Economy Inn Ordered to Close

ST. PETERSBURG – The city's Nuisance Abatement Board voted unanimously Tuesday to fine and shut down a 34th Street motel that is plagued with complaints of illegal drug use, prostitution and lawlessness.

In eight hours of testimony, police and neighbors alleged that illegal activities are common at the Economy Inn motel, at 451 34th St. North.

Undercover detectives, who testified behind a curtain and with their voices modulated, discussed illegal drug transactions they claim to have witnessed at the motel.

Neighbors of the motel, especially residents who live in a nearby highrise, testified that it is not unusual for them to see people engaging in sexual acts and drug transactions in the motel parking lot.

One highrise resident said he was accosted by three people from the motel and beaten up. The young men stole his cell phone. (See Video interview.)

At the end of the testimony, seven board members declared the motel a "public nuisance."

They voted unanimously to fine the motel $12,000. The amount was based on the number of police incidents presented to the board as evidence.

The amount covers the $5,750 fines assessed and $6,250 costs for police investigations and attorneys' fees.

The board also agreed, by a 7-0 vote, to close the motel for one year. That is the maximum amount of time the Nuisance Abatement Board is permitted to shut down a business. The Economy Inn can appeal the decision in court.

"This is a step we have not taken very often. This is the maximum penalty allowed under law, and it is very unusual for the board to do," said Board Chairman Hardy Bryan.

"We thank the public for contiuing to register complaints with police, because that is how this action got started, with neighbors calling police and reporting what they saw," Bryan said.

"A lot of arrests were made. But that is not what (the board) we do. The board goes after the property owner for allowing this to go on."

The Economy Inn has been the subject of chronic complaints for years. Tuesday's meeting marked the third review by the Nuisance Abatement Board of the property in 10 years.

The building owner is listed as RAJA Management Corp. The mailing address is 3052 7th Ave. North, St. Petersburg. The corporation president is listed as Shantia Singh. Singh, who attended the hearing, did not testify and was represented by an attorney.