JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville police were called this week to investigate heaps of dumped trash that have sparked outrage among neighbors.
The location of the dumping ground is under the overpass from Roosevelt Boulevard to Interstate 10 near Post Street and McDuff Avenue where the Murray Hill and Riverside neighborhoods connect.
Officers responded just before noon Wednesday to complaints about the area where piles of trash, clothing and electronics could be seen. There was also trash inside a port-a-potty. The officers took photos as part of their investigation into what they believe is an illegal dumping site near homes.
“These things should be caught very quickly. To let them fester and be there for weeks until they start to stink, and, of course, you get the rats and everything else, it’s not a good situation at all,” said neighbor Michael Hampson.
Neighbor Tyra Smuee said: “When you have stink and garbage, it reflects on the community and it says the community is not taking care of itself. And so, of course, it brings property values down. Who wants to live next to that? No one. Yuck.”
Other neighbors have taken to social media to express their disgust about living close to filth.
“It looks disgusting. What a shame,” Carol wrote.
Patty wrote: “Drove by it this morning. It’s nasty.”
News4Jax reached out to City Hall to see what’s being done to combat illegal dumping and is awaiting a response. In the past, the city has said illegal dumping is a citywide problem and it’s hard to convict someone of illegal dumping unless police either catch them in the act or have surveillance video as evidence.
The officers who News4Jax spoke with said they would report this to city officials so that a crew can be scheduled to come out and clean this up.