JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man's plea to help his neighborhood on social media grabbed the Ask Anthony team's attention.
In a Facebook video, Anthony Thompson pleaded with city leaders for help maintaining the overgrown grass and neglected sidewalk in his neighborhood off of Van Gundy Road on Jacksonville's Northside.
"I'm going to flip the phone around and show where people are having to walk in the streets," Thompson said in the video.
As he strolled down what is supposed to be a sidewalk, Thompson's disappointment and concern for his neighbors was evident.
"See the sidewalk. These kids can't walk down the sidewalk. They have to walk in the streets," Thompson pointed out while walking down the grass covered sidewalk.
Thompson emailed Anthony Austin pictures of kids walking in the road on their way to the school bus and back home. Anthony Austin contacted city representatives about the problem. The next morning, they were out in the neighborhood mowing the grass.
But, Thompson says more needs to be done and his neighbors have been asking the city for help for a long time.
"They've voiced their concerns. They've called. They've done everything in their power and it's to the point they're tired," Thompson added.
Thompson said many of the people who live on Van Gundy Road, near Ribault High School, are elderly. Some have tried to tackle the overgrown grass themselves.
When Anthony Austin contacted the city, a spokesperson thanked him for bringing attention to the problem and said they also heard concerns from community members.
"The neighbors have been calling and have been complaining about this property for years," Thompson added.
What really bothers Thompson is a section of private land that is full of overgrown brush. While the city has taken care of the grass covering the sidewalk, he says it still remains a problem.
"Somebody could hide in the back of this crap and hurt somebody's child or adult or anybody."
This week, Thompson spotted a truck spraying some of the underbrush. He's appreciative of the action. But, he still has questions.
"When the grass grows back on the sidewalk, who is going to cut it? Who is going to maintain this on the regular?"
We have asked city representatives those questions. The Ask Anthony team received a response that code enforcement went by last week and issued a citation for that private piece of land with the overgrown brush.
We have not received an official answer on the maintenance schedule, so the grass doesn't continue to grow over the sidewalk.