JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Several residents at Christine Cove Apartments on Jacksonville's Northside contacted the "Ask Anthony" team because of a broken elevator.
One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, wrote in an email:
"Our elevator hasn't been operating in our senior citizens/handicap complex building for a month!!! We need your help with this problem!!!"
After Anthony received that email, he received a phone call from some concerned family members with a loved one in the apartment building.
Tony Lee said his mother had been stuck in her apartment since the week before Christmas.
"She's actually on the third floor of the building," Tony Lee said.
Lee says his 79-year-old mother uses a wheelchair.
"She's missed several doctors' appointments. She wasn't able to fellowship with the family for the holidays. Nothing."
Lee says the manager told him the parts for the elevator were on backorder. Something he understood. But it's been almost two months.
"There are several others on the same floor who are going through the same stuff, and it's just a sad situation."
The company that runs the Christine Cove Apartments is called Royal American Management. The corporate headquarters are in Panama City, Florida.
After Anthony contacted Royal American about the issue, the elevator was temporarily fixed.
On Monday, a code officer issued a warning citation to the property owner for inoperative elevator equipment. A representative said in a statement:
"I can assure you the safety and well-being of all of our residents is our top priority. There is an elevator in building one of Christine Cove Apartments that has been down since the end of December. We immediately reached out to our elevator repair company, who routinely services the elevator, to have repairs made quickly. The part was on back order, but we are diligently working through the options to get the elevator working as soon as possible."
Royal American said in another statement that residents were immediately notified before the temporary repair that they could relocate to a hotel or a first floor apartment, free of charge.
However, Lee says his mother wasn't offered that option until Monday after we called the apartment complex and the corporate office about the elevator issue.
Another resident tells us they were never offered temporary housing.