- April 23, 2024
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Homeowners whose remodeling jobs have been derailed by unscrupulous contractors have an advocate at Palm Coast City Hall. Addressing accounts of duplicity, such as residents being abandoned with huge loan payments or contractors lending their licenses to each other for work they’re unqualified to do, Compliance Supervisor Luis Mendez takes each report seriously. Every case is unique; each incident distressing.
When Mendez receives a resident’s statement regarding dishonesty from a Flagler County registered contractor, he opens an investigation, following both the Code Enforcement and Building Department processes. Cases usually involve either unlicensed contractors, those with licenses who work beyond the scope of their qualifications, or those who cause hardship to a consumer. He presents his case to the Flagler County Contractor Licensing Review Board for arbitration and restitution. Sometimes cases are forwarded to the Florida State Attorney’s office for further scrutiny.
“Luis has been serving Palm Coast citizens in the Code Enforcement Department since 2007,” Code Enforcement Manager Barbara Grossman says. “He’s extremely familiar with all aspects of City Code and he’s also a former New York City detective. There’s no one more methodical and detailed than Luis when it comes to investigating devious contractors and finally compensating members of our community.”
Mendez and the city’s Community Development Department ask residents to consider that before they hire someone to do plumbing, electrical work, room remodeling, roofing or other similar jobs in your home, to please perform your due diligence beforehand:
“No one should ever be taken advantage of in Palm Coast,” Mendez states. “Residents need to know that we are working very hard to ensure they receive justice from illegal activity from unlicensed contractors or licensed contractors that perform work that is not in their scope of work. This not only brings justice to our residents but also to the licensed hard-working contractors that conduct business in our city.”
If you are concerned about a contractor’s job at your residence, contact Palm Coast’s Business Tax Receipt Department at 386-986-3766 or the Code Enforcement Department at 386-986-3764. You can find registered contractor’s in Palm Coast by visiting: https://www.palmcoastgov.com/search/contractors
