Maybe this is a local Jax or FL thing. Two examples in less than a year make it more than a coincidence, I think.
The first example of a dishwasher not being a dishwasher was in my own house. It had a dishwasher hooked up to a water source and electrical source, but the disposal knockout plug was still intact, meaning no one ever used the dishwasher to fully wash and drain in its decade of existence. Ironic that I tossed it out in the trash--it had never run a full cycle in its life. I figured the previous owners just did their dished in the tiny sink. Maybe the whole family participated, singing a song together as they washed and dried.
Then I met someone who opened my eyes to a new use for a dishwasher. No, not to clean potatoes before cooking. As a giant drying rack. A friend from the area said he likes to do the dishes and throw them in the dishwasher to dry. I was like, oh yeah, that's what the previous owners probably did, too. But why? I mean, I only know the inner-kitchen-workings of maybe thirty people here, and two of them don't use a dishwasher. Let's guess.
Obviously, it could be that lots of dishwashers are not hooked up properly. It could also have to do with the small sinks and the fact that dishwashers are, in fact, excellent drying racks. It could be that either water, heated water, or dishwasher detergent is considered too expensive in the area. Maybe the local news did a newscast about the inefficiencies of dishwashers. Or dishwashers are more complicated that I thought, like setting the time on a VCR. It could be that folks in Jacksonville prefer manual labor. They could also be worried about keeping the dishwasher looking new for future buyers of the house. I bet some people have back problems and don't want to bend over. I know I got ants in my dishwasher in Milwaukee once, so maybe that's a thing here. I hope not snakes.