PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — State Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart, is calling for the suspension of Pro Pool Builders license.
Complaints continue to pile up at Treasure Coast law enforcement agencies about unfinished pools, money lost and management not returning customer calls.
Nearly 30 complaints have been made to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. At least a dozen complaints have been filed with the Port St. Lucie Police Department.
The Attorney General's Office has also received 15 complaints from Boynton Beach, Loxahatchee, Jupiter and the Treasure Coast.
Yvette Jelinek, in Jupiter, filed one of those complaints with the attorney general.
She signed her contract with Pro Pool Builders last June.
After paying $26,000, she said, she stopped hearing from the company in February. She has a mound of sand in her yard, ripped-up grass, a large hole with rebar and standing water.
"At night, we have a symphony of frogs," Jelinek said. "I didn't want a hole sitting there for months like it is now."
RELATED: Customers of Pro Pool Builders out thousands of dollars, left with big empty holes
Snyder said he called the Department of Business and Professional Regulation this week, calling for the suspension of Pro Pool Builders license.
"The first step is trying to get that license put on hold," Snyder said. "My call to any zoning or permitting authority on the Treasure Coast — stop issuing permits to Pro Pool Builders immediately."
This is the second pool company in less than a year that has been investigated in Snyder’s district.
The owners of Amore Pools Inc., Chrystal and Brian Washburn, remain in jail on charges related to fraud, money laundering and scheming to take millions of dollars from customers.
Snyder is disappointed to hear of another potential "bad actor."
"They have failed their customers and we're seeing the ramifications all up and down the Treasure Coast, and we've got to do something about this," Snyder said.
He said there are ways the state could potentially step in, which he is exploring.
"If municipalities and counties fail to take the proper steps to protect their consumers, that's when the legislature gets involved and says, 'We're going to pass standards across the state level,' and it certainly seems on the Treasure Coast, we're trying very hard to go in that direction," Snyder said.
Martin County's licensing board meets Wednesday. Numerous Pro Pool Builders customers plan to attend to voice their concerns about the company.
