Melbourne landscaper Alfred Pellegrino moved into Riders on the Storm Inn in January, renting a room at the aging U.S. 1 weekly-rental motel while battling numbness in his hands — a threat to his livelihood.

Like his fellow tenants, Pellegrino unexpectedly learned last week that the motel is shutting down. And they were told they must leave the premises by Friday, when utilities will be shut off.

"I was shocked. I have nowhere to go. And plus, I hurt myself in my room," Pellegrino said Monday morning, wearing a white Holmes Regional Medical Center wristband.

"I had a mini-stroke, and I don't know where to go. I fell in the shower in my room last week, and I have a giant contusion on the back of my leg," said Pellegrino, who does not own a phone.

On Friday, South Brevard Sharing Center Operations Manager Tammy Breeden distributed fliers at Riders on the Storm Inn outlining available relief resources for the motel's low-income residents. Executive Director Pamela Gunthorpe said 30 to 40 tenants may be impacted — "they're going to be in a state of crisis."

"The important thing to note here is, these are our community's service-sector workers. Disabled elderly neighbors. These aren't the chronically homeless," Gunthorpe said.

Located just north of Hibiscus Boulevard, the aging 48-unit motel is owned by a Fort Lauderdale corporation. The establishment previously operated as Colonial Inn for many years before changing to a business name based on the 1971 hit song by The Doors and the band's legendary singer, Melbourne native Jim Morrison.

The motel office was locked Monday, and "Sorry We're Closed" signs were posted in the windows. Phone messages were left seeking comment from management and ownership.

The Riders on the Storm Inn website advertises weekly furnished room rates starting from $245 for single and "couple" occupancy.

Gabriella Hall, who works at a plant nursery, has lived at the motel since December 2019. She and her live-in boyfriend, Dennis Hohman, who is looking for a job, said they now hope to start renting loft space from one of his former coworkers for $200 per week.

The couple said some older residents have lived at the motel for nearly a decade. Pointing at a door across the parking lot, Hohman said one neighbor who has lived there since 2014 has no other housing options.

"Unfortunately with her, she has nowhere to go. She was talking about pitching a tent in Wickham Park. And she's 62," Hohman said.

"That's what I was thinking of doing, actually," Pellegrino replied. "I mean, where am I going to go?"

The South Brevard Sharing Center operates a food pantry and a low-cost thrift store on Hibiscus Boulevard. The nonprofit offers the needy food, clothing, household items and financial vouchers for prescriptions, utilities, rent and miscellaneous items.

"In the past month, we have seen a record number of families visit our sharing center. Food prices have increased forcing families to choose between buying groceries or putting gas in their car," the nonprofit said in a July 8 Facebook post.

Space Coast's affordable housing crisis

Gunthorpe said the pending closure of Riders on the Storm Inn is exacerbated by the Space Coast's affordable housing crisis.

“We don’t own a shelter. We have just a little bit of emergency-shelter funds left, I believe. So there's not a whole lot that we as an organization can do for them," Gunthorpe said.

"But that's pretty much the state of Brevard County right now. We don't have a lot of housing that's available. There are people flocking to our community and moving in every single day — and it's just making it more and more difficult for the folks who do live here when a situation like this happens," she said.

Riders on the Storm Inn met inspection standards during a Feb. 21 inspection and remains licensed through April 1, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation records show.

The motor inn's buildings date to 1926 and 1945, property records show. The property measures 1.7 acres.

Motel resident Eric Hasselbeck works from his room scheduling health care appointments. He said he does not know where he is going to move.

"There was no notice, no documentation — it was just a knock on the door Wednesday for everybody," Hasselbeck said.

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