JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents of a Jacksonville neighborhood say they have reached a breaking point over what they describe as a nuisance home that has drawn repeated visits from law enforcement.
The home sits on Jefferson Road in the Sandalwood area, steps away from Brookview Elementary School. Neighbors say the situation has worsened over the last couple of years.
“I’ve actually had cops parked down at the end of the road,” said Brittany Harris, who lives in the neighborhood.
Neighbors shared photos taken over several months that they say show JSO, a JSO crime scene unit, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and what appears to be JSO placing crime scene tape on the fence of the property. Tow trucks and heavy law enforcement presence are also visible in the images.
Harris said the activity doesn’t stop when school lets out.
“Literal drug deals while school’s letting out,” she said.
One neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, says the traffic in that area is unusual.
“It’s just because you see the same cars parking in front of the yard and people coming out to them like multiple times a day,” the neighbor said.
Another neighbor added that the behavior at the home was concerning.
“I would see some people like doing, like, like a lean over, like they’re on fentanyl or something,” they said.
Austin Simmons says he has lived there the last several years and it makes him feel uncomfortable.
“My fiancée, she wakes up early for work, and she encounters them sometimes,” Simmons said.
Another anonymous neighbor described a particularly frightening encounter late at night.
“One time I was trying to get into our property, and it was maybe like 11 p.m. and I had two of them roll up and then one of them from the house yelled over to them to not do anything, and then they left,” the neighbor said. “Honestly, I thought that they were going to rob me.”
One of the neighbors said the conditions are worse at night and someone who lives in the neighborhood had a knife pulled on them.
News4JAX visited the property and attempted to speak with several people we saw going in and out of the home. Those individuals did not want to talk. One person who was approached said they did not live there.
News4JAX then reviewed property records through the Duval County Property Appraiser’s website and contacted one of the homeowners listed on the deed. In a statement, the homeowner said:
“Our mother passed away, and the house is in four of our names. The brother who lives there took over the house. It’s a bad situation because it’s in four of our names. I know that there was ugly drug activity, but not aware of how bad it’s gotten. It is a shame.”
JSO responded to News4JAX’s inquiry, saying it receives tips of this nature daily and investigates those tips to the fullest extent possible to ensure neighborhoods are safe.
Simmons said he simply wants to see the situation improve.
“Would like to see a change. Maybe have actual residents there and see the house actually be a home,” he said.
News4JAX also reached out to Jacksonville City Council member Kevin Carrico, who represents that district. As of publication, Carrico had not responded.