JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Westside Jacksonville resident is demanding action from city officials after a neighboring property was transformed into what he describes as a hazardous, open-air dump following the homeowner’s death.
Damascus Romocelly, who lives near the property, said the yard was kept clean until the homeowner died roughly two months ago. Since then, Romocelly claims the late owner’s relatives sorted through the belongings, salvaged what they wanted, and left the remaining debris piled throughout the unsecured yard.
He fears the unkept site has since been picked over by local trespassers, leaving the neighborhood to deal with an accumulating public health hazard.
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“When he was here, he didn’t have all this stuff here,” Romocelly said. “It makes me sick. It’s depressing. It’s deplorable.”
Mounds of debris, broken liquor bottles, and open holes measuring three to four feet deep now litter the property. Because the site sits near local homes, neighborhood businesses, and more, residents worry the deteriorating conditions have created a breeding ground for rodents and other pests.
“People go to the store here, and you have the Coca-Cola plant here,” Romocelly said. “We don’t want people who have to go to the Coca-Cola plant to be bitten by a rodent.”
Frustrated by what he describes as weeks of inaction, Romocelly filed a complaint with municipal code enforcement. He claims his prior complaints to code enforcement have gone unanswered.
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Action News Jax reached out to the city of Jacksonville to ask how many times code enforcement has been dispatched to the home over the last five years and what actions are currently underway to secure the site. The city has not yet responded to those inquiries.
Until local code enforcement or city officials step in to clean up the property, Romocelly said he refuses to stay silent.
“I think code enforcement needs to tighten up,” Romocelly said. “For now, until the city steps in, I’m going to keep speaking up until things get cleaned up.”
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