U.S. Rep. Al Lawson became the second member of Congress in a week to call out rodent-plagued, federally subsidized apartments in Jacksonville when he said Thursday residents of Hilltop Village Apartments should be relocated until exterminators can clear out infestations.
“It is inacceptable that young mothers who live in the units and are working to raise healthy children are forced to put their food in airtight containers so disease-carrying rodents cannot disrupt their child’s development,” Lawson, D-Tallahassee, said in a statement.
Lawson s criticism comes on the heels of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio taking aim over the past week at conditions at Hilltop Village and two other Jacksonville apartment complexes, Eastside Terrace and Eastside Gardens, after his congressional staff toured them and talked with residents.
Jacksonville Housing Authority interim CEO Dwayne Alexander said Friday he is interested in getting the permanent position as the agency s board faces a decision on whether to directly offer him the job or conduct another national search.
In a highly unusual situation, Alexander has been the interim CEO for two and a half years. He guided the authority as it dealt with problems brought to light by an Office of Inspector General investigation of former CEO Fred McKinnies. We have totally revamped our systems and we have made tons of progress, Alexander told the board. We responded and addressed every issue they had.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to correct problems at two Jacksonville apartment complexes where he said mold, pests and chronic disrepair create unacceptable living conditions for residents.
Rubio said his staff went to Eastside Terrace Apartments on April 21 and Eastside Gardens Apartments on April 22. During these visits, my staff met with tenants of both properties, where they found systemic evidence of black mold, pest infestations, crumbling staircases, and a general state of chronic disrepair, Rubio wrote in his letter to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.
Rubio s letter, which his office released Friday, also cites reports reports by WJXT-TV Channel 4 news about deplorable conditions at the apartments.
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Florida’s JTA Retasks Public Buses as Mobile Vaccine Centers
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has retrofitted two of its 40-foot buses as mobile vaccination centers, traveling to neighborhood churches and community gathering spots to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) has outfitted two of its buses as mobile vaccination centers. Image Courtesy of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority
The COVID-19 vaccine is coming into Florida neighborhoods; and transit is bringing it. Buses from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) are being used as mobile vaccination sites, traveling into communities in a program known as Wellness on Wheels.
The project is a partnership among JTA, the Jacksonville Housing Authority and Agape Family Health, a nonprofit health center.