JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – People staying at America’s Best Inn on Dix Ellis Trail in the Baymeadows Center area have received notice that they must vacate the property for renovations.
One of the notices obtained by News4JAX with a date of April 21, 2022, shows that residents have been told to vacate by 3 p.m. Friday.
On Tuesday, News4JAX learned that residents were forced to move out of a building (Building No. 1) that had been deemed unsafe. The city and management said they are helping those people relocate.
An inspector found damage to the second floor landing between two rooms, according to a report, which also showed there were large cracks seen in concrete flooring that extend across the building.
Bonnie Glee says she’s lived there for about three years.
“I’m on disability. I have no money. I have no help,” she said. “Me and my husband have nowhere to go.”
Glee said residents were notified about having to move out at around 4 p.m.
“Someone came and knocked on the door and handed me the notice stating that we had to be out by 3 o’clock (Friday),” Glee said.
A city councilman said the city didn’t mandate the building be cleared. The notices say it’s for renovations and signed by management.
But according to the Florida Bar, that’s unlawful if people stay there long-term, like Glee, and are up to date on rent.
For residents who pay month to month, a property owner must give at least 15 days notice before the end of any monthly period. For residents who pay week to week—at least seven days.
Residents say management is nowhere to be found since Tuesday, when the building where the office sits was deemed too dangerous.
Property records show the mailing address for the motel’s ownership is a house in the Beauclerc neighborhood. We went to that address, but no one answered the door.
Kyle Humphreys says his mother is bedridden. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do if they have to be out Friday.
“I don’t get paid till the 1st. Where are we going to go,” Humphreys said. “We don’t even have a vehicle.”
RELATED: Jacksonville police called to Baymeadows motel more than 800 times since January 2021
Notably, on Wednesday, police were called to the inn after a 10-year-old girl was wounded in a shooting. News4JAX looked at records from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, finding there have been 826 calls for service since Jan. 1, 2021, to the extended stay motel.