JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Imagine coming home to find your floors underwater and your ceilings caving in. That’s what Theresa Graham says happened after JEA installed a new water meter at her Jacksonville home earlier this week — without warning her first.
Inside, padding and carpet were peeled back, the carpet still damp, and fans roared as they worked to dry out the rooms.“We had gallons and gallons of water flooding out of the ceilings,” Graham said. “Tiles were falling.”
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Graham says the damage is estimated to be over $25,000, but what frustrates her most is the lack of communication.“My only concern is why hasn’t JEA called me back?” she said. “I called them yesterday. This is risk management and bodily loss injury. No one’s responded.”
She showed Action News Jax a mystery door tag JEA left behind, with no name and no record of work performed.“JEA said there was not even a record of you installing anything at my house,” she recalled. “If someone doesn’t know what they’re doing, we don’t want this to happen to anyone else in the city.”
Graham believes the flood of water was triggered by JEA’s meter work, leaving her to mop up the mess for two days.“I’m going through all of this because someone didn’t do their job correctly or there wasn’t proper notification,” she said.
Adding to the frustration, Graham pointed out her latest JEA bill.“$485 bill per water and utilities from the prior month,” she said.
She told Action News Jax that about 30 minutes after we left, JEA crews arrived to inspect the situation. Graham said one worker later assured her she wouldn’t be responsible for the 500 gallons of water that poured out in the flooding.
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JEA said in a statement:
“We regret that Ms. Graham has experienced this plumbing issue in her home. JEA is conducting a thorough review and is working closely with the City of Jacksonville’s Risk Management team to address her claim. We remain committed to keeping Ms. Graham informed throughout the process.
“Ms. Graham’s water meter was replaced on September 23rd as part of JEA’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program. Launched in 2023, the AMI program upgrades an older radio-based system with state-of-the-art technology. Customers are notified both before and after their meter is upgraded. The process involves a straightforward exchange of the old meter for a new one and does not affect water pressure in the home.”
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