JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Regency Inn is asking residents to leave by 5 p.m. due to “unsafe conditions/multiple violations,” Jacksonville City Councilwoman Joyce Morgan tells Action News Jax.
Morgan said the Inn is considered a nuisance property like the Gold Rush Inn on Jacksonville’s Northside, which was closed by the state in December.
There’s a cease and desist order in effect for the property located on Arlington Expressway for structural integrity and long list of hazards.
The manager confirmed with Action News Jax the building was facing a “code issue” and needed to “get some things up to par.”
Families and tenants found themselves with no choice but to move out Thursday.
One tenant, who wanted to stay anonymous for safety reasons, told Action News Jax she’s panicking.
She said she found out on Monday.
“A whole bunch of police that came, and captains, and I guess inspection people, they were like, ‘Oh, they got violations,’” she said.
The manager told Action News Jax the building will undergo a “reconstruction” over the next couple months. He said tenants who had paid their weekly rent up front have been reimbursed.
“Four, five, six years old, kids. Where are they going to/ go?” Eric Irvin told Action News Jax.
Irvin had lived at the Regency Inn for over a year. He said he doesn’t know where he’s going to stay Thursday night.
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“They gave me a slip to go to the Sulzbacher. Do you know how long that waiting list is? Come on, where are we supposed to go from here?” Irvin questioned.
He says he paid $300 dollars a week to stay at the inn, but he worries about some of the other tenants. Irvin says he’s grateful he has a job.
Action News Jax reached out to the fire marshal for more details on what violations the Regency Inn faces. When we get that answer, we will update this story.