Hillsborough resident evicted from motel claims owners violated Gov. DeSantis order

A Hillsborough man is suing a motel owner for kicking him out after he was unable to make his weekly rent payment.

Ira Jenkins began living at the Palms Inn motel on Fletcher Avenue in mid-July paying $270 a week for what the motel describes as a studio apartment.

He was just one week behind on rent payments when he says the motel put all of his belongings in garbage bags, placed them outside and locked him out of his room.

In the lawsuit, Jenkins claims he should be covered under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ April 2 executive order suspending foreclosures and evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic that left hundreds of thousands of Floridians without a job.

The order, however, is unclear on extended hotel and motel stays. Such rentals are typically considered transient, and not a person’s permanent residence.

However, it’s not uncommon for low-income individuals to use efficiency-style hotels and motels for housing. The week-to-week payment schedule is often attractive to those why might not know when or where they’ll get their next paycheck, even if the rent is overall more expensive that a more traditional apartment.

In his lawsuit, Jenkins asserts his eviction was not unusual for motel owner Sami Anani who purchased the property in 2017 for $5.5 million. He claims Anani purchases “dilapidated” motels and rents the rooms to “uneducated” and “desperate” individuals.

Amani also owns Samron Hotel and Coliseum Hotel in St. Petersburg.

He seeks an injunction from the court allowing him to move back into his room and damages for violations of DeSantis’ executive order, which runs through mid-May.

Jenkins wasn’t the only resident chucked from the property. Tory Watson, who lived at the motel or two years was also evicted, according to ABC Action News, though he is not named in the lawsuit.

Some relief might already be in store. According to documents filed in Hillsborough County Court, Jenkins’ attorney reached a proposed resolution with Palms Inn’s legal staff allowing Jenkins to return to his room and give him until May 31 to become current with his rent.

It’s not clear, however, whether a judge signed off on that agreement.

Jenkins told ABC Action News he wasn’t trying to skip out on rent, rather he was unable to afford payment after loosing his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jenkins has a criminal record spanning 1987-2009 including six prison sentences, five for less than one year. The most recent in 2009 was or possession of cocaine. The criminal record, though more than a decade old, could make finding a permanent residence more difficult for the man.