JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General has uncovered what it calls a potentially systemic bypass of state building code requirements in Duval County Public Schools cafeteria kitchens, raising life-safety concerns for students and staff across the district.
The OIG conducted a procurement and safety compliance review evaluating more than $30 million in public food services funds managed by DCPS. Investigators found the district consistently authorized commercial kitchen renovations, heavy mechanical utility upgrades and electrical installations districtwide — without obtaining required construction permits under the State Requirements for Educational Facilities, known as SREF, of the Florida Building Code.
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Under Florida law, Section 453 of the SREF establishes mandatory statewide standards that apply to all public educational facilities and supersede all conflicting local building codes. Those protocols require mandatory plan reviews, separate trade permitting for building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and gas work, and formal safety inspections before any facility is used by students and staff.
How the investigation unfolded
The OIG launched its formal review Sept. 17, 2025, focusing on SREF construction permits within DCPS Food Services projects. Analysts requested all food service permits issued by Code Enforcement since Jan. 1, 2021, and cross-referenced kitchen labor contracts and purchase orders against historical permit logs.
The analysis flagged multiple high-value projects that should have triggered SREF permits but lacked any corresponding documentation. Investigators then sought formal interviews with key DCPS leadership — including the Executive Director for Facilities, the Director of Code Enforcement, a Building Code Inspector and an Electrical Code Inspector. DCPS legal counsel later informed the OIG that the Executive Director for Facilities had resigned from the district.
In October 2024, before the formal review began, the OIG and the Jacksonville Fire Marshal had already conducted an onsite inspection at Westside Middle School following significant renovations. That inspection revealed numerous potential SREF violations, helping lay the groundwork for the broader review.
What investigators found in the schools
On Dec. 17, 2025, OIG personnel conducted joint site visits with DCPS Code Enforcement at San Pablo Elementary and Neptune Beach Elementary. At both campuses, investigators found custom, unpermitted serving lines.
At San Pablo Elementary, the team uncovered a brand-new commercial range hood — an asset that Code Enforcement personnel had no record, memory or documentation of ever inspecting.
Between Jan. 23 and Jan. 27, 2026, investigators visited the Young Men’s Leadership Academy (YMLA) at Eugene J. Butler and North Shore Elementary, where they discovered severe unpermitted electrical and structural deficiencies. Inspectors found exposed, raw utility wiring, open electrical junctions and completely uninsulated floor connections running beneath newly installed cafeteria serving lines. At Eugene J. Butler, flexible utility hoses and power cables were found resting directly on kitchen floor tiles — creating both a tripping hazard and a risk of being crushed or disconnected if the equipment is moved.
On Feb. 2, 2026, Code Enforcement personnel made a key admission to the OIG: the contractor responsible for the North Shore Elementary serving lines was “absolutely required” to obtain permits. Management conceded that the vendor’s work should have undergone a full inspection under Section 453 protocols.
Despite that admission, the OIG sent follow-up inquiries to Code Enforcement on March 17, 2026, regarding the outstanding hazardous defects at San Pablo and North Shore. No response was received. A follow-up on March 30, 2026, confirmed that staff had still not returned to North Shore Elementary, leaving the unpermitted defects active and uncorrected.
Nearly $1 million spent at one school — twice
The investigation also raised procurement red flags at North Shore Elementary, where DCPS paid nearly $1 million to a single contractor for cafeteria serving line installations over two consecutive years — neither of which was permitted or inspected.
In September 2021, Aptitude Associates Inc. of Riverview, Florida, was contracted to install custom serving lines at North Shore for approximately $499,272. Less than a year later, in September 2022, Aptitude Associates was contracted again at the same school for approximately $372,480 — bringing the combined total to more than $871,000.
Both projects were flagged for being completed without required SREF permits. Field inspections later confirmed the serving lines installed under Purchase Order No. 4523001598 — the 2022 contract — contained the severe electrical deficiencies described above. Notably, the serving lines at North Shore were also reported to be too tall for elementary school students.
DCPS did not respond to the OIG’s report within the required 10-business-day window.
What the OIG recommends
The OIG is calling for immediate action on several fronts. Among its key recommendations:
- Safety sweeps of all food service facilities modified since 2021
- Financial controls requiring proof of a verified SREF permit before procurement can release project funds or close out purchase orders
- Contractor performance evaluations to assess whether Aptitude Associates and other involved vendors violated SREF statutory mandates — and whether debarment from future district contracts is warranted
- Formal disciplinary reviews for administrative personnel who authorized renovations outside statutory requirements
View the full report below:
We’ve reached out to DCPS for comment on the newly released report. We will update this story once we receive a response.