At the end of July, the Ask Anthony team reported on a Jacksonville business owner's problem after his store's ceiling collapsed.
Har Shaing is the owner of the Taungzalat Asian Market, located in a shopping center on University Boulevard near Memorial Hospital.
"So far, we don't have any income. All the bills we have to pay...and plus we lost all of our life savings in the store. So, at this point, we don't even know what we're going to do next," Shaing said in a previous interview.
In March, he had to shut down his store after the city condemned it. Shaing contacted Anthony Austin for help, because he says the building's landlord has not been responsive to the situation.
After our story aired, the city of Jacksonville condemned the entire building, forcing other store owners in the shopping center to close their doors.
"This is one of the biggest areas right here. Water was coming through kind of non-stop about a month ago," Ansar Owais, the owner of Hala's Mideast Eatery and Market, explained as he pointed at his store's ceiling.
The business has been in his family for 50 years. The day we interviewed him, his sister was helping workers file for unemployment.
"You're talking about maybe 15 people's livelihood just gone overnight, with no plans on what to do next and no idea how long it's going to take to fix or if they're going to fix it," Owais said.
Inside the market, the ceiling slopes down and a lighting fixture hangs almost to the floor.
"We didn't know the extent of the damage until the inspector came in and said that the building is going to be condemned. The trusses are bad. There's a lot of structural problems with the roof and it's a danger," Owais added.
A city spokesperson said the other units in the building were condemned on August 2, because they all share the same roof that is leaking and showing signs of failing. According to code enforcement, the owner was non-responsive to making repairs after citations were issued.
"A lot of rigging was done. Nothing was really done the way it should be done or up to code," Owais said.
BBK Investment LLC bought the University Center South Shopping Center for $5 million in 2019. Other business owners showed Anthony the condition of their units. They say they shared their concerns with the landlord when there were signs the roof was about to collapse, but they were basically ignored with quick fixes and cosmetic cover-ups.
"Kind of downplaying the problem basically," Owais said.
Two weeks ago, Anthony Austin spoke with the manager of BBK, Shin Sao. He told Anthony he had been out of the country and was dealing with health issues. He apologized for the situation and said he is doing what he can to fix the problem.
"He is saying that he thinks it should be three to four months once he gets permitted. Right now, we're kind of taking his word for it and going day by day," said Owais.
According to the City of Jacksonville, there are no recent permits applied for at the address, roofing or otherwise. However, there is an open Building Code Enforcement case where the Taungzalat Asian Market is located, due to unpermitted work.