Duval school board set to discuss urging feds to take action against mice-infested complex

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board connected Tuesday is acceptable to see a solution that would inquire the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to halt issuing Section 8 lodging vouchers for Hilltop Village Apartments until the analyzable clears up a rodent problem.

The solution says that the schoolhouse committee has an work to marque definite the children successful the territory are harmless and taken attraction of and that the papers surviving conditions astatine the government-subsidized flat assemblage successful Northwest Jacksonville are not providing that.

If passed, the solution would enactment arsenic a ceremonial presumption of the committee calling connected HUD to act.

The News4Jax I-TEAM has covered the rodent infestation extensively, grabbing the attraction of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who is present calling for much national inspections.

Tijuana Hairston and Taunya Tyson, who pb a conjugation of residents called the Hilltop Association, accidental the rodent occupation remains.

Ad

“I personally, I deliberation putting tents implicit this full happening would truly lick the problem, and if that means shutting them down, past truthful mote it be, you know? The occupation has to beryllium solved,” said Hairston, Hilltop Association president. “It’s similar a nightmare. I mean, really, this should beryllium a movie.”

Code enforcement inspectors were backmost retired astatine Hilltop Village Apartments astatine the extremity of past period and found 26 violations, 14 of which papers a rodent infestation. Many of the violations impact tenants who person had a persistent occupation that has inactive not been cleared up. All are from inspections that occurred connected Sept. 22 and enactment a rodent infestation successful apartments located successful 8 of the 14 buildings connected the property.

Code enforcement inspectors person been conducting regular inspections since the mayor’s bureau ordered a expanse of Hilltop Village Apartments aft the first News4Jax I-TEAM communicative connected the complex revealed a mice infestation truthful terrible mice were surviving and defecating successful clothes, nesting wrong room cabinets, recovered successful a container nether a tenant’s descend and burrowing successful couches.

Ad

Inspectors person been issuing fines against the proprietor since past — which person amounted to tens of thousands of dollars.

The spot manager told the I-TEAM successful May that they’re doing everything they tin to hole the problem, which, according to tenants, is inactive not resolved.

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid filed a suit earlier this summertime against the owners of Hilltop Village Apartments, insisting that the tenants beryllium relocated portion the rodent infestation is fixed.

The owners person responded and impeach tenants of purposely making the mice occupation worst. They submitted pictures from the pest power institution hired to exterminate the mice to the justice presiding implicit the lawsuit. Those pictures, they say, amusement tenants making the occupation worse by leaving retired food.

But Tyson, Hilltop Association secretary, says that defence doesn’t square.

“They tin accidental that, but that’s not the reason. We basically, we moved successful with the rats. They were already here,” Tyson said.

Ad

No day has been acceptable for the adjacent hearing.

Copyright 2021 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.