JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City officials said that since October 2021, code enforcement inspectors have found 86 code violations at a Jacksonville apartment complex that has come under scrutiny in recent days after residents revealed they have been dealing with mold, crumbling staircases, rodents and more.
A total of 33 warning citations and three paying citations totaling $750 were issued to Cascade Apartments, formerly called the Kings Ridge Apartments, in the Grand Park neighborhood.
In all, city inspectors have made 149 visits to the complex in less than two years. Federal and state authorities have also been looking into living conditions at Cascade Apartments.
On Tuesday, after our first I-TEAM story, Mayor Donna Deegan visited the apartment complex, along with local code enforcement officials and representatives from HUD.
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Residents at Cascade Apartments have been reaching out to the I-TEAM the city and Senator Marco Rubio’s office to detail the issues they are facing.
”We understand from the property management that renovations are in progress, and we will remain engaged with the property and with local government to encourage quick completion,” a HUD spokesperson said.
The HUD spokesperson also explained that Cascade Apartments is privately owned it’s not subsidized or insured by HUD.
Since 1996, when the property changed hands in a foreclosure sale, HUD’s role has been to oversee a use restriction for the property that the 182 units must remain affordable for low and very low-income residents.
The complex does accept Section 8 housing vouchers and HUD says right now, there are four voucher holders at the property. Those vouchers are administered by the Jacksonville Housing Authority.
In Florida, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation can inspect apartments for safety and sanitation issues. State records show the department did one of those inspections on Tuesday and found six high-priority violations and seven basic violations.
The inspection record shows the “violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.”
The high-priority violation that went into the most detail involved deteriorating concrete and stairwells and exposed rebar. Other violations from the state pointed to the garbage that had built up standing water and holes in walls and ceilings.
The I-TEAM has reached out to the city for additional information on code enforcement complaints and violations.
News4JAX also reached out to the Jacksonville Housing Authority for information on any inspections it may have done as it handles Section 8 housing vouchers for renters there.