Owner of St. Augustine’s ‘The Local’ fearful of TikTok ban bill [Video]

ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. — The TikTok ban bill may be signed into law by Congress by the end of the year, creating security concerns for political leaders and small business owners who depend on the app.

There were many things Leila Bedoian didn’t know when she bought the nearly 80-year-old motel, The Local, in St. Augustine. One of those was gaining thousands of followers on TikTok from videos about her business.

“I kind of forgot about it for a couple of days,” Bedoian told First Coast News. “And then all of a sudden, I looked down and I had a million views on one of my TikToks.”

Bedoian says her TikTok platformdraws in 50,000 potential guests every month, adding that she relies on the …