MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Rebar and grime. That’s all Soraya Hernandez mentioned she needed to present for the $19,875 she paid for a brand new pool in her yard.
“Actually, I wouldn’t want this on my worst enemy,” she mentioned.
Hernandez mentioned she employed and paid Joseph Valdez and Sunshine Swimming pools & Contracting Group, Inc. in early 2021. She mentioned permits weren’t filed till the next April, and the opening was not dug, till September.
The concrete and tile work the Go away it to Layron staff noticed underway, greater than a 12 months later, was all executed by a unique contractor Hernandez employed to complete the job Valdez and Sunshine by no means returned to do.
“We needed to give you the twenty grand that he stole, plus the remaining [to finish].”
Hernandez is only one of dozens of shoppers who declare they employed Valdez and Sunshine, solely to be left with piles of grime, holes, or unfinished swimming pools. A Fb group began by alleged Valdez victims now has greater than 220 members.
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“He by no means had any intention of ending our swimming pools,” Hernandez mentioned. “Even after he filed for chapter, he was nonetheless taking cash for, and promising to complete jobs that he wasn’t doing.”
Valdez filed for chapter in March 2022.
After we stopped by Sunshine’s southwest Miami-Dade headquarters, every part was locked-up tight. Nobody answered the door, or our cellphone calls. We’re nonetheless ready to listen to again from Valdez’s chapter lawyer.
Hernandez mentioned her largest frustration is having nowhere to show.
“We attempt to go to town, we get despatched to the state. We go to the police, and so they say it’s a civil matter—that they will’t deal with it,” she mentioned.
She mentioned the one widespread response she will get is, she ought to rent an lawyer.
“However, when you don’t have cash to go to an lawyer, like us – we misplaced $20,000 on this undertaking – you’re out of luck,” she mentioned.
“We’re doing our half, and we’re offering one of the best companies we are able to,” mentioned Jorge Peña. Peña supervises Miami-Dade’s contractor licensing enforcement part, together with six investigators who deal with contractor complaints.
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Native 10 Information requested him if these six investigators was sufficient.
“Sure,” he mentioned. “We’re busy, however we’re dealing with it.”
Peña mentioned his division efficiently negotiated greater than $161,000 in restitution, in 2021. That’s cash paid to property homeowners by contractors to settle disputes. He mentioned the county has already negotiated greater than $156,000 in restitution, to date, this 12 months.
“As soon as we see that there’s trigger to carry felony fees in opposition to that particular person, we stack that case with the corresponding police division,” Peña mentioned.
The county logged 340 contractor complaints, final 12 months. Of these, Peña mentioned 59 turned felony instances.
“The state lawyer’s workplace has informed us that if we’ve got proof that work was carried out, we don’t have against the law,” he mentioned. “It’s a civil matter.”
Investigators’ arms will be tied if their license will not be issued by the county, and moderately the state by the Division of Enterprise and Skilled Regulation. However, Peña mentioned there are methods to carry contractors accountable. He mentioned Valdez and Sunshine Swimming pools had almost two-dozen expired permits on document with the county, all for various jobs relationship again to final 12 months.
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“What ended up taking place right here is that they didn’t appropriate the permits, so we suspended their license.” Which means, underneath their present license, Sunshine can’t pull any extra permits in Miami-Dade, doubtlessly for the subsequent decade.
Many instances, Peña mentioned, contractors get in over their heads and tackle *too many roles, they mismanage cash and cease working. In different instances, he mentioned, they’re simply thieves.
“A few of them are predators. There’s no query about that,” he mentioned.
TIPS ON HIRING A CONTRACTOR
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Officers advise all the time having a signed contracted with fee phrases clearly spelled out
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Handwritten contracts, and contracts that don’t embrace contractor license numbers are all the time pink flags
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Being informed the job will be executed with out permits, and asking for substantial upfront funds, additionally pink flags
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By no means pay in money
For extra beneficial info on hiring a contractor, click on right here.
“Sadly, what ends of up taking place is that they have, now, work that was deserted, [and] they’re accountable for correcting these code violations.” Chaveli Moreno mentioned that’s the place she and Miami-Dade’s enforcement assist and customer support workers are available—ideally, earlier than the work begins.
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Moreno mentioned county staff can let you know if contractors have open, or expired permits, in the event that they’ve had any complaints in opposition to them, what their present license and insurance coverage standing is, and likewise, the scope of labor you’re doing—whether or not it requires permits, or not. “We need to be that first step to get them by the method, accurately,” she mentioned.
The verify if a contractor is licensed, and to speak to somebody about submitting a criticism in Miami-Dade County, name 786-315-2424.
Miami-Dade County officers inform the LITL staff DBPR has indicated to them that the division is trying into felony fees in opposition to Valdez and Sunshine Swimming pools. We’re nonetheless ready to for DBPR to substantiate that info.
And beginning July 2023, a brand new state regulation goes into impact: solely the state can be in command of issuing and renewing sure contractor licenses, that means native licensing departments will not be capable to license sure specialty trades.
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