JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents at a troubled Westside apartment complex remain without running water just days before Christmas, relying on neighbors and bottled water as the city now steps in and orders repairs.
Many residents believed the outage was connected to a large sinkhole near the back of the complex and on Tuesday, the City of Jacksonville confirmed that connection.
After the I-TEAM alerted the city about the lack of running water and the sinkhole on the property, city officials said their code compliance team responded to the property Tuesday morning. Inspectors determined the sinkhole was caused by a burst water main. While the city said there is no immediate threat to nearby apartment buildings, the water supply was shut off to prevent further erosion.
As a result of the inspection, the city issued a citation requiring property management to repair the damaged water main and affected parking lot area within 48 hours.
Still, it has been four days since tenants at Grassy Pond Apartments on California Avenue say they last had working water. With sinks, toilets and showers unusable, residents told News4JAX they are relying on bottled water and one another to get through the holiday week.
“We have a disabled person down here in one building. We have two pregnant women in another building. There’s seven children in that building,” one resident said.
Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, has taken on the role of delivering water throughout the complex.
“The only thing we can do is stick together and make sure that everyone has the proper tools that they need to make sure that they can survive until this treachery is over,” the resident said.
Using a clean trash can and five-gallon buckets, the resident said they’ve been hauling water upstairs to neighbors who can’t carry it themselves.
“It’s essential. We need water,” the resident said.
The cause of the outage remains unclear, but many residents believe it may be connected to a large sinkhole that opened up near the back of the complex. The sinkhole, roughly seven feet wide, has been there for days, residents said.
The complex, formerly managed by Peoples Choice Apartments, is now under Legacy Family Communities’ management.
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Resident say they have received minimal communication about the situation and no timeline for restoration.
For residents who are pregnant, the lack of water has created added stress and expense.
“I’m very angry. I just honestly want to take a nice, decent shower,” one pregnant resident said. “I want to be able to wash my dishes, want to be able to cook but you can’t do any of that. So I’m spending almost $40 to $50 a day just feeding myself.”
The News4JAX I-TEAM has been reporting for months on ongoing problems at housing owned by or linked to Peoples Choice Apartments, including deteriorating conditions and extended water shutoffs at other complexes earlier this year.
“I think as long as they get their rent, they don’t care,” the pregnant resident said.
In an effort to get answers, the ITEAM called the phone number listed online for Grassy Pond Apartments. The call never reached a live person and instead routed to a promotional recording. Other phone numbers associated with the property were also unsuccessful.
When News4JAX attempted to ask workers filling the sinkhole about the water outage, they declined to comment.
Residents say they’ve received conflicting information about when service might be restored.
“I’ve heard two to three days this morning. I’ve heard seven to 10 days,” one resident said. “From the way it looks, we may be missing Christmas and New Year’s without water.”
The City of Jacksonville said it has received about 20 service requests tied to the property over the past year. City officials say four requests remain active and all involve interior unit issues.
City officials said they made contact with property representatives, who acknowledged the issues, and confirmed a contracted plumbing company has begun repairs. The city expects the work to be completed within the compliance timeframe.
Multiple attempts to reach representatives from both People’s Choice Apartments and Legacy Family Communities for comment were unsuccessful.