JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A major investment could help fix years of utility problems in one Jacksonville neighborhood.
The Florida Department of Commerce gave JEA a $20 million grant to support the rebuilding of the Normandy Village wastewater infrastructure.
For years, neighbors have complained about the Normandy Village Utility Company.
“The biggest thing was lack of communication,” Normandy Village resident Sheryl Verner said. “Whether it was your billing was incorrect, or you didn’t receive a bill, or there was a water outages, or your pressure was way down.”
These concerns are something Action News Jax has been reporting on since 2016.
But now those issues could soon see a solution with the money from the state.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Verner said. “I mean, it’s something that absolutely has to be done.”
In September, JEA was appointed as the receiver of the Normandy Village Utilities Water and Sewer Systems.
That decision came after customers voiced complaints about the utility at a town hall meeting held by Jacksonville City Council Member Tyrona Clark-Murray. Solutions discussed after decades of complaints against a small Jacksonville utility company – Action News Jax
Since JEA stepped in, it has identified critical deficiencies, including failing gravity mains, compromised manholes, and a wastewater treatment facility that is no longer viable for safe rehabilitation.
“I think we all knew it was in bad shape, but I don’t think any of us knew it was in bad of shape as it was,” Verner said.
A JEA spokesperson told Action News Jax it will take some time for them to receive the contract related to the grant. So it’s unclear when we could start to see those infrastructure improvements take place.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.