JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Apartment complexes once owned by self-proclaimed billionaire Jarek Tadla are being sold at foreclosure auctions for as little as $800, as tenants and new property managers work through the aftermath of months of neglect, unpaid utility bills and unsafe conditions.
Court records list 16 properties tied to Tadla in various stages of foreclosure proceedings. Eight have been sold at auction, while three others were scheduled for sale in September, according to court records reviewed by the News4JAX I-TEAM.
Jarek Tadla, a self-proclaimed billionaire, has faced complaints and code enforcement issues involving multiple properties across Jacksonville. (WJXT)
The properties include complexes on Firestone Road, Jammes Road, Wilson Boulevard, Comet Street, Conant Avenue and Kingsbury Street. News4JAX visited eight of the properties and found conditions ranging from boarded-up buildings to open units and signs of unauthorized occupancy.
The properties were previously managed by People’s Choice, a company tied to Tadla. After lenders filed foreclosure lawsuits, judges placed multiple properties into receivership, allowing a court-appointed company to oversee them while the cases moved forward.
Apartment complexes once owned by self-proclaimed billionaire Jarek Tadla are being sold at foreclosure auctions for as little as $800, as tenants and new property managers work through the aftermath of months of neglect, unpaid utility bills and unsafe conditions. (Ciara Earrey/News4JAX)
Elon Management was brought in to manage 10 of the properties. A company spokesperson said the firm inherited “significant deferred maintenance, unsafe conditions, and unauthorized occupancy by individuals who are not legally permitted to be on the premises.”
“Our immediate priority is the safety of the residents, the surrounding community, first responders and anyone who may attempt to enter the property,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
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‘You don’t know what to expect’
At the Wilson property, broken windows, open doors and a large sinkhole were visible. A keyhole on one door appeared to be open, and some units appeared to be unoccupied.
“The main problem was the squatters,” one resident said.
At the Wilson property, broken windows, open doors and a large sinkhole were visible. (Ciara Earrey/News4JAX)
Joe, who lives at the property, said the conditions have made him wary of leaving his apartment.
“It’s kind of scary because there ain’t that many people here,” he said. “When you got all these squatters here, you don’t know what to expect when you come out the door.”
Another resident, Tiffany, said she and her family were preparing to leave.
“We’re about to leave, so it’s not really worth it,” she said.
John Wilson, another resident, said people had damaged walls and entered other apartments.
“They started kicking in the walls and going through other apartments,” he said. “So now I have to watch my apartment.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office checked several units during the News4JAX visit and did not find squatters in the units inspected that day. (Ciara Earrey/News4JAX)
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office checked several units during the News4JAX visit and did not find squatters in the units inspected that day. Employees with the property management company accompanied officers but declined to speak on camera.
At another property, a building on Jammes Road had been condemned June 30. An eviction notice dated July 14 was posted on the door of a unit that appeared to be occupied. An open unit was visible next door.
News4JAX also visited Virginian Arms, a complex on Comet Street, another property on Conant Avenue and a complex on Kingsbury Street. Some properties were heavily boarded up, while others appeared to have been cleaned up after earlier News4JAX reports. At West Creek II, nearly every unit appeared to be boarded.
News4JAX visited eight properties once managed by People’s Choice and found conditions ranging from boarded-up buildings to open units and signs of unauthorized occupancy. (Ciara Earrey/News4JAX)A pattern of complaints
The I-TEAM previously reported on complaints at the Firestone Road complex near Westside High School, where residents described broken windows, open apartment doors and suspected squatters. City records showed more than 20 complaints about the property since Jan. 1, 2025.
At that property, News4JAX found debris-filled units, removed fixtures, nonworking air-conditioning units and utility closets containing tires and clothing. Elon Management said Jacksonville sheriff’s deputies had been called to remove people who did not live there.
After receiving complaints from residents about broken windows, apartment doors left wide open and concerns about squatters, the News4JAX I-TEAM found that an apartment complex near Westside High School is tied to a landlord with a history of code enforcement complaints and properties facing foreclosure. (WJXT)
People’s Choice said it stopped managing the Firestone Road property in the first week of April and that Elon Management took over.
The problems extend beyond building conditions. In June, JEA said People’s Choice owed $498,000 in unpaid bills dating to October 2025 at properties tied to the company. JEA said the debt could be difficult to collect because multiple properties were in foreclosure or receivership.
At one Tadla-linked duplex on Claudia Spencer Street, a resident told News4JAX he had been without electricity for several days during the summer heat. JEA said damaged electrical equipment and cables created unsafe conditions, and that power would be restored after repairs by a licensed electrician and approval of a city permit.
Residents at Arbor Oaks Apartments previously told News4JAX that their water had been shut off over an unpaid landlord bill. JEA later said it would notify residents before shutting off water service at rental properties.
What happens to tenants?
Real estate attorney Zachary Roth said the foreclosure sales do not automatically mean tenants must immediately leave their homes.
Federal protections under the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act generally allow renters with legitimate leases to remain through the end of their lease terms, with some exceptions, Roth said in an earlier interview with News4JAX.
But Roth said the broader consequences of a landlord’s financial collapse are typically resolved in civil court.
News4JAX immediately noticed filth and junk behind the buildings — along with people who appeared to be there without being residents or tenants. (WJXT)
“One would hope that the lenders would do sufficient due diligence that he wouldn’t have the ability to obtain financing for future transactions,” Roth said. “But there’s no law that would stop him from doing it.”
Asked whether there should be such a law, Roth said, “Probably.”
Elon Management said it is working through the properties and coordinating with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, code enforcement and other local agencies to secure the sites and reduce safety hazards.
News4JAX reached out to People’s Choice and Tadla for comment on the auction sales, property conditions and foreclosure proceedings. The company has not responded at the time of this publication.
Tenants who need help understanding their rights can contact Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, which may provide legal assistance at no cost or at a reduced cost depending on eligibility.
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