JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nearly four years ago, a crime-ridden neighborhood on Jacksonville's Northside received a much-needed facelift thanks to the City of Jacksonville. Dozens of apartments were demolished to pave the way for new homes.
Mayor Curry, along with other city leaders and representatives with the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation, or CDC, held a groundbreaking to mark the momentous occasion in February of 2016. The city described it as a “groundbreaking effort unlike any other”.
At that time, the city told First Coast News the 12 new houses planned for the Payne Avenue Walk development near Hogan's Creek would be completed in 18 months.
However, Wednesday, many of the families who live there are calling the new housing community a "scam." They say the work is still not complete all these years later, and the homes that are built are riddled with issues.
Four homeowners on Payne Avenue reached out to First Coast News to express their concern. Three women presented pages of notes detailing the issues, including Bridget Grandberry, whose elderly mother lives alone in the development.
"The promise was for them to have a home that’s livable," Grandberry said. "I want her to have a home that she can actually call home, with nothing wrong with it. There are cracks in the front porch and the back porch. They didn't even give her a key to the lock on her back door, she can't get in from the back."
She recently flew down to Jacksonville from Oregon to help her mom get answers from the city.
"I would love to see something done before I go home," Grandberry said.
Ja’nitra Mathis is a single mother living in this community. Out of dozens of issues at her home, she says her biggest concern is with the foundation of her house and the flooding of her garage.
"I put down my hard-earned money to get a home and my home is defective," Mathis said. "The white beams on the porch are bending, that is not normal."
Michole Nelson filed a lawsuit, but only lost more money when she lost in court.
Each woman says every homeowner was required to pay $500 for the Homeowner's Association, but they don't know what has become of that association today or their money for it.
In their warranty, it states they have the first year to report any issues in order to have them resolved.
The families all told First Coast News they made dozens of reports last year, within that first year living on Payne Avenue, but no one ever responded to them.
"I believe it’s all a scam, they’re all connected," Nelson said. "I’m not getting any response from the city of Jacksonville and they have funded these houses."
The families who reached out to First Coast News say they just want their concerns addressed and their problems fixed, but so far, they claim that's been impossible.
First Coast News reached out to the City of Jacksonville on Wednesday afternoon, we’re still waiting to hear back.
On the city’s website, it says, “For decades, the Payne Avenue community has been plagued with crime, violence, blight and other conditions that erode public safety and quality living." It goes on to say that Payne Avenue Walk "represents the City of Jacksonville’s commitment to building and strengthening programs and investing in neighborhoods that promote quality living for residents”.