Pensacola hotel owner faces nearly $100,000 in fines. Why Escambia cracked down on company
A rundown hotel in West Pensacola that has been the source of code enforcement and sheriff’s office complaints for at least two years is finally getting cleaned up.
The Suburban Extended Stay at 3984 Barrancas Ave. is now closed and fenced off while crews clean out the hotel and address a slew of code enforcement citations including nuisance conditions like trash, debris and unsound structures.
Escambia Code Enforcement officers have been working the case since spring of 2022. According to their reports, the property was falling apart. From the damaged roof and cracked windows to dilapidated fences and a pool filled with trash and debris, code enforcement said even the building itself “was not being maintained and is in bad condition.”
However, despite the problems the hotel continued to rent rooms to people. Escambia County District 2 Commissioner Mike Kohler, who campaigned on cleaning up blight, said the hotel has been a hot spot of problems since he took office.
“There were multiple complaints at that property to the sheriff’s office, almost one a day, for domestic violence, for drugs,” said Kohler. “It was a war zone, literally. They were so many code violations, we were fining them up to $500 a day, and they finally are cleaning it up.”
The owner is J & K SAI Hospitality, LLC, from Nacogdoches, Texas. According to federal court documents, the hotel took a big hit from Hurricane Sally – to the tune of $4,437,421 in losses – but their insurance company has only paid about $100,000 of their claim so far.
J & K Hospitality is suing Steadfast Insurance Company over the issue and the case is stayed pending the results of a court ordered appraisal. Kohler said he understood the dilemma but that the county and people who live and work near the eyesore couldn’t afford to wait for the company to collect while the building continued to deteriorate and guests were a source of criminal complaints.
Last fall, a county magistrate ordered the company be fined $30 a day over unaddressed code violations. When that didn’t result in any action, the magistrate increased the fines to $500 a day in December.
The company is now facing more than $96,000 in fines. Kohler said that’s what it took to get a response and the company finally brought in crews to clean up the property inside and out.
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“They've been bringing out 40 yards by the day of just beds and everything out of that building,” said Kohler. “There was so much mold, and the roof is still all patched up. The sign’s all blown out. If you go there now it’s all gated off and they’ve got three to four semi-trucks there just with people going in and just cleaning it up. They're going in the right direction.”
Efforts to contact J & K Hospitality for comment were unsuccessful and there’s no word on how long renovations will take or when and if the hotel will reopen. Kohler said he’s glad to see the blighted property finally getting repaired and is also encouraged to see growth in the area with a new long-stay hotel, Extended Stay America, opening near the Suburban Extended Stay.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia Suburban Extended Stay hotel on Barrancas closed for clean up
