JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Trysta Wallace said the mold and plumbing problems in the bathroom of the apartment she rented on the Southside became so disgusting she couldn’t use the toilet or take a shower.
“I use the port-a-potty up the street. I pee in a cup and I take a bird bath in the kitchen,” she explained. “It’s in the middle of the night, where can I go? I can’t make it up the street, I would pee myself.”
She said she stopped going into the bathroom entirely when the mold started getting really bad.
When she reported the problems to the property manager, Wallace said, “They just looked at me and said, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Wallace tries not to open the door to the bathroom, since the smell is so rancid it is hard to breath without gagging. The toilet has been clogged, she said, for months. There appear to be about 7 inches of water backed up in the tub. There are dead flies floating in it. The water is brown.
About Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm focused on delivering economic, social, and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families on the First Coast.
If you are an attorney wanting to volunteer with probate and heirs property issues, contact JALA Pro Bono Director Aaron Irving, at (904) 356-8371, Ext. 363, or Aaron.Irving@jaxlegalaid.org.
###
