PANAMA CITY BEACH — Spectators who watched the Beach Club Motel crumble along Front Beach Road Tuesday night weren't sad to see it go.
The motel has been closed and fenced off for at least four years, and has since had two fires and ongoing issues with vagrancy. Construction crews began the process to demolish the structure earlier this week.
"Our homeowners have been begging and asking for the past year when it's coming down," said Lamar Griffin, maintenance supervisor at OceanVilla Condominiums next door.
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Griffin thought back to last fall when a heavy wind storm sent pieces of the dilapidated building flying onto neighboring properties and into traffic on Front Beach Road.
"When the last of the roofing blew off, we were picking it up out of our property," he said.
Canadian snowbirds Andy and June Campbell caught a bit of the action during a walk late Tuesday. The couple has been visiting the area for three years and said it's about time the old motel was demolished.
"Every year we come down and say, surely they've gotten rid of it," June Campbell said.
"Boy, we're glad to see that come down," her husband added.
Panama City Beach building inspectors deemed the building unsafe in 2013 and requested it be demolished, but pushback from the property owner halted the process for several months.
"It's a long time coming," Panama City Beach Council member Keith Curry said of the demolition. "This eyesore, it was a danger to the community and now it's going away."
To combat the pushback, the Panama City Beach City Council approved an update to its 30-year-old abatement code, adding language to expedite the process to remedy nuisance properties in the area.
The new ordinance gives the city the power to assess properties in question and place any city-incurred fines or demolition expenses on the property owner’s tax bill if the structure is declared a nuisance.
Curry said the changes will help set a precedent for other properties in the area.
"The big thing is, the taxpayers aren't on the hook for it," Curry said. "With the assessment, we will work with you on the property, but if you don't do what's right ... the Panama City Beach government will take care of it for you."
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--- VIDEO: ON THE SCENE OF THE FORMER EYESORE»»
John Alaghemand, who heads the Panama City Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, said removing eyesores will help pave the way for the next phase of improvements along Front Beach Road.
Segment two of the CRA's Front Beach Road improvement project will redevelop a 1.1 mile stretch that runs in front of the Beach Club Motel property, and includes construction of wider lanes, sidewalks, landscaped medians and designated lanes for public transit. Alaghemand said the city is preparing to advertise the job and could award contracts as early as April.
"This phase will kind of show what our vision is for the rest of Front Beach Road," Alaghemand said, adding the project could significantly increase property values along the corridor. "All of the property owners are very excited about the second phase."