Suzanne Garrow could not believe the bold, black and discriminatory words that were published in the back pages of the Florida Times-Union.
A classified advertisement toward the bottom of Page D6 on May 24, 2021, sought a “Mature Adult Only!” for a property on the Westside.
Garrow, a staff attorney with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid in its fair housing division, recalls seeing the advertisement in the region’s biggest daily newspaper and wondering whether there was a wider problem.
That question was answered last week when Jacksonville Area Legal Aid announced a settlement with Gannett Co., the Times-Union’s parent company.
The settlement highlighted HUD’s efforts across the country to combat housing discrimination at a time when people already struggle to find affordable living arrangements. It also was praised for its potential to curtail discriminatory advertising in dozens of cities, given Gannett’s vast reach in news markets.
Read the rest of this story at Jacksonville Today, part of WJCT Public Media.