Florida's attorney general is suing a Naples-based construction company that he said deceived Florida residents with hurricane damage with incomplete contracted work and by causing more damage to homes.
James Uthmeier said his office got more than 80 consumer complaints involving Evolve Construction and Restoration, a company offering roof repairs and water damage mitigation services, about what he called "unconscionable acts or practices."
He said the company went door-to-door after Hurricane Ian in 2022 to offer roof repair or replacements, but he said the company didn't have home solicitation sales permits as required by Florida law. He announced the suit at a Sarasota press conference on Sept. 25.
Hurricane Ian was a Category 5 hurricane, one
of the worst storms to hit Southwest Florida. More than 60% of the complaints came from seniors, Uthmeier said. The lawsuit was filed in the 20th Judicial Circuit, which covers Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.
"They stole millions of dollars in insurance money that these residents received that was supposed to go toward home repairs," Uthmeier said. "But the kicker: they didn't do the repairs. In many cases, they did not even begin the repairs, but in all of these cases they certainly did not finish them."
Uthmeier's lawsuit accuses the company of violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, or FDUTPA, which makes "unfair or deceptive acts or (trade) practices" unlawful. He argued this applied against the company and those individually named in the lawsuit, which includes six leaders of and workers licensed with the company.
A complaint in a lawsuit tells one side of a story; Evolve Construction and Restoration did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company, telling WINK News in May, acknowledged some homeowners had delays, and that it had communication issues and operational problems following Ian.
The company disputed allegations that the complaints proved wrongdoing, however. "Hurricane Ian created one of the largest and most chaotic property restoration environments in Florida history," the statement at the time read. "Evolve Construction was not immune to those pressures."
Stephany Matat's role covering First Amendment issues at the USA TODAY Network – Florida is made possible by a collaboration among Freedom Forum, Journalism Funding Partners and the USA TODAY Network. Freedom Forum does not provide editorial input. Reach Matat at smatat@usatodayco.com and @StephanyMatat on X.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida AG Uthmeier sues contractor accused of hurricane fraud
