{"id":138167,"date":"2026-01-30T22:17:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/138167\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T22:17:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:17:06","slug":"foreclosures-loom-for-14-jacksonville-properties-tied-to-problem-landlord-what-tenants-can-do-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/138167\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreclosures loom for 14 Jacksonville properties tied to problem landlord. What tenants can do next"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Just weeks after the News4JAX I-TEAM exposed dangerous living conditions at a Westside apartment complex<\/a> \u2014 including a massive sinkhole and residents going days without running water \u2014 the property has changed hands through a foreclosure.<\/p>\n

RELATED: A troubled Westside apartment complex was overrun by squatters. New owners promise change<\/a><\/p>\n

The Grassy Pond Apartments are now under new ownership, but the foreclosure is just one piece of a much larger problem. Court records show 14 apartment complexes across Jacksonville, all tied to the same owner, are facing foreclosure lawsuits, leaving hundreds of tenants uncertain about what comes next.<\/p>\n

When News4JAX first visited Grassy Pond Apartments in December, the complex was owned by self-proclaimed billionaire Jarek Tadla<\/a>, whose companies have operated under names including People\u2019s Choice Apartments and Legacy Family Communities. Residents complained of neglected conditions and a lack of basic services.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think as long as they get their rent, they don\u2019t care,\u201d one resident said at the time.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the property was turned over to Madison Real Estate Group following a foreclosure lawsuit. Some tenants say they are cautiously hopeful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got to get better,\u201d one resident said. \u201cIt can\u2019t get no worse. It\u2019s the worst as it can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

The News4JAX I-TEAM has spent months reporting on ongoing problems at housing owned by or linked to Tadla, who owns 14 apartment complexes in Jacksonville, most of them concentrated on the Westside. Public records show all 14 properties are the subject of foreclosure lawsuits, with seven still pending a final judgment, including Westcreek II.<\/p>\n

Westcreek II is now owned by Madison Real Estate Group. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

At that complex, tenant Lou says conditions have deteriorated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many people living here that have no business living here,\u201d Lou said. \u201cSquatters. Squatters all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked what he hopes will happen next, Lou said he wants accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I had the money so I could move out,\u201d he said. \u201cI wish I had an opportunity to talk to a lawyer because I think that they owe everybody that lives here some money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Court filings show more than $55 million in mortgage payments are owed to banks across the properties. As those cases move through the courts, tenants remain in limbo.<\/p>\n

Consumer rights attorney Glenn Banner says renters still have responsibilities and protections during the foreclosure process.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though there\u2019s a pending foreclosure or a foreclosure has happened and the former landlord is no longer the owner, tenants are still responsible for rent,\u201d Banner said. \u201cWhen a new owner takes over after a foreclosure purchase, subject to some exceptions, they generally have to honor the existing lease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Banner said Florida law gives renters an implied right to a safe and habitable home. When serious health or safety issues arise, like squatters, he recommends tenants first provide their landlord with a written seven-day notice to fix the problem.<\/p>\n

That notice formally alerts the landlord to the issue and gives them seven days to address it. If the landlord fails to take reasonable steps to correct the problem, Banner said tenants may have legal options, including ending the lease or withholding rent.<\/p>\n

At Grassy Pond Apartments, a survey conducted after the foreclosure found 42 of the 82 units were vacant, and nearly half of those vacant units were occupied by squatters. Court records cite drugs and violent crime as major safety concerns at the property.<\/p>\n

Madison Real Estate Group says work is now underway to improve conditions at the complex.<\/p>\n

For tenants across the city living in properties tied to the other foreclosure lawsuits, advocates say documentation and knowing their rights will be critical as the cases continue to unfold.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Just weeks after the News4JAX I-TEAM exposed dangerous living conditions at a Westside apartment complex…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":138168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[10316,3858,116,118,117,54868],"class_list":{"0":"post-138167","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-i-team","9":"tag-investigations","10":"tag-jacksonville","11":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","12":"tag-jacksonville-news","13":"tag-jarek-tadla"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}