JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two former Jacksonville business owners say they invested thousands of dollars into their dreams, only to watch them collapse — along with the ceilings above them.
The women rented commercial space inside a building on Avenue B, where they say repeated flooding, mold, rodents and structural damage made it impossible to stay in business. News4JAX obtained city code enforcement records showing inspectors flagged the property as unsafe years before either woman signed a lease.
‘One thing after another’
One former tenant told News4JAX she knew the moment she stepped inside the space that she wanted it.
“I wanted it so bad — this is something I always wanted to do,” she said. “It was a week I made $1,500 in a week to get in this building.”
But problems started almost immediately. Within five months, the building flooded three times, damaging her furniture and internet connection and making it harder to run her business.
She said she reported a leak to the property owner early on and someone was sent to apply a clear sealant to stop water from coming through — but it didn’t work.
“It was leaking one day, and I still mopped it up and stuff, but she sent somebody and the guy came and put this clear stuff under here to stop the water from coming through, but it didn’t stop,” she said.
She was eventually evicted after complaining about conditions inside her suite.
Ceilings fell, mold spread
Karyn Alfred rented the same space for her dance studio in 2024 and was also evicted. Alfred says she stopped paying rent after the ceiling fell in.
“My building, this building here, and the building down there — all three of our ceilings collapsed at the same time,” Alfred said. “Before that, there was mold, there was water, and we kept complaining about it, and they would come and do minimal repairs.”
Alfred said visible patches on the ceiling are still there today.
“Those patches — you can see — that’s where the damage is coming from,” she said.
In 2025, Alfred took property owner Edward Malone to civil court. Court documents show he admitted to hiring unlicensed contractors. Alfred won that case but lost in small claims court.
“People like him need to be held accountable,” Alfred said. “This is not the way that anybody in America who is a business owner should be operating.”
City records show years of warnings
City code enforcement records obtained by News4JAX show inspectors had been documenting problems at the building long before either woman moved in.
Records dating back to August 2023 cite the building as an “unsafe structure” after inspectors observed parts of the ceiling falling inside. By May, inspectors wrote the building was in danger of collapsing and was not fit for people to occupy.
After part of the roof collapsed in March 2025, an inspector found previous ceiling repairs had been done incorrectly. City records also show Malone denied inspectors access for a follow-up inspection.
News4JAX reached out to Malone and the property manager. Neither responded.
Owner faces federal wire fraud charges
News4JAX has previously reported on Malone. He is facing federal wire fraud charges tied to COVID-19 emergency rental assistance funds, accused of submitting fraudulent documents to collect thousands of dollars in relief money.
Alfred says she hopes her experience prevents someone else from going through the same thing.
“I wanted to run a legitimate business, but it was just one thing after another after another,” she said. “I end up losing everything. I just don’t want anybody to have to use their hard-earned money and go through what I went through.”