MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — A Middleburg father took matters into his own hands to blast what he and several neighbors call a nuisance house.
Leroy Huckins painted his fence with messages to call out his next door neighbors on Razorback Ct.
“We are all fed up with it,” Huckins said. “We are all frustrated.”
Local News: New video: Investigators interrogate teens involved in another teen’s shooting death
He said he went to this extreme measure to draw attention to the problem.
“There’s really no other way to get them to leave,” Huckins said.
Huckins said it was his last resort.
“People down there have been calling and making complaints to the sheriff’s office for months and months and months,” Huckins said. “We’ve all tried to do something about it to no avail.”
Several neighbors told Action News Jax they had seen people coming and going from the property constantly.
They said since the message went up on the fence, they’ve seen less people showing up.
Huckins said he did it to protect his neighborhood.
“We have a ton of children in this neighborhood,” Huckins said.
Action News Jax pulled the calls for service for this house and found the Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded there at least 13 times since 2019.
A report said deputies received a complaint in March 2021 that someone suspected it to be a “S73” house. The sheriff’s office said a signal 73 stands for a drug investigation.
Action News Jax spoke with April Welch to hear her side of the story.
“There’s no drug activity going on here,” Welch said. “There’s not people like in and out daily.”
Welch said they’ve been in an ongoing feud with Huckins for a while, but said she didn’t know why. She said she plans to take legal action.
Local News: A dozen small businesses being evicted from strip mall in Middleburg
“I think it’s outrageous,” Welch said. “Like, completely defaming me.”
Huckins said his display isn’t coming down any time soon.
“I don’t have nothing left to lose at this point,” Huckins said. “I intend on decorating the rest of the fence if I have to. It’ll be brighter and louder.”