JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Collapsing ceilings and bathrooms flooded with human feces.
People who live at the University Plaza Apartments in Jacksonville have been emailing the Ask Anthony team for more than a month about their living conditions. After seeing numerous videos and pictures, Anthony Austin knew he had to help them.
"My roof just fell on me," Anthoneshia Mitchell explained to Anthony Austin from a hotel room.
On July 28, Mitchell said she was in her bedroom when the ceiling collapsed. Her daughter called 911.
"She went to the office and got both of the ladies from the rent office and said, ''I think you need to come see this,'" Mitchell added.
Mitchell has lived at the University Plaza Apartments near UF Health Hospital for less than a year. For the past three weeks, she's been living in a hotel room with her daughter, without most of their belongings, and she doesn't know when they'll be able to return home.
"It doesn't feel like it's my home," Mitchell said.
In that same apartment complex, video from another neighbor shows her bathroom flooding. Amanda Nobles said human feces backed up into her shower and started flowing into the kitchen.
"It started just overflowing out of the drain and it wouldn't stop. We tried to use a mop and some towels to plug it. When we did, it would start coming up out of both sinks in the kitchen and bathroom," Nobles explained.
On top of the plumbing problem, for six months, she didn't have a working stove.
"It's pretty much like...you're living in this apartment...deal with it," Nobles said.
The single mother of two said her ceiling collapsed over the bed where her children sleep. She's thankful they were at school when it happened.
"They always say they wish we didn't have to live here. But, I always reassure my kids, that even though we're going through this, we're just lucky to have somewhere to lay our head," Nobles said while wiping away tears.
Anthony Austin went to the leasing office to get answers. The door was locked and no one answered even though their office hours were listed as being open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Anthony contacted the City of Jacksonville about the living conditions at the apartments. He received a response from the code compliance office that there are currently 16 total active cases at the complex. Eight warning citations have been issued along with $260 in total fines. Right now, five apartment units have been condemned by code compliance officers.
"I want them to shut it down," Mitchell said.
University Plaza is currently owned by a group called Apartment Management Consultants LLC that is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to their website, they own about 9 properties in Jacksonville.
The apartment managers have not responded to the Ask Anthony team's calls or emails, but according to a city spokesperson, a regional manager for the owner told them they are actively working on permits for roof replacements on Buildings 3 and 4. On September 6, code compliance officers were told by the regional manager that they will also work on re-roofing Buildings 15 and 31.
"It's just not right that we have to live like this. It's not good," Mitchell said.
According to the city, code compliance officers will continue working citation cases and escalating the unresolved issues.