JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tenants at an Arlington apartment complex expressed their frustrations to the News4JAX I-TEAM about its unsanitary living conditions.
A public records request revealed dozens of complaints that managers at the Red Bay Apartments can’t seem to fix.
“The toilets were burping at us, and there were soap suds coming out of the toilets as well, and I thought this isn’t quite right,” Andrew Hurst, a tenant and a disabled veteran said.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He said another tenant’s bubbly bath water was in his toilet.
“How do soap suds end up in the toilet, I don’t know, I didn’t think that was possible,” Hurst said.
The plumbing issues don’t stop there at the Red Bay Apartments. When Hurst turned on his dishwasher, I-TEAM reporter Tarik Minor said he smelled something similar to human waste.
Outside of Hurst’s apartment, there are shredded pieces of what appeared to be used toilet tissue, that also bubbled up from a sewer pipe right next to his patio.
“It will kick all kinds of disgusting toilet water and we’ve got pieces of toilet paper on the ground in front of us, that’s what this is, that’s toilet paper,” Hurst said.
What appeared to be fecal matter on someone’s handprints is visible too.
What appears to be handprints of fecal matter on patio of tenant's apartment.
“They come out and pressure wash the sidewalks and this remains, absolutely this is disgusting. You can see feces moving through the pipes when the cap is moving off,” Hurst said.
Hurst isn’t alone. Nina Grothe contacted the I-TEAM about persistent flooding that occurred more than a dozen times over a year.
“I have mold and mildew, there’s a major leak, and when I say leak I mean a big leak, the leakage is going from the bathroom to the living room,” Grothe said.
She signed a year lease in March 2023 paying $1891 a month in rent. She said the water from the shower irritates her two children’s skin.
“It’s a bad, bad smell, it’s awful, and I have three kids in the house, and I can’t sleep,” Grothe said.
While shooting this story, property managers asked News4JAX to leave but management gave a statement.
Bay Apartment Complex is dedicated to providing a comfortable and enjoyable living experience for all residents. In line with this commitment, we are addressing recent resident concerns regarding maintenance issues with utmost priority and transparency.
We understand the importance of maintaining a high standard of living for our residents and acknowledge that prompt resolution of maintenance issues is essential to achieving this goal. Recently, our property has faced challenges with squatters, which have impacted our ability to maintain our usual level of service. However, we are actively working to address this issue.
In our efforts to enhance maintenance services, we have implemented several measures. Our property has two full-time plumbers on-site to address major plumbing issues promptly. Additionally, we have developed a comprehensive plumbing renovation plan to address any underlying issues and improve the overall plumbing infrastructure of our property.
Each maintenance request is closely monitored, and our team is committed to resolving issues in a timely manner. We prioritize resident satisfaction and are continuously reviewing and improving our maintenance procedures to better serve our community.
We value resident feedback and encourage open communication to ensure that we address concerns effectively. We apologize for any inconvenience recent maintenance issues may have caused our residents and appreciate their patience and understanding as we work diligently to resolve them.
SAAR Management, LLC