Duval, Clay county residents say panhandlers causing issues on Blanding Blvd.

3 years ago 249

Panhandling causing issues connected Blanding Blvd.

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – It’s Jacksonville’s busiest agelong of roadworthy and News4Jax viewers are sounding disconnected saying that panhandling is simply a large contented on Blanding Boulevard adjacent Interstate 295.

This has been an ongoing contented for years, according to immoderate viewers, but present immoderate accidental it’s gotten adjacent worse with panhandlers regularly astatine astir each intersection.

The country is chiefly conscionable northbound of the Duval-Clay County line. Members of the News 4 Clay County Facebook radical sounded disconnected connected this contented by the hundreds.

Here are a fewer of the comments:

“I enactment down determination and it is BAD!!! it’s similar caller one’s support popping up from nowhere. Something truly needs to beryllium done.”
“Some of those radical are azygous moms and fathers who person fallen connected hard times successful this pandemic.”
“I enactment astatine the Olive Garden determination it’s getting bad.”
“There has been a important summation successful that country successful the past year. Some are assertive and volition sound connected your window.”

News4Jax spoke with 1 antheral who says he’s stateless and lives successful the woods down a state station.

“Me and my friend, we built a treehouse retired here,” said 31-year-old Mikey Charek. He added aggregate different radical unrecorded successful those aforesaid woods.

One contented that’s popped up is the enforcement of immoderate transgression issues that whitethorn arise.

Since the country straddles the region enactment it affects some Clay and Duval. News4Jax reached retired to metropolis and instrumentality enforcement agencies successful some counties.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office told News4Jax that it responds if there’s ever immoderate transgression enactment reported connected the Clay County broadside but there’s nary instrumentality against lasting connected the broadside of the road. Things go amerciable if idiosyncratic impedes postulation oregon does thing threatening toward a driver.

News4Jax besides spoke with Jacksonville City Council subordinate Randy DeFoor astir the Duval broadside of the issue.

“Well the occupation with panhandling is that determination are… it falls nether what radical see First Amendment rights,” said DeFoor. “The JSO is moving present with the assembly to effort and travel up with a amended solution.”

DeFoor said she was incapable to supply particulars connected immoderate imaginable solution astatine this time.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office issued a connection to News4Jax connected the issue:

While investigating the issue, News4Jax was alerted to galore different areas wherever this is simply a occupation specified arsenic the adjacent interchange on I-295 for US 17.

The Department of Transportation told News4Jax it’s the 2nd busiest agelong “non-interstate/non-limited entree roadway” successful the portion close down Blanding.