JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a scathing report, the city of Jacksonville’s Office of Inspector General discovered improper cafeteria work inside Duval County Public Schools.
The OIG found permitting, inspection, and verification problems with major kitchen renovations.
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This includes electrical work, gas connections, and mechanical installations.
Officials say this put lives at risk and created physical issues for staff.
The project costs totaled more than $30 million.
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Inspectors found cords on the floor and custom installed lines.
The report noted issues at Eugene J. Butler, North Shore Elementary School, and San Pablo Elementary School.
The OIG recommended safety inspections of food service facilities, verifying permits before a project is done, contractor performance evaluations, and disciplinary reviews for administrators who allowed the improper renovations.
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The OIG gave DCPS 10 days to respond to the report, but never heard back.
Action News Jax reached out to DCPS about the OIG report. We received the following statement:
“We take this report seriously and are conducting a thorough review of its findings. Following our review, we will respond directly to the Office of Inspector General.”
On Friday, we received an updated statement from DCPS:
“After receiving media inquiries yesterday, Duval County Public Schools conducted an internal review and confirmed that the Office of Inspector General’s July 1, 2026, communication was inadvertently missed and, as a result, the district did not submit a response within the requested timeframe.
“‘We sincerely apologize for our unintentional failure to respond to the Office of Inspector General’s report within the requested timeframe,’ said Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier. ‘I have personally reached out to the OIG, and our team is preparing a comprehensive response to the audit findings for the OIG. We take these findings seriously, are committed to addressing the issues identified, and will review our internal processes to ensure this oversight does not happen again.’
“The district appreciates the work of the Office of Inspector General and remains committed to transparency, accountability, and maintaining safe learning environments for all students and staff.”
You can look at the full report from the OIG below:
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