Duval County named eviction filing capital of Florida according to new UNF study

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new University of North Florida study found that Duval County has more eviction filings than any other Florida county.

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In 2022, the monthly average number of eviction filings per 1,000 renters was 7.08 in Duval, according to research by The JAX Rental Housing Project. In comparison, that number was 3.70 in Miami-Dade County, 5.84 in Orange County, 4.77 in Hillsborough County, and 3.50 in Pinellas County. This pattern was repeated for 2023.

These statistics earn Duval County the title of the eviction filing capital of Florida.

Rising rent prices are a factor in eviction filings.

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In Duval, rent prices increased almost 30% between 2020 and 2023, according to the study.

“We probably have, like, the highest concentration of corporate landlords, like per capita in Jacksonville,” Professor of Sociology at UNF David Jaffee said.

Researchers found Duval County renters would need to make $25.06 per hour to not spend more than 30% of their income on rent. However, the median hourly wage in Jacksonville is $21.84, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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The report concludes that “affordable and safe rental housing has become increasingly scarce for a large segment of Jacksonville’s working population.”

The JAX Rental Housing Project says the current situation for a large amount of Jacksonville renters has reached a crisis stage.

A manager for the project said her situation is just one example many renters in Jacksonville are dealing with.

“I moved in and the rent was $1,622 for my unit. They tried to up my rent to $1,652 within two days of me getting that offer, and the week after, it was $1,898,″ Katie Renzi, Jax Rental Housing Project Manager said.

A main reason for such high rises in rent -- profit.

“These investment firms tend to take over in three to five-year intervals, you need,” Renzi said. “The only way to produce profit on a property that is already existing, you’re not building a new one, is to raise the rents.”

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