Jacksonville mom voices concerns over apparent unkempt concession stands

Claims by a local parent of rodent droppings, mold and exposed electrical wires inside a local Little League concession stand are serious health concerns.

The mother claims that photos taken inside the Argyle Forest Park concession stand show mold, animal feces and exposed electrical wires near the spot where hot dogs and French fries are cooked.

“It was very dirty, run-down,” she said.

The woman wishes to remain anonymous. She presented pictures she took while volunteering at the stand last month.

“It doesn’t look like it’s been cleaned in a while,” she said.

“This (concession stand) is cleaned every night when we close,” Argyle Athletic Association baseball president Jeff Schmidt said.

Photos: Jacksonville mom voices concerns over apparent unkempt concession stands

“The night I worked, nobody cleaned it. We weren’t told to, so we didn’t,” the woman said.

Schmidt took Action News Jax reporter Cole Heath into the stand Thursday. He didn’t allow our camera inside. Heath was allowed to take his own pictures to compare.

“Its false claims. There's no feces. You can take a picture of whatever you want and call it a mouse turd,” Schmidt said. “I have never been told we have to have a health inspector come out.”

A spokesperson for the city of Jacksonville spokesperson told Action News Jax that concession stands are not required to be inspected by the health department, but the city’s parks department will look into the alleged conditions at this ballpark.

Action News Jax reached out to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

The department said civic organizations, such as Little Leagues, do not need a license, but a spokesman said because they’re cooking food there, they may need permission from the Florida Department of Health. The Florida Department of Health said it does not regulate concession stands.

Cox Media Group