JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three residents at The Weldon Apartments, formerly known as Moncrief Village, told the I-TEAM Tuesday that they see mice or rats in their apartments every day.
Resident Joy Griffin showed the I-TEAM holes in her apartment baseboards and sofa she said were chewed by mice.
“They chew through cans. They chew through wood,” Griffin said.
She thought sprinkling cayenne pepper would keep them away, but that didn’t work either, she said.
Griffin said the mice have been a problem at The Weldon apartments for years.
“It’s hard. It’s very tough. I mean, really because I have kids,” Griffin said.
When the I-TEAM approached the apartment complex’s office for comment, a resident told the I-TEAM, “Y’all need to report these rats.”
That resident was Kenya Calvy, and she said she has rodents in her apartment too.
“It’s horrible. It’s terrifying. It’s scary. It’s uncomfortable,” Calvy said.
She said it’s close to unlivable and that her family has been couch surfing and even sleeping in the car some nights.
Calvy shared a doctor’s note with the I-TEAM showing her child was bitten by a rodent last year. She said the complex moved her and her family to another unit in response.
“They said, ‘oh this apartment is not going to have rodents. It’s one of our best apartments.’ I still have rats,” Calvy said.
The residents at The Weldon said they think the rodents may be coming from nearby abandoned buildings. There’s a big pile of trash that’s been accumulating there.
“I feel like it’s not meant for moms to stay out here if they have kids. But that’s wrong because the apartment complex is made for parents, is made for families. And how can you create a family in something like this?” Griffin said.
Griffin said she also tries to keep her young kids out of their apartment because it’s more of a home to the rodents than it is to her family.
The Weldon offers income-based affordable housing, according to its website.
The residents also told the I-TEAM that management has provided mouse traps, but it’s not enough to tame the problem.
The I-TEAM reached out to the Weldon’s corporate parent, The Millenia Companies, based in Cleveland, Ohio and a spokesperson sent the following statement:
“We are aware of the pest control challenges at The Weldon, which result from an abandoned multifamily complex adjacent to the community. We have met with and continue to work with city officials to address the pest control issue and have recently secured new pest control services for the company.”