PANAMA CITY BEACH — A dilapidated motel that city officials say is the biggest eyesore in the city and a safety hazard is slated to be demolished on the city’s dime as early as 10 days from now.
The City Council on Thursday night voted to hire D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. Inc. to tear down the Beach Club Motel property at 10637 and 10708 Front Beach Road. The contract calls for asbestos abatement, disposal, building demolition and disposal, and cleaning of the property for a price of $113,492 and a $10,000 contingency fund.
The company was the lowest bidder. Pac Comm Inc. was the highest, putting in a $307,000 bid.
The Beach Club Motel property is owned by Lakeshore Capital Investments LLC, whose registered agent is David Pearson. He could not be reached for comment Friday.
In May 2013, a fire damaged the building, which at the time had been closed and fenced off for two years.
“We don’t have anything this bad, to be honest with you,” Community Redevelopment Area Manager John Alaghemand said Friday.
Panama City Beach Planning Director Mel Leonard said Friday the building is more than an eyesore; it’s a safety hazard. Vagrants have been sleeping in the building. Neighbors have complained.
“It is the worst [building in the city] because the roof is caved in,” he said. “People are able to get into it. If there is a storm, debris would be scattered about on everyone’s property.”
When attorney’s fees are added to the demolition bill, the city may end up shelling out several hundred thousand dollars, Leonard said.
Trying to collect
In May, the City Council approved a collection process intended to increase the city’s odds of being reimbursed quickly for these types of demolitions.
The ordinance the council passed states the city can levy an assessment on the property owners to cover the city’s cost of remediating, improving or demolishing buildings deemed a public nuisance. The city has had the option to place a lien on properties when it demolishes structures on them, but due to a Florida Supreme Court decision, code enforcement and nuisance abatement liens are now second priority to mortgages, making it sometimes tough to collect.
City officials plan on putting the Beach Club Motel demolition bill, which the city is paying from the Front Beach Road Community Redevelopment Area’s fund, as an assessment on the property owner’s bill instead of a lien. It would be the first time this type of collection has been used for demolition costs.
Alaghemand told the council that city staff has tried to work with the motel’s property owner in this case, but to no avail.
“They have responded but are opposed to what we are doing,” he said Thursday night. “We’ve tried to work with them on many, many occasions, and they are not responsive.”
City Councilman Rick Russell told the council on Thursday night he likes the progress the city is making with getting rid of blighted structures. He said there were 23 in 2009 but only three left standing.
“We started with Surfside Villas,” he said. “That is one of the first ones we took down. Since then, we’ve taken down all but three after this one, so we’ve come a long ways since 2009 taking these properties out, which is good. It does a lot for the beach.”