JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Almost two years later, the pain is still the same for the mother of baby Melani White.
The two-year-old died in 2024 after drowning in a retention pond at the Bennett Creek Apartments. Now, her mother, Amaya White, and her attorney have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Richman Property Services, accusing the company of failing to secure the pond and prevent the tragedy.
White broke down while talking about her daughter.
“Whenever I ask her for a kiss, she comes up to me and she’ll do...” White said through tears.
According to the lawsuit, the apartment complex failed to inspect the family’s unit before they moved in, which the attorney alleges allowed them to live in a home with an ineffective door.
The lawsuit also accuses the complex of maintaining a dangerous pond, failing to warn residents about the dangers surrounding it, including the presence of alligators, and failing to properly train employees on pond safety.
Attorney Finkle said the pond looked much different when it was originally designed.
“When that pond was first designed, the land around it was gradual as it entered the water. Wasn’t steep, no sharp gradient,” Finkle said. “Even more of the land as it entered the water was covered in native bushy plants. Plants that were there to combat erosion and to deter somebody from ending up in the water, like a child. But that’s no longer the case.”
Today, a vigil sits near the pond, marking the spot where the tragedy happened. Still, nearly two years later, there is no barrier surrounding the retention pond.
White said she hopes speaking out will prevent another family from experiencing the same pain.
“I need just a change. I need a fix. I need something. Something different. Something to know that I’m being heard. That we’re all being heard. That somebody cares. This is serious,” White said.
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