WINK Investigates: Numbers rise of those claiming to be impacted by Beattie Development

Since we showed you Beattie Development‘s Cape Coral office being raided by police a month ago, the number of complaints to the Florida Attorney General has more than doubled, from 15 to 38.

WINK News still get emails and are discovering new lawsuits concerning Beattie Development. WINK Investigations has uncovered problems Florida homeowners are facing because they did business with Beattie Development.

Florida is the sunshine state for a reason, but for some, it has turned ugly.

“My husband’s lifelong dream wants to be able to walk out his back door and fish,” Roberta Murphy, a former Beattie Development customer said.

Money is gone and houses are unfinished.

“We came one we came one day, and the sign was off the property. So at that point we knew he was he’s not coming back,” Ramon Rosas, a former Beattie Development customer said.

Paul Beattie, the owner of Beattie Development, is nowhere to be found.

“We got burned,” John Fitzgerald, a former Beattie Development customer said.

The list of homeowners, subtractors, employees and members of the community who have been impacted by Beattie Development continues to grow.

“I think all of us went through a depression like no depression you’ve ever been through,” Mary Ann Fitzgerald, a former Beattie Development customer said.

One contractor WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean spoke to said it’s the “biggest failure of a contractor in southwest Florida history.”

“Emotionally, I think it hurts a lot. It hurts more financially now,” Ed Nagy, a former Beattie Development customer said.

“This is really far reaching. I mean, there is really about 100 of us, and it’s not only just us as the homeowners or the home builders or what have you. It’s the community,” Jason Yoraway, a former Beattie Development customer said.

“Hit after hit after hit, and meanwhile, there hasn’t been any justice served to the person who has created this frigging nightmare,” Kristen Kramer, a former Beattie Development customer said.

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Unfinished homes have sat for years and with hundreds of thousands of dollars gone, some homeowners had to change their building plans.

“We’re still going to be out the outdoor kitchen that I paid for that I’m not getting. I don’t have the money to afford to put one in right away and the circle driveway we were supposed to get. It’s an extra $10,000 we can’t afford that right now,” Rosas said.

Some didn’t even have enough money to hire a new contractor.

“She’s a contractor. I’m the project manager,” Rosas joked with his wife said.

Some are hiring the subcontractors on their own.

“We’re absolutely calling all vendors on our own, paying everything for out of pocket, and so we are getting to the final stages to get to that certificate of occupancy and doing final inspections,” Yoraway said.

“Even though we don’t have the money to finish it without borrowing more and cleaning out a 401k, at least we have some control,” Nagy said.

But before anyone can move into their home, they face another issue: liens.

“We’re talking close to $170,000 right now, and we’re fast approaching $200,000 it’s not stopping. Everyday I’m checking for more liens, or more of this or something that’s not unpaid, and the list keeps growing for us and everybody else,” Yoraway said.

WINK News checked again with Cape Police and Beattie’s attorney and got no new information.

As of right now, Paul Beattie still has active contractor licenses.

The Cape Coral Construction Industry association, a group that Paul Beattie used to be a member of, sent WINK News a statement.

“The situation involving Beattie Development and Paul Beattie is unfortunate and unacceptable. The CCCIA sympathizes with the victims and feels the way Beattie development handled the last several months negatively impacted the industry and the community. Homeowners having to pay multiple times for the same end product hurts their confidence in the construction industry and undermines trust between homeowners and their customers. The way in which Beattie Development collapsed also put homeowners in direct conflict with suppliers and subcontractors who have also not been paid by Beattie Development for the work and material they provided. This conflict is a major impediment to the business environment and threatens the health of the victims, homeowners and businesses alike. The CCCIA has communicated with some victims of Beattie Development and expressed willingness to provide resources and referrals to help homeowners complete their houses. We are standing by to help in any way we can,” – Eric Glocer, CCCIA President 2024