JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville has spent $4.2 million in taxpayer money over the past three and a half years maintaining properties that records show are not being cared for by their owners.
That’s the figure uncovered by the News4JAX I-TEAM, which reviewed a list of properties where the city says it has had to hire companies to clean up neglected sites.
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Where do those millions go? They go to properties like one on West 33rd Street, where city records show more than $2,100 was spent on contracted cleanup work.
“That’s bad,” said Demetrius Lewis, who was unaware that his taxpayer dollars were used for clearing properties.
The property’s owner told News4JAX that they do try to keep their property clean, but people continually dump trash and other things like couches, making it hard and expensive to keep the land clear.
The list of properties where the city is footing the clean-up bills includes other areas of Jacksonville, such as a site on Aubrey Avenue.
Moses Cook said he had no idea his taxes helped cover the $6,045 bill to clear that property.
“I could actually do a business. Have a business with that kind of money,” he said.
The I-TEAM began hearing about these neglected properties late last year after Investigator Jennifer Waugh discovered a heavily overgrown home. She even took a city councilwoman to see it, and the reporting helped get the property cleared.
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The team also visited Spiers Brown Roberts Cemetery, which was recently mowed but has more than $80,000 in liens, according to city records.
City records show that over the last three and a half years, the city spent at least $4.2 million on contracted cleanup work. This fiscal year alone, nearly $200,000 has been spent.
In previous years some cleanup jobs have cost as much as $27,000, $25,572, and $21,000. When indirect costs are included, the city tells News4JAX the total cost could be as high as $9 million.
Some expenses go beyond routine mowing and landscaping to cover larger cleanup efforts.
The city attempts to recover these costs by placing liens on the properties, but records show in the last several years very little of the fees are collected.
News4JAX contacted the mayor’s office to learn what steps are taken to hold property owners responsible for clearing and maintaining their property.
They said the city provides multiple notices, including hand delivery, phone calls, and emails.
Owners usually have 15 days to comply, with extensions granted if progress is made. If nothing is done, the property is scheduled for abatement or cleanup, sometimes requiring contracted work depending on the severity.
At-Large Councilman Matt Carlucci spoke with News4JAX about whether the city ever forecloses on properties or might consider new policies to do so.
“I don’t know if the council has ever really taken that issue up to the extent where we felt like we wanted to change a policy of forcing more foreclosures. I don’t think that I would want to force more foreclosures, but I would not object to taking a look at how long it’s been since we have foreclosed on properties that perhaps, maybe, we should have,” he said.
Carlucci emphasized that properties must be maintained for community safety, whether by the owner or the city.
“If they don’t get it done, then the city, by law, has to go in there and clean up those conditions so that the neighbors are safe from the conditions and the exposures that those conditions will bring into the neighborhood,” Carlucci said. “It costs money to do that, and so we try to collect the money back.”
The mayor’s office told News4JAX that funding for cleanup work comes from the General Fund and the Nuisance Abatement Lien Special Revenue Fund.
The mayors office also told News4Jax:
“The costs we incur are normal operating costs that we budget each year and the liens are essentially receivables that get collected when a property sells/changes hands unless they have applied for a lien abatement agreement. We charge interest on the outstanding balance and it continues to accrue over time and increase the amount owed.”
They say when the money comes back it goes into the General Fund.
If you see a property causing a nuisance, you can call 904-630-2129 or email the JSO Nuisance Property Team to file a complaint.