Black mold corrodes at Ponte Vedra Beach Hotel, health, safety
A family in Jacksonville’s Mandarin District had their vacation cut short at the Sawgrass Marriott when they discovered black mold in the room.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A vacation getaway for a Mandarin family ended up “escape” a little earlier than expected.
They discovered black mold in their room at the Sawgrass Marriott.
“Like, oh my god, we’re gonna get really sick,” this visitor described the moment he discovered the mold. “They haven’t cleaned the hotel room and how long has it been there?”
A visitor to the Sawgrass Marriott wanted to protect her identity and not show her face, but wanted to make sure her family’s experience was not swept under the rug.
She says she spent two nights at the Ponte Vedra Beach Hotel to celebrate her birthday and the fourth with her husband and daughter.
They’ve spent most of the expensive vacation in bad weather, and they think they’ve figured out why as soon as they step out onto the balcony.
“When you pay over $300 a night for a hotel room, you expect to see something a little nicer than black mold all over the walls.”
She says when they informed management they told her she could wait eight hours until another room became available and they would move her, but they would not issue a refund.
The family chose not to spend another minute in that room and went home to salvage what they could from the holiday weekend.
A Sawgrass Marriott manager told WTLV he could not comment on the situation.
“Mold like this doesn’t grow overnight,” TCB Enviro Corp. environmental specialist Mark Mongon said when he saw the photo. “It’s a black mold that’s been growing for a while. It’s definitely water-type damage.”
Mongon said, based on what he’s seen, he’s not surprised to hear that this family showed symptoms just days after being in the room.
“I probably get five to 10 calls a month like this,” Mongon said. “It’s a very common problem in vacation rentals and hotels. They don’t want to lose revenue.”
This family has already lost $1,400 on a ruined vacation.
She wants it made up for, but that’s not even her biggest concern.
“It’s a health hazard, and it absolutely needs to be addressed before another family experiences it.”