Property owner of Jacksonville apartment complex condemned for sewage issues in jail in Clay County

Action News Jax has learned that the owner of a recently condemned property in Jacksonville is in jail in Clay County.

Brian Lozito, 53, was arrested for violation of probation. He was originally arrested in 2019 for child abuse and was sentenced to three years of probation in 2021.

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According to Lozito’s original arrest report in 2019, a witness in a Walmart saw Lozito slap a child who was crying, which caused the child’s nose to bleed.

We told you Wednesday that neighbors at the Blanchard Apartments in Love Grove, which is Lozito’s property, have just days to get out after the property was recently condemned for sewage issues.

The City of Jacksonville gave Action News Jax this statement about the Blanchard Apartments being condemned, which said in part, “The issues facing the property owner are private matters.”

“The City of Jacksonville has been and continues to try to work with both the property owner and the manger of this private complex. Multiple attempts to provide solutions have been presented but a resolution to the problem as not been found at this time. The issues facing the property owner are private matters, however, we cannot allow these citizens to live in these conditions. At this time, the City of Jacksonville is intervening for the safety of the residents because this is a public health and safety issue. We are assisting in the relocation of residents and will provide ongoing assistance as needed. Our Social Services teams, along with our strategic partners, are working to find them suitable living conditions in other locations.”

Dr. Charles Moreland, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Jacksonville

Action News Jax’s Meghan Moriarty is digging into Lozito and the property’s past and will have the latest on the investigation on CBS47 and FOX30 Action News Jax at 5.

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