Jacksonville veteran voices concerns about rat-infested yard

A local veteran said the yard next to his Riverside home is overgrown and infested with rats.

Michael, who asked only to use his first name,said, “They don’t seem to care.”

According to the former soldier this isn’t the first time he’s had this problem with renters in the house on Ernest Street.

"They have a German shepard and you couldn’t even see him in the backyard," he said.

Now he said the overgrowth is attracting rats and snakes.

He considers it a health hazard for all the families on the road.

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According to Michael, he just spent hundreds for an exterminator to prevent the rats from nesting in his home.

He said nothing changed when he left a note on the neighbor’s door.

Michael claimed the city of Jacksonville said it would send out an inspector but it took nearly a week.

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On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the city of Jacksonville sent Action News Jax this statement on the property:

According to the Municipal Code Compliance Division, an inspector visited the property today.

Nuisance Case # 2019-107580 - cited on 4/16/2019 for overgrowth and trash/debris. The case is scheduled for re-inspection on 5/6/2019 (once due process is completed) and will be forwarded for abatement if not yet complied.

"All I want them to do is just cut the yard. It can only just be once a month. I don’t care, as long as it’s taken care of," said Michael.

Reporter Beth Rousseau spoke with the owner of the home on the phone.

He said the house is rented and he was not aware of the condition of the yard.

The owner also said he had not received notification of the citation from the city of Jacksonville.

Rousseau knocked on the door attempting to speak with the tenant but no one answered.

According to the owner, rats are often seen in the neighborhood running from the nearby tree line.

Cox Media Group