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.”