Brentwood residents sue City of Jacksonville over new medical examiner’s office that’s near a school

Brentwood residents protesting morgue that's being built near KIPP V.O.I.C.E. Academy. (WJXT, Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A group of Brentwood residents is suing the City of Jacksonville over the new medical examiner’s office that’s near a school.

RELATED: Brentwood residents protest at city hall; Demands medical examiner facility be repurposed to benefit community

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The Metro Gardens Neighborhood Association, led by Lydia Bell, has long said the facility doesn’t belong in the neighborhood. It’s being built near the KIPP V.O.I.C.E. Academy.

The group also alleges that the city didn’t tell the community that it intended to build the facility and that it violated city ordinances.

The group said that homes near morgues typically lose property value due to stigma and environmental risks. The injunction seeks that the facility be repurposed into something that “benefits, rather than harms and irreparably harms the Brentwood community.”

Back in April, residents protested at city hall, asking that the facility be turned into a pharmacy, urgent care, or a tutoring center.

Read the full lawsuit below.