Shop

The Times-Union reports that Jacksonville fire inspectors have spent almost two-thirds of their time shopping, running errands and going home in the early afternoons. The findings are documented with photographs of inspectors goofing off in the middle of the day. The city fire prevention department has left some buildings and businesses not inspected for up to 10 years, making the excuse that there are not enough employees. Other findings include that the fire marshal's office did not try to correct hazards it knew about, that a downtown hotel burned three times because it did not comply with the minimum fire prevention standards, and that the department's records and work logs were false and grossly incomplete.