JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An apartment complex manager is responding to reports of black mold in units on her property.
News4Jax reported last Thursday about a lawsuit that would be filed against the Department of Housing and Urban Development, claiming that three complexes aren't providing sanitary conditions for residents.
Since that report, residents at Willow Lakes Apartments in Arlington have said they are also living in moldy conditions, but the manager told News4Jax those claims aren't true.
Pictures sent to News4Jax by a Willow Lakes resident were taken before repairs to a bathroom were completed.
The lawyer threatening the suit against HUD said that renovations aren't being made when they are needed to make conditions safe and livable for residents, but the manager of one of the complexes said those claims are false.
"The first thing he checks for is mold," Willow Lakes manager Salena DeRoy said, speaking of the contractor who repaired a bathroom in her complex. "I asked him, 'Has it damaged the wood? Do we have mold?' He said, 'No.'
"He fixed it. We paid him, and I asked the resident, 'How do you like the unit?' He liked the unit."
John Starling lives in the unit now. He was moved from another unit after it was damaged badly because of a recent storm. He said he feels the redone bathroom looks good, but he still feels there might be a mold issue.
"I wasn't expecting luxurious conditions, but I was expecting a little more sanitary conditions than I'm living in now," Starling said.
"They can put a Band-Aid on it if they want to, but the problem still exists," attorney Robert Barnhill said. "The black mold and the other toxins are there that these people are subjected to."
DeRoy showed News4Jax paperwork Tuesday from the bathroom renovation showing the completion of all repairs, none of which involved mold of any kind. She said she even asked about mold once the work was done.
"He said, 'No, there's no mold damage, because there's nothing in there for mold to be on,'" DeRoy said.
DeRoy said while the unit in question isn't subsidized by HUD or Veterans Affairs, many in the complex are, and those pass inspections before people move in.
"Their units are no different from the units that are inspected by HUD," DeRoy said. "We treat every unit the same. Every resident has a safe, clean apartment just like the other ones."
DeRoy said she plans to hold a meeting with residents this week so that anyone who has an issue can have it addressed directly at that time.
Anyone living in HUD housing who has questions or issues can contact the HUD office in Jacksonville Monday through Friday at 904-232-2627.