained by the I-TEAM revealed that 73 teacher misconduct cases were reported late to the state by the Duval County School Board.
More Headlines: Douglas Anderson administration failed to follow up on multiple complaints of teacher misconduct in 2022-23 school year | DCPS releases new student safety plan to protect kids from predators amid abuse, inappropriate conduct allegations | Former Douglas Anderson principal, vice principal under internal investigation, DCPS confirms | Douglas Anderson teacher reported for having OnlyFans page among 19 DCPS employees temporarily removed since August
New laws aimed at protecting homeowners from squatters
The I-TEAM investigation into a Jacksonville squatter situation exposed a loophole in a law that allowed a woman to live rent-free in a Hogan’s Creek home while the property owner was not allowed inside.
The woman accused of squatting in the home pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
After the investigation, the Florida state legislature unanimously passed a new state law that now allows law enforcement to immediately get involved in removing people living in a home without the owner’s permission. Under this law, officers may be called to help remove squatters if they unlawfully entered and remained on the property after the owner asked them to leave.
Now, under the law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, police can remove people immediately from a property if they do not have a lease or refuse to leave.
More Headlines: New law now allows JSO to intervene in squatter situations. But only under certain conditions | Woman accused of squatting in Jacksonville home agrees to plead guilty, pay restitution to homeowner | Jacksonville homeowner says squatters refuse to leave her rental; occupants say they can be there
ASAP Towing tied to theft & fraud investigation
First, it started with a raid of ASAP Towing and Storage’s four locations, where the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office served warrants related to a theft and fraud investigation in July.
Then in November, the owner of the towing company turned himself in and was charged with grand theft and organized fraud.
JSO said the investigation revealed that Vicente Serrano, who goes by Vince, “defrauded the State of Florida the approximate amount of $193,958.54″ from 2020 to 2024.
Serrano is facing two felony counts, grand theft of more than $100,000 and organized fraud relating to property worth at least $50,000.
More Headlines: ASAP Towing owner says JSO investigation into possible organized fraud is retaliation for ongoing legal dispute | ASAP Towing was permanently banned from JSO use following discovery of $181,000 in late payments | ASAP Towing owner arrested, accused of defrauding the State of Florida of more than $190,000: arrest report
Jacksonville business owner accused of fraud benefited from city program
The I-TEAM learned that Janay White, a Jacksonville entrepreneur who was under investigation, was a recipient of the city’s Surplus Property Donation Program, where she received free land.
In combing through the list of grantees from 2020 and 2023, one name stuck out: “J White Community Development Corporation.”
State records show the not-for-profit is registered to White.
She was accused of real estate and investment fraud after getting hundreds of thousands of dollars from her investors who saw minimal returns.
More Headlines: Investors who sank $100K into real estate, Airbnb programs accuse well-known Jacksonville entrepreneur of fraud | Grandfather battling cancer among dozens who say they lost money investing with well-known Jacksonville entrepreneur | Eviction lawsuits linked to 4 apartments leased by embattled Jacksonville businesswoman who’s accused of fraud
Astronomical water bill not linked to criminal intent
The State Attorney’s Office closed an investigation into the Three Seasons Mobile Home Park Village after it found no criminal evidence in the case of a tenant who was hit with outrageously high water bills last year.
Kelley O’Neil, a disabled veteran, reached out to the I-TEAM last year after her landlord at the Three Seasons threatened to evict her if she didn’t pay a $2,200 water bill for her mobile home. She had been averaging $30 the previous several months.
The SAO concluded that it did not know why O’Neil’s bills were so high but provided other possible explanations such as human error or plumbing problems.
More Headlines: Disabled vet, resident of Westside mobile home park hit with another massive water bill as new owners take over | City recommends Westside mobile home park owners be investigated by State Attorney’s Office for sky-high water bills | Councilman pushes for answers from owners of Westside mobile home park where residents were hit with huge water bills
Investors flock to Florida due to weak tenant-protection laws
A University of North Florida study found that Duval County is the eviction filing capital of the state, and corporations are behind a majority of eviction filings in the Jacksonville area.
Florida is one of the most attractive states for investors because of weak tenant-protection laws, a recent study found.
A study by the JAX Rental Housing Project shows a “corporate invasion” in Duval County with 72% of multifamily properties like apartment complexes owned by real estate and investment firms that are often based out of state.
That’s in part leading to rents rising and a high number of eviction filings. It’s also leading to an increased need for help.
More Headlines: Florida condo safety guidelines are disrupting the real estate market, leading to surge in sales | Rising corporate ownership of Jacksonville apartments is contributing to higher costs. Here’s who owns where you live | City teams up with local nonprofit to create affordable housing program
Incomplete homes lead to arrests
Complaints against Reed Group Elite Homes, a Nassau County-based contracting company, poured into the I-TEAM at the beginning of the year as residents said they paid for custom homes that were never finished.
Michael Chad Reed, the owner of the Reed Group, was arrested in September and charged with organized fraud, misapplication of construction funds and grand theft.
The contracts between The Reed Group and their customers required a 15% deposit and had a 365-day completion deadline. Many paid well over 15% after the warrant said Reed “induced” victims to pay for additional draws before work was completed.
Investigators also said that there isn’t any proof Reed used the funds from his customers entirely for the construction of their homes.
More Headlines: ‘We noticed red flags’: Nassau County couple left with unfinished ‘forever home’ after builder declares bankruptcy | Worried about construction fraud? Here are some ways you can protect yourself | Nocatee home builder accused of abandoning projects charged with embezzling millions in construction funds| From dream home to nightmare: Jacksonville homebuilder accused of abandoning projects in Nocatee neighborhood |
Earlier this year, Spencer Calvert, the owner of the Pineapple Corporation, was arrested and charged with embezzling construction funds, grand larceny and organized scheme to defraud following an I-TEAM investigation.
Prosecutors said Calvert, 52, duped more than a dozen Nocatee homeowners out of money including Captain Sandy Yawn, the star of the hit Bravo show ‘Below Deck Mediterranean,’ and her wife Leah.