The Biggest I-TEAM Stories of 2023

Jacksonville, Florida – As the tagline says, News4JAX I-TEAM is all about uncovering untold stories and getting results.

This year was no exception.

I-TEAM investigated dozens of articles that made an impact in 2023, and those articles were read hundreds of thousands of times on News4JAX.com.

Here are our 10 most influential stories of 2023.

douglas anderson scandal

In March, the Duval County Schools Police Department arrested Jeffrey Clayton, a longtime music teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, and charged him with lewd acts against a student.

Clayton’s arrest sparked a series of investigations and accusations that years of problems within the school were covered up. Amid these investigations, Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene has taken early retirement amid criticism, and the search for her replacement continues.

A series of stories | Fourth Douglas Anderson School of Art teacher expelled from classroom | Allegations from nearly a decade ago led to department head Douglas Anderson’s second firing. | Letter from Douglas Anderson alumni asks for investigation into possible financial ties to teacher misconduct | State claims DCPS failed to report Douglas Anderson sexual harassment case | 140 former and current students requested interviews in ongoing investigation at Douglas Anderson | ‘My high school years were hell’: Letters from Douglas Anderson’s former students detail years of anguish surrounding the accused teacher | City hires outside counsel to investigate Douglas Anderson allegations and state reporting issues

Prominent entrepreneur charged with fraud

A prominent Jacksonville entrepreneur is accused of fraud and investors are suing, alleging bad business practices.

Janay White is the CEO of eight different companies in Jacksonville, including J. White Business Center, which provides credit repair services and credit education courses to customers.

more: A grandfather battling cancer is among dozens of people who say they lost money investing with a prominent Jacksonville entrepreneur. | Investors say they paid hundreds of dollars to repair credit from prominent Jacksonville entrepreneur, but ‘didn’t see results’

The Florida Attorney General’s Office confirmed that it has received multiple fraud charges against some of Mr. White’s businesses.

News4JAX I-TEAM spoke with three different people who have invested a total of $100,000 in various ventures.

The I-TEAM also revealed several eviction cases related to Mr. White.

White denies the accusations against him.

Huge water bill at Westside Mobile Home Park

What started as a complaint from one resident of a Westside mobile home park became a series of stories from the I-TEAM in 2023.

A local disabled veteran came to News4JAX I-TEAM after Three Seasons Mobile Home Village threatened to evict him unless he paid his mobile home’s $2,200 water bill. Her bill was typically $30 a month.

The owners had previously been investigated by the Ohio Department of Commerce after tenants there also complained about exorbitant water bills.

Learn more | Mobile home park residents continue to struggle with exorbitant water bills and are looking for solutions.One man fought back and won.

The city and local lawmakers eventually intervened and recommended that the park’s owner be investigated by the state attorney’s office, but the owner sold the property.

The new owners eventually eliminated high water bills for disabled veterans.

Staycation Pool Saga

This year, more than a dozen customers in the Jacksonville area contacted the I-TEAM to share stories of pool contractors leaving them high and dry.

Staycation Pool & Spa customers say the construction of their pools was either never completed or abandoned by the company. Some businesses had to cut their losses and hire another company to complete the job, while others were stuck with an expensive hole in their backyard.

Tampa-based pool contractor license holder Jordan Hidalgo was finally ordered Tuesday to pay more than $155,000 in restitution for abandoning the project and causing financial harm to his customers. Ta.

Hidalgo later surrendered his contract license in the face of more than 50 complaints filed with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

But at least one veteran couple who hired the company had a happy ending when all three companies worked together to complete their pool.

Judge orders changes to Westside apartment complex after I-TEAM story

Residents of Colonial Forest Apartments on the West Side came to the I-TEAM because they felt unsafe living there.

Multiple staircases and patios were condemned at the property on Firestone Road, and one woman told News4JAX she nearly fell off the front porch because the patio floor caved in.

News coverage of their problems led to condemnation of some units and a lawsuit from the city of Jacksonville. Ultimately, the judge ordered the owners to fix issues such as trash pickup and pool maintenance.

We told you that residents are facing similar issues with the same company that owns Northwood Apartments off Dunn Avenue.

Woman says JSO broke into the wrong apartment

Video obtained by News4JAX shows Jacksonville police entering the woman’s home, and she says it was the wrong person.

Christy Jackson said officers threw her to the ground and handcuffed her, demanding accountability. She said police later questioned her and realized she was dealing with the wrong person, so she was released.

Learn more | I-TEAM: Case of mistaken identity raises questions about whether women’s civil rights were violated

JSO later announced that Jackson had the same hair color as the suspect in the shooting.

JSO sergeant comes under fire for racist tweet

A local pastor has called for disciplinary action against a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department sergeant for social media posts he says are racist, insensitive and discriminatory.

After we learned of the post, News4JAX confronted a JSO gang unit sergeant. Douglas Howell spoke about the tweet that got the then-Jacksonville sheriff candidate’s attention.

After a months-long internal investigation, Mr. Howell was ultimately given a new assignment to patrol the North Side, but he was not demoted from his position.

According to an internal affairs report, Howell admitted to posting numerous racist and derogatory comments on social media about Black people, Mexicans and members of the LGBTQ community.

Local black pastors and law enforcement nonprofit groups expressed disappointment with Howell’s punishment.

I-TEAM investigation into squatters leads to legislation

Tallahassee city lawmakers are taking action to address the squatting problem after a loophole in the law makes it harder to evict unwanted guests than legal tenants.

House Bill 621 is inspired by the stories of Jacksonville homeowners who say squatters caused extensive damage to their properties, destroying the interior of their homes and costing them tens of thousands of dollars.

Related | Jacksonville homeowners say squatters are refusing to leave their rental properties.Residents say they can stay there | Jacksonville squatters finally evicted from home after 40 days, owner says, leaving $15,000 in damage

Patti Peeples told the I-TEAM that the woman moved into the rental property in March and refused to leave.

She said the squatters told police they were victims of a rental scam in which they found a rental home on Zillow and then entered into a rental agreement with someone named Christopher.

Peoples and her business partner sold the rental home in June. Peoples said the squatters cost her more than $50,000 in legal fees, loss of her rent and damages.

Towing company charged with ‘exploiting’ St. Johns County neighbors

Residents of the Gables at Wingfield Glen in St. Johns County told the I-TEAM they are tired of seeing their cars disappearing from their driveways.

They say ASAP Towing trucks are patrolling St. Augustine neighborhoods looking for any violations of parking rules set by homeowners associations (HOAs).

Stephanie Leahy said towing is so bad at The Gables that a relative’s car that was parked in a handicapped spot in the visitor lot was nearly towed during the summer, causing visitors to He said he was scared to come.

JSO fires prison health care provider over questions over death

Family members of a Jacksonville man told the I-TEAM that he died last year after spending two days in the Duval County Jail without taking the medication he needed to survive.

Police video showed Dexter Berry, 54, repeatedly telling the arresting officer that he needed medication because he was undergoing a heart transplant.

more: Records confirm that the man did not receive heart transplant treatment at the Duval County Jail.he died a few days later

Records show he never got the medication he needed.

His death has brought new scrutiny to Armor Correctional Facility, the Duval County Jail’s health care provider.

Armor Correctional Health Services is currently under investigation by the state for failing to report past criminal convictions against the company, as required by Florida law.

News4JAX I-TEAM also recognized the company’s $98 million no-bid contract with the city of Jacksonville, which was signed in November just weeks after the company’s felony conviction in connection with an inmate’s death in Wisconsin. I learned more about it.

Related | ‘Disappointed’: Sheriff TK Waters reacts to revelation of prison medical contractor’s criminal history

JSO subsequently announced that it had terminated its contract with Armor Health. JSO then brought in NaphCare, a healthcare provider that also has a history of scandal.