JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City of Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General is now investigating whether the Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) fired three employees in retaliation for cooperating with a previous OIG investigation, multiple sources tell Action News Jax’s Ben Becker.
The Inspector General’s office released a report in August stemming from concerns that JHA had hired an unqualified accountant and whether agency leadership attempted to cover it up by falsifying records. The IG ultimately determined there was no intentional wrongdoing.
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However, sources now tell Becker that Compensation and Benefits Administrator Crystal Blackmer, who testified in that investigation, was let go shortly after the report was made public.
Two more employees who testified, Human Resources Manager Julie St. Clair and HR Generalist Santonia Hart, were both fired on September 15, raising new concerns about potential retaliation.
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Becker reached out to JHA for comment, but has not received a response.
This is the latest chapter in a series of controversies at JHA. Over the past 18 months, Becker has uncovered a pattern of issues, including:
- Multiple board resignations
- High turnover among CEOs
- Inspector general investigations
- Criminal charges against a former deputy CFO
- Requesting $90k to provide records on unpaid vendor invoices
- Dispute with trash hauler
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