Pasco shuts down Port Richey flea market over egregious violations

TeaAddict · Jun 14, 2017

http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...flea-market-over-egregious-violations/2327266

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PORT RICHEY — For the past 27 years, Jay Tarr has catered to a steady stream of customers at his auto interior business outside the popular USA Flea Market on U.S. 19.

Tarr, 47, had just reached adulthood when he started Headliners Only and made a decent living here, he said — thanks to a low overhead of just $750 a month for three garage bays.

But now Tarr has to look for a new location. Pasco County officials say the landlord failed to invest in basic health and safety protections at the 40-acre property, creating what one called the most dangerous property he's seen in 40 years on the job.

USA Flea Market, in business for five decades, was ordered to shut down Wednesday after receiving hundreds of citations. Buildings there lack functioning fire alarms and sprinkler systems, have no clear exits and are marred by exposed electrical wiring, according to the county Fire Marshal's Office.

"There is simply no real fire protection on this property at all," said Kevin Guthrie, Pasco's assistant county administrator.

James Hunt, the Pasco code enforcement officer who called the property dangerous, told reporters that ceiling rafters are splitting and sagging and pieces of wall are "falling off all over the place."

The owner of USA Flea Market, NAIDIP 19-52 LLC, was ordered to immediately cease all business on the property until further notice. Three people from Tampa associated with the company in state records — Rajendra Patel, Kayesh Patel and Kirit Patel — could not immediately be reached for comment.

"Whether charges or other enforcement action follows depends on whether the owner complies with the county's requirements," said Pasco County spokeswoman Tambrey Laine.

Officials inspected the flea market in April after receiving dozens of complaints from vendors, including some about electrical problems that were "life threatening," County Administrator Dan Biles said. In March, the county also investigated an auto sales business there and found two buildings that had been illegally converted to accommodate auctions, officials said.
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I frequented this market for years, I always knew it was a death trap. Tell me, is this regulatory totalitarianism, or a necessary step to protect the people?

Mircea · Jun 15, 2017

TeaAddict said: ↑

I frequented this market for years, I always knew it was a death trap. Tell me, is this regulatory totalitarianism, or a necessary step to protect the people?
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And the Flea Market should be exempt from laws and ordinances because why, exactly?

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Pasco shuts down Port Richey flea market over egregious violations

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Pasco shuts down Port Richey flea market over egregious violations

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