When contractors leave property owners in the lurch, subcontractors are often victimized as well. Chip Bachara explains in this First Coast News story about the brouhaha surrounding Nocatee builder Pineapple Corp.
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State Attorney R.J. Larizza says “target-rich environment” in Northeast Florida where people are being ‘fraud swindled’ by roof companies, pool companies, etc.
The State Attorney’s Office said it’s been a “nightmare” in a news conference held Monday for some homeowners in Nocatee, after a builder was charged with leaving several homes, including that of reality TV star Captain Sandy Yawn’s, unfinished over the course of four years.
Spencer Calvert, 51, is charged with misappropriation of construction funds $100,000 or more, grand larceny of $100,000 or more, and fraud-swindle to obtain property $50,000 or more, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. He is the president of Pineapple Corporation.
Yawn, the star of Bravo’s “Below Deck Mediterranean” said Calvert left her “high and dry” during the construction of her Nocatee home. Yawn said she was stuck paying possibly $800,000 to buy lights, countertops, toilets, and a roof and was left with a “shell” of a home. Some other homeowners “have a slab” in their home under construction, while others have dished out over $2 million to Calvert, according to State Attorney R.J. Larizza
Larizza said over $15 million was partially misappropriated from 13 victims, adding Calvert collected the money from his customers from 2019-2023 in the form of deposits and withdrawals.
Larizza further stated that Florida Statute 713.345, which he dubbed the “to rob Peter to pay Paul” statute, was created in 1990 to give the State Attorney’s Office (SAO) the opportunity to address this type of crime. He says it’s been a “disturbing trend” and “target-rich environment” in Northeast Florida where people are being ‘fraud swindled’ by roof companies and pool companies because it’s “sometimes fueled by greed and sometimes incompetence.”
The SAO’s goal, according to Larizza, is not only to hold Calvert accountable, but also to get restitution to the victims. However, he warned that he can’t guarantee “that they’ll get all their money back or how much they may get back.”
Cobb & Gonzalez is representing eight neighbors in the ‘The Vista at Twenty Mile’ neighborhood who allege that Calvert left their homes unfinished. They are suing both Calvert and the Pineapple Corp. in separate suits. Thirteen initial victims came forward and reported their experience with Calvert to SJSO Property Crimes Unit detectives, according to a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Gonzalez said it’s been almost a year since Calvert was paid and he never applied for permits to begin construction, exceeding the limit allowed by law by many months.
SJSO also said in the release that Calvert failed to pay subcontractors with the funds provided by the victims for labor, services or materials provided, which caused more than $900,000 in liens to be filed against the victims.
“Calvert is accused of knowingly and intentionally accepting deposits and abandoning the project without any attempt to refund or correct the situation,” SJSO said in the release.
Multiple subcontractors are now represented by attorney Chip Bachara. Bachara says while some subcontractors could get money back through liens, many will have to file lien claims against the property.
“You can’t go back and take back your framing work or your concrete block and the mortar, you can’t go and do that. And so these are the hard working folks in our community that are badly damaged by all of this,” Bachara said. “The subcontractors and the homeowners are the true victims here.”
SJSO says details on the case will be released “when appropriate,” as it is currently under an active investigation.
“We are grateful for the hard work from the detective who is working the case and made this possible,” Capt. Sandy Yawn said in a statement sent to First Coast News last Thursday.
Calvert was taken into custody after an arrest warrant was served at his home in Jacksonville on Feb. 22 around 2:46 p.m. According to Calvert’s arrest report, a JSO officer met with St. Johns County Sheriff’s detectives and JSO detectives when Calvert was detained before his arrest. Calvert was then taken to the Police Memorial Building in Downtown Jacksonville to be interviewed by SJSO detectives under the supervision of JSO detectives, and afterward, was placed in Duval County Jail.
Calvert has since been released from jail after posting a $300,000 bond. Larizza said his passport has also been seized.
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Malcolm Harvey, Atyia Collins, First Coast News (On Your Side)
Contact: Susan Pelter, Susan Pelter Communications, (904) 608-0798