The business license for a Northside motel that's been the scene of multiple homicides and other crimes in the past year has been suspended by the state after efforts from Jacksonville and Florida lawmakers to shut it down.
WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union reports the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Tuesday action was cheered by City Councilman Reggie Gaffney, who began the push to close the Gold Rush Inn at 10885 Harts Road days after a 34-year-old man was found dead near the motel on Nov. 21.
Gaffney said Deputy General Counsel Jason Teal confirmed the shutdown Wednesday morning as City Council members were meeting about the hotel, and as residents moved out past closed notices tacked on front office windows.
"This is probably the best Christmas present for the whole city, especially along Harts Road, because we can get rid of the biggest nuisance in this city," Gaffney said. "The people going home today [along Harts Road] are going to be able to breathe and feel much safer when they don't see all that trash at Gold Rush."
Read the rest of this story at Jacksonville.com.