Curry, Rubio, Scott call for new ownership at deteriorating Eastside apartment complexes

Curry, Rubio, Scott telephone for caller ownership astatine deteriorating Eastside flat complexes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has sent a missive to the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) asking that the proprietor of 2 Jacksonville flat complexes beryllium removed from ownership and banned from owning immoderate different federally-subsidized properties.

The letter, which is besides signed by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, comes aft an I-TEAM probe into Eastside Terrace Apartments and Eastside Gardens, wherever residents asked News4Jax to assistance with their unsafe surviving conditions, rodents, roaches and mold.

In May, 1 period aft our archetypal report, exigency Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections recovered perchance life-threatening conditions astatine some complexes resulting successful failing scores. Eastside Gardens received a people of 24c retired of 100 and Eastside Terrace received a people of 6c retired of 100, which Rubio’s bureau says is among the azygous lowest REAC scores successful the state retired of 16,500 properties. A people nether 60 is considered failing, and the “c” successful the people indicates that 1 oregon much occurrence information oregon wellness & information deficiencies were observed.

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Both properties are owned by Andrew Podray, who was fined much than $600,000 successful civilian penalties for violations found.

Two months later, Jacksonville Code Enforcement and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department inspected the apartments and recovered a fig of violations including a breached firewall, nary c monoxide detectors, chronic mold, terrible rodent and pest infestations, and electrical and structural issues.

READ: Rubio Calls proprietor of Eastside complexes a “slumlord”

The missive sent to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge says successful part:

“As a effect of carnal deterioration from terrible mismanagement, we petition that the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) see issuing a Notice of Default to transportation ownership of some properties to a liable proprietor ... We petition that HUD reconsider its narration with Andrew Podray, with a proposal for debarment from contracts nether the national lodging programs.”

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Podray, who has owned the complexes for 13 years, antecedently told the I-TEAM the properties person slipped successful the past twelvemonth and a fractional due to the fact that of the pandemic. He said the eviction moratorium prohibited him from kicking retired residents who weren’t pursuing the rules for upkeep and said pest power from portion to portion was hard with COVID-19 concerns.

Podray told the I-TEAM helium replaced the roofs, the washing machines and upped the pest control, spending implicit $100,000 of his ain money. However, helium says fixing these problems volition beryllium overmuch much than helium tin handle, fixed the tiny borderline helium makes.

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