Mother of 2 young children says mold growing in Arlington apartment

City tells News4Jax code enforcement is getting involved

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A mother said her two young children are getting sick from mold in their Arlington apartment.

The woman told News4Jax that she has been dealing with water pouring from a bathroom ceiling and mold growing on walls, children’s toys, furniture and in a bedroom closet while living at Oakwood Villa Apartments. She said the conditions in her first-floor apartment are worse when the weather is humid and rainy.

“The smell gets stronger. You can actually smell the mold in my kids’ room. And the leaking, definitely when it rains, the whole front room will be wet. When it leaks, it’s bad," said the woman, who News4Jax has chosen not to identify because she and her family were recently victims of gun violence and the shooter has yet to be captured.

The woman also said her children have recently developed respiratory problems that required trips to their doctor.

“My biggest fear is my kids having long-term health issues," she said.

The woman said she has complained to management about the mold on several occasions, but said an explanation into why mold was continuing to grow in her apartment was confusing.

“They basically told me the mold is in the air, so there’s not much they can do about it. The apartments were renovated on top of the mold," she said.

Tuesday morning, while she was at work, a maintenance worker came in and painted over some of the mold, but not all of it. A work order that a maintenance man left in her apartment explained that he used mold spray and painted over the mold. But it’s unclear how deep the mold is embedded in walls, meaning a solution to the problem may require more work to keep the mold from reappearing.

When News4Jax walked into the office to speak to the property manager to find out what’s being done to take care of the mold, we were told she would call us back. As of Tuesday evening, News4Jax had not heard from her.

News4Jax also reached out to City Hall and showed them photos of the mold and video of the water pouring from the ceiling, and was told moments later that code enforcement was getting involved.


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