[ad_1]
A $2 million settlement (and pending lawsuits) after a tourist was killed during a carjacking at a rental community is a warning sign for the short-term rental industry, the victim’s mother and attorney said .
Jeremiah Brown was 22 years old in July 2022, when he, his girlfriend and their children took a celebratory vacation from California to Central Florida, where they stayed at the sprawling rental community called ChampionsGate.
Unbeknownst to them, the rental properties were actively targeted by violent criminals for months. Two days after Brown’s trip, he was fatally shot in the rib during a carjacking and thrown from his car, according to a police report.
“His life was just beginning,” his mother, Lorrie Brown, said at a news conference last week announcing the settlement. “He came to Florida to celebrate his certification as a forklift driver. He was here for the rides and the amusement parks. He wasn’t even here two full days when they killed him.”
SEARCH FOR MISSING CRUISE SHIP IN MEXICO COMPLICATED BY JUNGLE TERRAIN
The suspects, later identified as Tyrell Johnson and Jimmy Robinson III, passed security through a broken gate and entered the property through an exit lane, according to a police report.
Both suspects’ mobile phones shared the same location history and travel route from approximately 11:35 p.m. on July 20, 2022 to 1:30 a.m. on July 21, 2022, according to the report.
HIDDEN CAMERAS WARNING FOR TRAVELERS IN HOTELS, RENTALS: WHAT TO KNOW AND HOW TO FIND THEM
That includes the time of the homicide, which the report narrows down to a window between 12:21 a.m. and 1:29 a.m. on July 21, 2022.
The suspects were charged with grand larceny and accessory after the fact. Johnson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years behind bars, court records show, while Robinson’s case is pending.
Lorrie and his attorney, Pedro Echarte, reached a settlement with ChampionsGate’s security company, RAMCO Protective of Orlando, Inc., but both said the rental community and the industry as a whole have blood on their hands.
Orlando’s RAMCO Protective did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, and a representative for the rental section of ChampionsGate, which is separate from the Omni ChampionsGate complex, could not be reached.
But Lorrie and her attorney said they (and the short-term rental market industry) are “partly to blame” for Jeremiah’s death, and that the industry needs an overhaul.
ChampionsGate “should have put safety before its bottom line” and warned Jeremiah and other tenants about the increase in violent crime in and around the area, Echarte told Fox News Digital.
WATCH: FLORIDA POLICE AND GUNMAN EXCHANGE SHOTS AT HOTEL AFTER COPS LURED BY A FAKE MURDER CONFESSION: BODYCAM
Johnson was among the victims of 11 crimes at ChampionsGate between Nov. 22, 2021, and Jan. 3, 2022, according to the police report.
“They (ChampionsGate) withheld information that could have changed Jeremiah’s mind about where to stay and spared his life,” said Echarte, who emphasized that the risks of short-term rentals are not limited to the Florida community.
“It’s a massive, unregulated industry that operates without any real regulations.”
Airbnb could not immediately be reached for comment.
Read the full police report
The short-term rental business, like Airbnb, soared during the pandemic as many hotels were forced to close, according to a Airdna March 2024 Report.
They surpassed hotels in average daily rates, revenue per available room and length of stay, and demand is projected to increase from 14.6% in 2023 to an estimated 15.4% in 2024, according to the report.
AMERICANS MISSING ON NORWEGIAN CRUISE SHIP SAVE ELDERLY PASSENGER, WHOSE FAMILY SAYS: SHIP ‘LEFT HER TO DIE’
Precedence Research, a market research company, said in a report from February 2024 The global short-term rental market size exceeded $112.31 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach around $315.18 billion in 2033.
In the United States, the market will reach approximately $29.09 billion in 2023 and is poised to skyrocket to approximately $81.63 billion by 2023, according to Precedence Research.
“With the rise of online platforms and booking websites like Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com, short-term rentals have become increasingly popular among travelers looking for unique and flexible accommodation options,” it says. The report.
But it also carries risks because there is no oversight body or uniform regulations on short-term rentals, said Echarte, who said the potential dangers depend on where the rental is located.
He said he has another civil case in which dozens of vacationers fell ill from carbon monoxide poisoning at a Mexican Airbnb, which is still playing out in court.
“I hope these companies learn from their mistakes that murders can be prevented,” Lorrie Brown said during a news conference last week outside ChampionsGate.
[ad_2]
