Coquina Hotel - 1. Chapter 1

Sitting at the table drinking my coffee, I couldn’t help but let my mind drift back a few years ago. At least it felt like a few years ago; it was ten years since I was in this city. Leaving wasn’t on my mind then, but I had no choice. I was in a relationship. Well, I thought it was a relationship. It turned out it was a one-sided relationship. While I was faithful, my partner was having the time of his life. I really couldn’t blame him, I was five years older than him and about 60 pounds heavier, actually I was fat. He only stayed with me because I had money. Catching him with someone else in our bed was the last straw. I packed my bags and left, his laughter ringing in my ears. Now ten years later, I’m back. I have since taken stock of myself. I lost the extra pounds, added a few muscles in the right places, and I was a new man.

When I completed my studies in the Hospitality field, I was employed by a hotel which was a part of a large chain. I was one of the staff assigned to worked the front desk. Initially, I was assigned the night shift as the new guy. After working the night shift for three years, I was assigned to the morning shift. When I reached the age of 35, I was contacted by a law firm concerning my inheritance. I was puzzled why I was being contacted now. My parents had died several years ago due to an accident, and I had no other relatives. Being the only child, I had collected on my parents’ life insurance which allowed me to finish school.

As instructed by the law firm, I met with them on the appointed day. What they told me I couldn’t believe. My grandparents had left a trust fund for me that I could collect when I was 25. Additionally, there was a trust fund my parents had established when they were alive and a settlement from the insurance company that insured the truck involved in the accident that resulted in the death of my parents. The result was, I was a very wealthy man. I never told my partner about the money, I had it invested, and I lived off the money I had left from the insurance and what I earned at the hotel. As it turned out, I was glad I kept this knowledge from my partner.

During the ten years, I was away from this city, I had invested my money in the hospitality business. I started with a small ten-room hotel on the coast that had seen better days. I read about the hotel in an article written in a magazine catering to the hospitality profession. The article’s theme was hotels of the past that once were rated as the best of the boutique hotels of that era.

I looked at several they had listed, but I kept coming back to this small hotel. It had ten rooms on two floors and was located on the coast. Something about being situated on the coast piqued my interest. I booked a flight to the coast, rented a car, and drove to where this hotel was located. It was an eight-hour drive from the airport. When I got close, I stopped at a motel and registered for two nights.

In the morning, I asked the motel clerk the best way to get to this hotel. “You talking about the old Coquina Hotel?”

“Yes, I read about it, and I wanted to see it.”

“When you leave the parking lot, turn left for about 5 miles, then turn right toward the ocean. I think there is still an old sign. You can’t miss it, it will be on your right, and it sits on a rise.”

It wasn’t the best direction, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t have any problems finding it. Following the directions that the motel clerk gave me, he was right. There was an old sign, and it wasn’t hard to find the hotel.

The hotel was run down and needed a lot of work. Work wasn’t a problem for me, but it needed to be rebuilt. I walked around the site. The back faced the ocean, and what a view. The view alone would be worth the land. Sitting on an old piece of stone wall, I was mesmerized by the sea. It gave me a feeling of calm and peace. I had to have this place. With that decision, I drove back to the motel.

Entering the motel office, “Did you find it?”

“Yes, and there is still a sign. Who owns that property?”

“I think the town or county owns it. They took it several years ago for taxes. The people who owned it didn’t want it and let it go for taxes.”

I drove to the town and City Hall, which wasn’t hard to find. The building had a statue of Lady Justice on the dome of the building. Parking, I entered the building looking for the directory. The office I was looking for was on the second floor. There was an elevator, but I decided to take the stairs. It was slow, and when I reached the top, I realized I was out of breathe. At that moment, I decided to lose weight and get in shape. Thinking back to Joseph, maybe it would have been different if I wasn’t so fat.

Walking into the city planning office, I told the receptionist I was here to discuss the taxes on the property known as the Coquina Hotel. She called someone and asked me to take a seat, and someone would come for me.

I sat there for approximately 15 minutes when a young man showed up. He spoke to the receptionist, looked at me, nodded back to the receptionist, and headed in my direction. I stood as he approached, “My name is Brad Turner. You are here concerning the property known as the Coquina hotel?”

“Yes, my name is Roger Larson, and I’m interested in purchasing that property. I understand that the City owns it for tax delinquency.”

“That is correct. If you come to my office, I’ll get the records for that property.”

I followed him to his office, another short staircase, definitely the elevator next time. He called someone, and soon a young lady brought in a folder. He opened the folder, scanned the information, “According to this document, taxes have not been paid on that property for 15 years. I understood that the previous owners didn’t want the property and let the county take it for taxes.”

“That is my understanding as well.”

“You are willing to pay the back taxes for ownership of the property.”

"Yes, I want to rebuild the old hotel.”

“According to these papers, the propert was put on auction ten years ago with the proviso the hotel became operational. There were no bids. You are willing to meet those conditions?”

“Yes, as long as the taxes reflect only the land and not the building or what is left of the building.”

“But you intend to operate a hotel there?

“Yes, the original hotel can not be operated as is and must be rebuilt. That in and of itself will cost a rather large sum of money.”

“You understand that if you obtain the land as it was first placed on auction and did not follow through with the ultimate condition of operating a hotel on that property, you will lose your investment and any taxes you have paid.”

‘Yes”

“When the property was placed on auction, the opening bid was set at 50,000. You would have to meet that.”

“Yes, I’m able to do that.”

“I’ll have our lawyer draw up the papers. We will need a cashier check for 50,000 dollars. Let’s meet this week on Friday at 1:30.”

I stood up, we shook hands, and I almost danced down the stairs. This was going to happen.

I drove back to the motel and told the owner that I would be closing on the property of the Coquina Hotel on Friday. He congratulated me and wanted to know what my plans were.

I told him as soon as I conclude the deal, I will look for a contractor to renovate the old hotel.