JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two men door-knocking in a Jacksonville neighborhood are causing a stir online and leading to more discussions about the apparent resurgence of a local problem.

A smell described as “chemical-like” in Murray Hill has neighbors encouraging each other to file odor complaints with the city.

The men knocking on doors are private investigators and the company that hired them said getting private investigators involved is a normal part of the process when there’s a lawsuit. They said the private investigators “invite residents to be part of a conversation.” (View their full statement below.)

The lawsuit is over an odor that people said has been causing problems for them in Murray Hill. The attorney who filed the lawsuit said that within the last month, they’ve filed a motion to try to make it a class-action lawsuit.

First Coast News spoke with several Murray Hill residents who said they spoke with the private investigators when the men came to their homes.

“Two men came up to my door,” said Kyle McFarlane. “They told me they were from the IFF corporation investigating.”

“They provided a paper,” said Aidyn Quintana, who caught her interaction with the men Wednesday on her home surveillance camera, where the men can be heard identifying themselves as private investigators and asking her if she would be willing to sign a paper.

The company International Flavors and Fragrances, which runs a fragrance factory on Lane Avenue, confirmed they engaged private investigators to “survey” residents. The company said in a statement it’s a “standard procedure related to ongoing litigation” and that it’s optional for residents.

“They were not very direct as to why they were there, just investigating it,” Quintana said.

Quintana and McFarlane, who live about a mile apart in Murray Hill, said they were asked if they were willing to sign a paper with questions about an odor.

“It was asking what kind of smell it was and I just put it was just like an off, like a strange, chemical-y smell,” Quintana said.

The smell is at the center of a years-long legal battle between IFF and three Murray Hill residents. The residents claim IFF is emitting “unreasonable noxious odors” that get inside their homes.

IFF said in a statement they “use best-in-class technologies and processes” to prevent odors and pointed to a city study and air quality sensors that did not pinpoint IFF as the odor’s source.

“Everyone in the neighborhood knows about this, everyone is upset about it,” said Kevin Wyatt, another Murray Hill resident.

First Coast News first talked to Wyatt about the odor in 2020. He said it’s once again a problem multiple times a week.

“When it’s really bad, I’ll walk outside and it’s an immediate headache,” Wyatt said. “I’ll walk outside and immediately go right back in. I don’t want to ride my bike, I don’t want to walk my dog. It’s seriously impacting things to the point where you could argue it’s making the neighborhood less desirable.”

There’s no word yet on a date for a meeting Jacksonville City Councilman Jimmy Peluso said he’s expecting with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to discuss adding restrictions regarding odor to IFF’s permit. First Coast News asked IFF for comment about this and in a statement, the company said they’re “in ongoing discussions with” FDEP and that they’re “all working to discover the actual source of the odors.”

First Coast News has requested to view the paper the private investigators are asking people to sign, but has not yet heard back from IFF on this. 

Read IFF’s full statement here:

“IFF is surveying residents in the Murray Hill neighborhood, a standard procedure related to ongoing litigation. As a normal part of this process, IFF has engaged private investigators to invite residents to be part of a conversation, which is entirely optional. Investigators introduce themselves and offer identification. Residents who want to share their experiences are then offered to do so in writing.

IFF takes odor complaints very seriously. We use best-in-class technologies and processes to prevent potential odors from leaving the facility and continue collaborating with the City of Jacksonville. Data from the City’s study has confirmed that IFF is not the source of odor complaints in Jacksonville. In addition, sensors located near IFF showed air quality results consistent with background levels, and most results showed that air quality near IFF was better than near other manufacturing facilities.

IFF is also in ongoing discussions with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. We are all working to discover the actual source of the odors.”