Tampa police searching records, questioning clients at pain clinic

TAMPA — Nestled between a gentleman's club and an exotic boutique sits a plain white building with a sign that simply reads: "Medical Center."

Despite the clinic's unlikely location and nondescript facade, large crowds of people gathered there every day, many with out-of-state license plates, said David Fowler, who works at Stadium Jewelry and Pawn, which shares a parking lot with the clinic.

A security guard often stood outside the clinic doors, the 19-year-old said, and walked along the sidewalk to make sure the crowd was orderly.

On Monday afternoon, Tampa police raided the pain clinic at 2316 N Dale Mabry Highway after business owners called attention to the number of people coming and going from the business.

With a search warrant in hand, officers detained more than a dozen customers for questioning and gathered evidence, said Jim Contento, a Tampa police spokesman.

"I have a feeling they will be shut down," he said.

No arrests or seizures were expected Monday, but Contento said investigators were looking into reports of illegal activity at the pain clinic.

He said it will probably be closed this morning and could be shut down for good.

State records show the business at that address is incorporated as 1st Medical Group LLC. The woman listed as its manager, Michele Gonzalez, could not be reached for comment Monday.

A website for the company says the clinic is staffed by three doctors and accepts patients from out of state.

An initial exam costs $300 and a followup appointment is $150.

A man standing outside the clinic Monday afternoon said he was inside waiting to receive a prescription for oxycodone when police burst in.

He said he had already met with a doctor and paid $300 cash.

He came to the clinic from his home in Lexington, Ky., he said, after his friends recommended it as a legitimate place for him to get treatment for a back injury.

The city of Tampa is among several bay area governments cracking down on pain clinics, which law enforcement agencies say sometimes operate as pill mills that dispense prescription pain medications while asking few questions.

In May, the Tampa City Council passed an emergency law requiring pain clinic operators to seek special permits. It also allows Tampa police to inspect the businesses whenever they're open or occupied.

On July 15, the ordinance was officially adopted and an amendment was approved adding even stricter permit requirements.

On Monday afternoon, 51-year-old Pamela Levitt was buying dog food in a neighboring pet supply store when she noticed police and news media outside the pain clinic. Levitt, who has Stage 3 metastatic breast cancer, said she is frustrated by the illegal activity that some clinics are participating in.

"It makes it harder for people like myself, who have legitimate pain problems that last lifelong, to get prescription pain medication," she said.

Levitt said she goes to a pain clinic staffed by doctors from St. Joseph's Hospital and her insurance pays for her visits and medications.

But it can still be hard, she said, to get pain medication prescriptions filled because of people abusing them.

"I'm glad they are cracking down on it," she said.