Some residents of recently opened apartments had to move due to inadequate construction

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Some residents of an apartment complex on Beach Boulevard are being forced to move or end their lease due to problems with the flooring.

Presidium Regal is located on the site of the old Regal Cinemas near San Pablo Road. The grand opening wasn’t until last year, but weeks after moving in, some people started reporting problems with their floors not being able to support the weight of their furniture.

“I never would have moved in if I knew this was the case,” said Reggie Wilson, who has lived in the Presidium Regal apartments since last December.

He said he will not sign a new lease.

“I honestly love staying here. The problem is that when I moved here, I moved in thinking I was moving into a completed building. There would be no construction,” Wilson added.

There’s nothing wrong with Wilson’s first-floor apartment, but it’s a different story for his neighbors on the second, third and fourth floors. When they got home, they found a notice on their front door on October 3.

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The message stated that everyone except those on the first floor would have to move, but the exact reason why was not made clear in the apartment management message. After talking to some of his neighbors, Wilson learned that the problems stemmed from faulty construction.

“They haven’t told anyone on the first floor what’s going on,” Wilson said. “You have not received any formal notice. The only way you would have found out is if you looked up one day and everyone in your building moved from (floors) two through four. That’s the message I would get.”

Wilson expressed his concerns to management about living in a construction zone and said he was offered a one-time payment of $100. He described the offer as a slap in the face.

The notice gives residents on the upper floors three options. They can permanently transfer to another unit on the property, temporarily transfer to another unit for 60 days while construction is completed, or terminate their lease and move out before October 31.

Deposits would be refunded after a home inspection and moving costs would be paid with an internal transfer.

Brooks Werkheiser lives on the third floor and decided to terminate his lease after just six months. He is busy packing all his things.

“This was a significant hassle and disruption in our household,” Werkheiser said.

No moving costs are covered by Presidium if residents choose to end their lease and move from the property. Werkheiser believes he was not given enough time to pick up his life again and move somewhere else.

‘It’s not fair. Plus, we moved here and had to pay a $3,000 moving bill, which they were supposed to reimburse me for, and which I’m now going to pay again,” Werkheiser said.

Wilson and Werkheiser both believe that the property owners and the management company were already made aware of the problems late last year. They want to warn others about what they believe are unfair practices.

Wilson shared emails and photos with the News4JAX I-TEAM from another resident who complained about problems with his floor in late 2023.

“They knew about this in about September 2023. I moved in December,” Wilson said.

Werkheiser agrees that communication has been a problem. He is now considering taking legal action.

“I thought they should have told us before we moved here that we have a problem here, just to publicize something they knew,” Werkheiser said. “They should have informed us. They knew they had this problem.”

Residents told News4JAX that the flooring issues only affect buildings one and two.

The I-TEAM contacted Presidium Regal for more information about the nature of the flooring problems and when management first became aware of them.

In response we received this statement:

“After discovering a construction problem in the floor, we had no choice but to relocate the residents. And while not a safety hazard, the extent of the work that needs to be completed requires residents to vacate the units. We have offered the affected residents a move to a comparable unit within the community, with packing and moving costs covered, and we have granted a concession. Residents can choose to return to their original unit after repairs or move without penalty, with their deposit refunded. We have also offered the option to terminate their rental contract. We understand this situation is difficult and we want to support our residents every step of the way.”

-Presidium Regal Apartments