JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Did you smell it?
Thousands of residents across Jacksonville and surrounding areas woke up to an unpleasant stench Wednesday morning.
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And even though you might have smelt it, it’s still not clear who dealt it.
Is it Sex Panther cologne by Odeon which is illegal in nine countries and stings the nostrils? Is it those leftovers that have been in the back of your fridge for the last two months?
We are not sure yet, but News4Jax readers have plenty of theories, starting with the hometown football team which currently has a 2-7 record.
“That’s the Jaguars,” one Facebook commenter wrote.
“Nothing new, it’s just the Jags,” another wrote on News4Jax.com.
Others had, let’s say, more interesting theories.
“OK, everybody, put your shoes back on,” another commenter wrote.
“I actually know what it is, it’s the muck keeping McDonald’s ice cream machines from working,” said someone on our Instagram post.
What is clear is that the smell is everywhere.
“I’m on the Northside my whole house filled up with a smell it was horrible. It smelled like rotten milk or a dead body. Even spray didn’t help,” a News4Jax reader said.
The smell even wafted all the way to Clay and St. Johns counties.
“You can smell it clear down to Saint Augustine,” one person said.
“Air smells really bad in Fleming Island this morning. Like rotten eggs and sauerkraut. Thought something died then drove children to school smelled there too,” someone wrote in an email to News4Jax.
It’s not the first time the city has been plagued by an unsavory odor.
Back in 1987, Mayor Tommy Hazouri was elected on an anti-odor campaign due to the rotten-egg smell that hung over the city. Two pulp mills and three chemical plants were believed to be the smelliest offenders. Hazouri eventually implemented various environmental regulations aimed at getting rid of an odor problem in the city, a successful move that is now part of his storied legacy.
But with this new mystery smell, there are new questions.
Jacksonville Fire And Rescue Department said it has received multiple calls from around the city were sent on several, but nothing was found. JEA said it does not have any reported issues at this time and continues to investigate.
While we continue to look for a source, it also raises the question of whether this has anything to do with the unspecified stench that has been drawing complaints from Nassau County residents for weeks.
One thing is for sure, News4Jax will do its best to get to the bottom of it.
