HUD investigating second complex

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After the city exposed dozens of public safety violations at Eureka Gardens, tenants who live in the other five complexes run by the same owners are demanding answers.

News4Jax obtained the Department of Housing and Urban Development report for Reverend Hamlet's Washington Heights property, which scored about 20 points lower than Eureka Gardens.

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The passing score for Eureka Gardens was an 85, but after multiple tenants reached out to our station-- which led the city to do their own inspection it was determined the property had more than 163 units with violations out of 400 units since then the Mayor Lenny Curry stepped in.

"I'm going to call on anybody and everybody to be responsible. But where they don't the city is going to step in. We're here now because we're out in front of this," Curry said.

Residents from the other five apartment complexes are asking if will they receive help as well. 

Washington Heights has been in existence since 1971 and it's newer than Eureka Gardens, but according to this 68-page inspection report conducted in November of 2014-- it's in much worst shape. Residents from the apartment complex are now demanding help.

READ: Inspection report of Washington Heights

News4Jax received the HUD inspection scores Tuesday from the agency and Washington Heights received a score of 67c, which is even less than Eureka Gardens' score of 85b.

Inspection reports:

  • Eureka Gardens -- 8/4/2015 -- 85b
  • Washington Heights -- 11/3/2014 -- 67c
  • Southside Apartments -- 10/21/2014 - 88c*
  • Moncrief Village -- 8/25/2014 -- 85b
  • Market Street Apartments -- 10/17/2014 -- 92a
  • Springfield Residential One -- 2/21/2014 -- 86c*

Leovante Young and his family moved in Washington Heights two months ago.

"Every time to take a shower upstairs, it will leak down and have the whole bottom floor filled up with water. In my kids room it smells like mold and I don't know where comes from but no matter how much we clean we just can't get the smell out," said Young.

Eureka Gardens received a score of 85b out of 100. in their inspection report HUD stated they found only five public safety issues out of the 24 units inspected.

But Washington Heights' report received a score of 67c and HUD found 24 public health and safety violations out of the 24 units inspected.

Of the 24 units inspected HUD found:

  • 42 percent of units inspected had missing or damaged refrigerator unit
  • 33 percent of units inspected had damaged or missing bathroom sink
  • 100 percent of grounds had overgrown or penetrating vegetation
  • 100 percent of grounds had some sort of graffiti marking
  • 95 percent of units inspected had a missing pieces or holes in the walls
  • 86 percent of the units inspected had missing or damaged caulking on walls
  • 50 percent of the units inspected had damaged roof
  • 82 percent of units inspected had obstructed or missing accessibility route to main floor entrance
  • 41 percent of units inspected had routes obstructed or inaccessible to wheelchairs and halls Corredor's or stairs
  • 38 percent of units inspected had damaged hardware or locks on doors
  • 33 percent of units inspected had plumbing/ leaking faucet or pipes problems and bathroom

Over the past two years Eureka Gardens apartments has received nearly $5 million of taxpayers money and received millions more for Washington Heights. 

The mayor has since stepped in and he sent out multiple letters to lawmakers asking them to help eureka gardens on Tuesday. Residents just hope the same is done for Washington Heights.

"I'm ready to get up out of here. I've been talking about getting him out of here for the longest time. I'm ready to go," said Jameisha Moultrie.

The mayor told News4Jax that these issues are out of his jurisdiction and taken care of by HUD but he is doing all that he can to get lawmakers involved. The owner of the property has not returned repeated calls from News4Jax.