Traffic on Interstate 95 in St. Johns County resumed late Thursday after a semi‑truck fire forced a multi‑hour closure at mile marker 310. At the same time, residents of The Palms at Town Center, a HUD‑funded affordable‑housing development, received notices that their monthly rent could jump by several hundred dollars under revised federal income guidelines.

I‑95 Reopens After Mile Marker 310 Semi Fire

Fire crews extinguished the blaze and police cleared debris, allowing all lanes to reopen by late afternoon, according to highway officials. Motorists were diverted onto alternate routes and advised to allow extra travel time while the incident was being managed.

HUD’s New Income Guidelines Trigger $300‑$400 Rent Hikes at The Palms

Tenants were mailed notices that their rent could rise from roughly $1,419 to $1,785, a jump of about $366,after the Department of Housing and Urban Development adjusted the Area Median Gross Income figures. The notice, which arrived about sixty days after many residents moved in, gave a thirty‑day window to accept the increase.

Management Blames Billing Glitch While Promising Lease Flexibility

The property‑management team said the sudden adjustments stem from a systematic error in their billing system and reflect the new HUD rent limits that apply across the entire development. they emphasized that renters who signed leases within the past five months, renewed at reduced rates,or applied before May 1 will keep their original promotional rates.

Tenants Question Transparency and Fear Eviction

Erica Robinson, a single mother of two who works from home as a medical‑billing coder, said the increase would make her housing unaffordable and warned that a failure to pay could lead to eviction. She and other residents are demanding clearer communication, noting that the mailed figures represent the maximum allowable rent under federal rules, not a guaranteed charge for every household.

Which Tenants Will Actually Pay the Maximum HUD Rent?

The notice does not specify how many households will be billed at the new ceiling, leaving open how the “maximum allowable” figure will be applied in practice. As management continues individual outreach, tenants remain uncertain whether they will face the full hike or receive a reduced amount.