Residents at The Pines at Warrington concerned over trash and debris, unsafe living conditions

Residents living in an Escambia County apartment complex are concerned about their safety and health due to an alleged lack of maintenance and sanitation on the premises.

On Wednesday afternoon, The Pines at Warrington was littered with empty bags of chips, water bottles, papers, wrappers, grocery bags, soda cans and garbage under trees, bushes, fences and even inside the buildings of the complex.

Resident Sylvia Steward, who has lived in the complex since October 2006, said she never had a problem until a shift in management in the last few years.

“It’s just a dump, they don't care,” Steward said. “The people who own this place don't care about us.”

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The property manager, Cushman and Wakefield, did not respond to the News Journal's phone and email requests for comment.

Beyond the litter issues, multiple residents have voiced complaints about maintenance issues such as broken locks to exterior doors, nonfunctioning sinks and air conditioning units, and lack of lighting in common areas.

A complaint was filed in February to Code Enforcement who came out Thursday to inspect the area and found there was a problem with trash and debris. According to Abatement Officer Joseph Bishop, the apartment complex will receive an abatement later this month to clean up the property but it will be a slow process.

The trash buildup has become so bad it started to fill up the hallways in each apartment building. When people did come in to clean it, Steward claims, they swept the trash in the hallways into the back of the apartment complex.

Steward said inside her home, her air conditioner and heater went out last year and maintenance has shown up and worked on the appliances, but not fixed them. She said the heater leaks, so in the winter she used the oven to heat the department despite the safety risks.

She said she has to call her grandchildren to fix certain things in the apartment because of the poor maintenance.

Even with the concerns, Steward doesn't see herself living anywhere else.

“It ain't the best home, but it’s mine,” Steward said.

Another resident, Donna Knott, moved into The Pines in February after leaving a Massachusetts Avenue residence in hopes she'd find better conditions. She was wrong, she said.

Going into her apartment building, the outside lights don't work. She said she and others are afraid they'll be attacked when coming home late at night and that they need a flashlight to go up the stairs.

The apartment complex also contains a jungle gym where children are playing around trash according to residents. Just a few yards away from the playground is a dirty, vacant apartment with an open door, causing fears amongst neighbors about who might be lurking there near the playground.

Knott's back patio door did not have a lock when she first arrived and was secured with a large piece of wood. There have been fear amongst neighbors that people have climbed to the second floor of patios potentially to rob the apartments.

Her bathroom sinks don't drain, so her children brush their teeth in the kitchen sink. Even there, she regularly has to pour bleach to try and kill the gnats flying around the sink and kitchen.

“I just want to forfeit my lease,” she said with frustration.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola The Pines at Warrington residents claim filthy condiditions