Suspected fish kill near Julington Creek attracts vultures, neighbors say they are suffering

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Homeowners in the Julington Creek Plantation neighborhood said there are thousands of dead fish floating in a nearby pond. Now, the neighborhood is seeing an influx of vultures on top of the horrible smell.

Resident Jeanine Hoff lives right in front of the pond, and she said the smell is making her family of five sick.

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“The vultures have taken over the area. We’ve had hundreds across the entire pond. They’re on the roof of our homes, in the trees, and in our yards. It’s gotten to the point that we can’t allow our kids outside. The smell is always awful, but it gets worse when it rains or if there’s wind shift,” Hoff said.

Hoff believes it was caused by a suspected fish kill. She said at least 15 of her neighbors are suffering and neither their HOA nor Florida Fish and Wildlife are coming out to clean up.

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“I’ve lived on this pond for 15 years and we get terrible algae blooms from time to time, usually 2 to 3 times a year. It happens especially when it gets hot out at the end of summer, but we’ve never had a fish kill like this,” Hoff said.

Fish and Wildlife told Action News Jax biologists will investigate reported fish kills to find the cause. However, they are not responsible for any clean-ups. They add it is the homeowner’ associations responsibility.

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Action News Jax reached out to Vesta, the HOA for the Julington Creek Plantation, and we are still waiting for a response.

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