The Jacksonville Housing Authority’s Operations Compliance Department failed to follow proper internal procedures on $70,000 in tenant fraud, the city of Jacksonville Office of Inspector General said in a Dec. 4 report.
The OIG’s review included programs such as Public Housing, Section 8 and Rental Assistance Demonstration.
An independent agency, JHA provides housing assistance for eligible low-income residents and families throughout Jacksonville. As one of the largest public housing authorities in Florida, it serves 32,000 people in more than 10,000 households. The JHA’s 2024 budget said it collected $10.92 million in tenant revenue.
The JHA compliance department is responsible for investigating and addressing fraud/abuse by families within JHA programs.
The review focused on referrals received, closed and identified by JHA as program fraud and abuse exceeding $2,000 from March 2023 through April 2025.
The OIG investigation determined that during the review period, more than $70,000 was obtained by tenants through fraudulent means. However, none of the identified cases had been sent to collection agencies in accordance with JHA’s internal policies, specifically the Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policies and Administrative Plan.
Additionally, staff referred none of the cases to the OIG or law enforcement, despite some tenants obtaining more than $10,000 through fraud.
As a result of the review, JHA sent three referrals totaling $16,546 and is in the process of sending 10 referrals totaling $54,577 to a collections agency. Collectively, JHA sent and will be sending 13 referrals totaling $71,123 to the collections agency.
In response to the review findings, JHA detailed an extensive plan to close accountability gaps and increase efficiency in the future.
In a written response to the report, JHA President and CEO Cheron Corbett said in addition to ensuring compliance requirements in all JHA programs is implemented, the authority also will:
• Conduct internal quarterly compliance audits.
• Create a monthly compliance report that will be reviewed by the operations compliance manager and submitted to JHA leadership for oversight.
• Conduct random sampling of closed fraud/abuse cases to verify proper documentation and resolution in accordance with Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policies and Administrative Plan provisions.
• Require annual training for staff on fraud detection, referral handling and repayment agreement procedures.
JHA leadership will convene biannually to assess trends, identify gaps and approve any policy adjustments needed to strengthen fraud prevention and recovery processes, Corbett said.
The Office of Inspector General is an independent office established under the city’s charter and Chapter 602 of the city’s ordinance code.
The office conducts investigations following the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation standards.
Complaints and tips for investigations are accepted from all sources, identified or anonymous, in-person, online, orally or in writing.