JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The woman who owns the green scum-filled pool her 4-year-old granddaughter drowned in will have to answer to a special magistrate Thursday morning.
Neighbors were outraged Tuesday and Wednesday when Gail Spencer drained the algae-filled pool where Alana Scott drowned into their street without warning.
The city cited her for the filthy condition of the pool months ago.
Documents from the city show Spencer is supposed to show proof that she’s either fixed her contaminated pool or plans to fix it soon during Thursday’s fine hearing.
She already owes the city $91,000 in fines for violations inside her home dating back to 2012.
An Action News Jax investigation revealed Spencer received nearly $60,000 from the city between 2007 and 2011 to fix up her house.
Since that investigation aired Tuesday, people have been reaching out to Action News Jax, asking what to do about green, filthy pools in their neighborhoods.
Latest News Headlines from Action News
“We don’t need that around here, after hearing about the little girl,” said Penny Payton, who lives in East Arlington.
Payton was using a ladder to do work in her backyard when she saw three of her neighbors' pools were emerald green.
“I thought about the lady who lost her granddaughter. And I didn’t like that. That can happen to any one of these,” said Payton.
She said they’ve become such a breeding ground for mosquitoes she can’t enjoy her own backyard, but she didn’t know what to do about it.
“And so I just got on and emailed you and asked, because I had no idea,” said Payton.
If your neighbor has filthy pool, they could be breaking city ordinance. You can report them to municipal code compliance and they’ll come check it out.
That’s what happened to Spencer. A neighbor flagged down code compliance, which cited her months before Alana disappeared into the green, murky water.
One of Payton's neighbors tells Action News Jax he's working to clean his pool up right now.
Visit the city's website to learn more about how to report dirty pools.
For Action News on the go, sign up for Action News Mobile & Email alerts
WJAX
