JACKSONVILLE Fla.-- Less than a week after Jerome Atkins moved his wife and two small children into the Shannon Ridge Apartments, he is being forced to move them out.
"I paid my rent, I turned my power on and now I'm homeless again after all the expenses of moving," he said.
Atkins' building is one of eight that have been condemned at the complex after the Drug Abatement Response team and JSO conducted voluntary door-to-door inspections.
"They ask if they can enter and then look for any code and safety compliance," said COJ spokesperson Monica Landeros.
JSO had a total of 594 police calls for service at Shannon Ridge.
"We've actually received complaints from the people that live here that stuff isn't right inside the apartments," said JSO spokesperson, Melissa Bujeda.
Action News has learned there are enough code violations for city compliance officers to issue 32 orders to vacate.
"It was infested with roaches when I first moved in," said Atkins. "There's actually a water heater in one bedroom because it bust and rotted out the wood."
Atkins told Action News he had to take a tuberculosis test. The Department of Health confirmed one case of the disease in the complex, and Atkins was concerned his baby boy could become infected.
Action News reached out to the manager's office for comment, and got no response.
Now Atkins and more than 15 other neighbors have to find a place to sleep in just a matter of hours.
The city says they are providing temporary assistance to those who have been vacated. The Legends Center in Jacksonville will serve as a shelter for the night.
