JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The owners of an apartment complex on Northside — that saw overflowing trash and a neglected swimming pool — are now the targets of a new lawsuit by the City of Jacksonville.
The city is suing the owner of Northwood Apartments on Dunn Avenue, saying they’re maintaining a public nuisance.
READ | Full complaint for temporary and injunctive relief against Northwood Apartments
News4JAX has been reporting on issues with trash pickup since May. Last month, the I-TEAM reported that Waste Management removed dumpsters from the property because no one was paying for the service.
The owner of the complex also owns Colonial Forest Apartments where units have been condemned and the city has taken similar legal action, leading to repairs being made this week.
RELATED | City of Jacksonville sues Westside apartment complex after multiple citations, safety complaints
Just like they did with Colonial Forest Apartments, the city also issued a complaint for a permanent and temporary injunction against Northwood Apartments, listing three major reasons they are accusing the Northwood owner of maintaining a public nuisance.
- Failure to contract for solid waste removal
- Failure to maintain swimming pool
- Failure to maintain overgrowth of vegetation
“It should be illegal to treat people like this,” said former resident Tyler Lawson.
Lawson has personally sued Northwood and its management company, Friedman Real Estate, because of the state of the apartment complex. He recently broke his lease and is staying at a hotel.
“The units were gross, and the trash was horrendous, it was mounds,” Lawson said.
Lawson is seeking damages to recover some of the money he’s paid to the complex.
“I got a bill just yesterday that still has that $5 trash fee so they’re still billing us even though they don’t have services, so how are they billing us for a service that doesn’t exist?” Lawson said.
The Sky4Drone flew over the pool in October, and on Wednesday, it still looked the same. There are still no dumpsters on the property, but News4JAX did notice the overgrown grass has been cut since last month.
Lawson said he has moved on, but for the sake of other residents, he hopes the city’s lawsuit will inspire action.
“I really hope they actually step in. It’s not fair for anybody to have to live in that especially when you are paying to live in that mess,” Lawson said.
Management had no comment when News4JAX approached the front office Wednesday.
The lawsuit asks a judge to require the Northwood owner to get a pool service provider and a waste hauler.
At this point, a hearing date has not been set for a temporary injunction.