JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Customers and employees at a Jacksonville discount store have been dealing with uncomfortable — and potentially dangerous — conditions for months.
The Roses Discount Store on Lem Turner Road on the city’s Northside has been without working air conditioning, and now the property owner is headed to court.
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Resident raises alarm
Northside resident Dana Maule first raised concerns after noticing the sweltering conditions inside the store.
“For weeks, this store has been hot, and nothing has been done about it,” Maule said.
Maule captured video inside the store, confronting a store employee about the broken AC.
“Is the air broken or what’s going on?” Maule asked in the video.
“Yes, it’s broken. It’s broken,” the employee responded.
When News4JAX visited the store, the indoor temperature registered at 81 degrees — on a day with a high of 92. Fans were staged throughout the store in an attempt to manage the heat.
What the law says
News4JAX reached out to the store manager, who declined to comment but provided contact information for the property’s landlord and Rose’s corporate office.
A call to Rose’s corporate office also yielded little.
“I unfortunately can’t answer those questions,” a Rose’s representative said over the phone.
News4JAX spoke with local real estate attorney Zach Roth to find out whether Florida businesses are legally required to provide air conditioning.
“No, there’s no statute that requires businesses such as that to have AC,” Roth said. “If there is AC installed, it has to be maintained in accordance with the building code.”
City citations, court date set
City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. of District 8 says his office has been fielding complaints about the store since March.
“Yes, I mean, that’s the property owner who leases the building to Rose’s will be going before the magistrate on July 21 for a hearing,” Gaffney said.
The city of Jacksonville has issued three citations against the property owner for violating city codes, and the property owner is now set to appear in court on July 21.
News4JAX reached out multiple times to both the property owner and Rose’s corporate office for comment. The property owner has not responded, and Rose’s corporate office has not answered our questions.