Business owner disciplined by state returns with new company name, new problems

After Hurricane Irma hit, the Boczers needed work done to their family condo. But getting it all done turned into a different type of storm.

How it happened

Sister Amy and Karyn, and their father, Bill, hired Divine Design and Floor Covering in Naples for the job. They contracted for flooring and other cosmetic updates, totaling around $7,500. But what should have taken a month dragged on for eight months, the family says.

“It’s never his fault. He always had some sort of excuse from going through a bad divorce; he was in a car accident; his dog needed surgery. I mean, we heard every excuse from this guy,” Amy said.

And the guy Amy is referring to?

“A contractor named Chris Divine – or at least that was the name I was led to believe,” Amy said.

But Chris’s last name is actually Pascale, and he owns Bonita Springs Floor Covering, a business WINK investigated after customers complained about work not getting done. We matched the names using the state’s business registration site, Sunbiz. The Boczers also identified him in a prior mugshot.

In 2018, Pascale was arrested for contracting without a license, but court records show the case was dropped.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the state’s licensing board, investigated Pascale for working without a license and fined him thousands. The state said Pascale never paid those fines.

The attorney general investigated Bonita Springs Floor Covering for not completing work, reaching a deal last year. Pascale agreed not to take deposits if he couldn’t do a job and to pay customers back more than $30,000. The Attorney General’s office said they’re “pursuing enforcement of the terms covered in the deal.”

But the Boczers didn’t know any of this because they searched online for Chris Divine.

“Chris is a very talented liar. He’s never good at the actual work,” Amy said.

The Problems

Pictures provided to WINK by the family show the costly workmanship. Floor molding that doesn’t match up, cabinets hung wrong.

“He (Pascale) would literally look at me, but doesn’t it look beautiful? Doesn’t it look great? And I would say no. I am not happy,” Amy said.

Boczer said to help make peace, Pascale offered to throw in a kitchen backsplash.

“They were all jagged. There was no spacing to put grout. Then, within 24 hours, the tiles literally started to peel off the wall, Amy said.

The floor, they thought, was the only thing done right until the manufacturer’s representative stopped by.

“They came out, and the lifetime warranty is voided because of installer error and installation,” Amy said.

The Boczers hired a lawyer and went after Pascale for damages, saying his work cost them thousands to correct. They settled, and the Boczer’s signed a gag-order. But after some of Pascale’s payments bounced, they spoke up, posting flyers and calling us to make sure it does not happen again to anyone else.

“I hope just to get his name out his face out there,” Amy said.

State records now list Divine Design and Floor Covering as inactive, but Bonita Springs Floor Covering as active.

Pascale’s Response

WINK reached out to Pascale about the Boczer’s complaints. Pascale told us Amy Boczer was never a client and that her accusations are false.

WINK obtained the signed Boczer settlement with what appears to be Chris’s signature on the bottom. The signature looks similar to what is signed on the Attorney General’s agreement. WINK also obtained their contract with Divine Design, a cashed check by Divine Design, and emails with Chris’ first name. State records also show Chris Pascale as the company’s president.

http://www.myfloridalegal.com/EC_Edoc.nsf/0/58F7704E8F31A8C285258528004EAE8B/$file/L18-3-1215+AVC+Bonita+Springs+Floor+Covering.pdf