WINK Investigates: For the first time, Beattie Development owner Paul Beattie speaks out during liquidation after allegationsLocal Rabbi and Israeli soldier speak on Iran missile attack
CAPE CORAL WINK Investigates: For the first time, Beattie Development owner Paul Beattie speaks out during liquidation after allegations On Tuesday for the first time, Paul Beattie, owner of Beattie Development, who a lot of people say owe them a lot of money, is speaking out.
FORT MYERS Local Rabbi and Israeli soldier speak on Iran missile attack Israeli authorities said Iran launched dozens of missiles at the country.
PORT CHARLOTTE “It was just a monster in disguise,” Port Charlotte couple cleans up after Helene Wesley and Karen Wingate will never forget what they had for dinner September 27th.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IRS announces tax relief for those affected by Helene The IRS has just announced tax relief for people affected by Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS BEACH How the Fort Myers Beach community is handling Helene’s aftermath One storm hit Fort Myers Beach, but the damage is as different from block to block as the stories their homeowners tell
SOUTH FORT MYERS Submerged car in Fort Myers neighborhood has people worried A submerged car has neighbors worried that their pond will become polluted. One neighbor told WINK News that the vehicle has been in the pond since Hurricane Helene.
Collier County expands mosquito control district The Collier Mosquito Control District is expanding to different areas, and new tools are being used to keep the mosquito population under control as more standing water remains following Hurricane Helene.
CAPE CORAL Memorial benches being removed from Jaycee Park in Cape Coral After years of discussions, the City of Cape Coral will start to remove items from Jaycee Park as part of ongoing improvements.
ST. JAMES CITY How residents of St. James City are coping after Helene Once known for sunsets and dolphins, the tiny island community of St. James City is once again cleaning up after a hurricane.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Charlotte County woman and dog rescued from home during Helene Amidst the rising waters of Hurricane Helene, a woman and her dog sought safety atop the kitchen counter inside their Charlotte County home.
NAPLES After 60 years in River Park, neighbors moving out because of Hurricane Helene Southwest Florida is still feeling the impacts from Helene, and a Naples community got the brunt of the storm.
ESTERO SWFL 12-year-old swimmer earns statewide recognition Last season Kallen Garnier-Chan achieved a national ranked top three time in the 800 and 1000 meter freestyle.
NORTH PORT Family continues legal battle with Heritage Insurance A husband and wife will not quit the fight with their homeowner’s insurance.
CAPTIVA Captiva restaurant surrounded by sand after Helene A Captiva restaurant was left almost unrecognizable after Helene, with piles of sand reaching the doors and windows of the establishment.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County offers showers and laundry facilities post-Helene Charlotte County has opened a comfort station equipped with showers and laundry facilities to aid residents struggling with storm recovery.
CAPE CORAL WINK Investigates: For the first time, Beattie Development owner Paul Beattie speaks out during liquidation after allegations On Tuesday for the first time, Paul Beattie, owner of Beattie Development, who a lot of people say owe them a lot of money, is speaking out.
FORT MYERS Local Rabbi and Israeli soldier speak on Iran missile attack Israeli authorities said Iran launched dozens of missiles at the country.
PORT CHARLOTTE “It was just a monster in disguise,” Port Charlotte couple cleans up after Helene Wesley and Karen Wingate will never forget what they had for dinner September 27th.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IRS announces tax relief for those affected by Helene The IRS has just announced tax relief for people affected by Hurricane Helene.
FORT MYERS BEACH How the Fort Myers Beach community is handling Helene’s aftermath One storm hit Fort Myers Beach, but the damage is as different from block to block as the stories their homeowners tell
SOUTH FORT MYERS Submerged car in Fort Myers neighborhood has people worried A submerged car has neighbors worried that their pond will become polluted. One neighbor told WINK News that the vehicle has been in the pond since Hurricane Helene.
Collier County expands mosquito control district The Collier Mosquito Control District is expanding to different areas, and new tools are being used to keep the mosquito population under control as more standing water remains following Hurricane Helene.
CAPE CORAL Memorial benches being removed from Jaycee Park in Cape Coral After years of discussions, the City of Cape Coral will start to remove items from Jaycee Park as part of ongoing improvements.
ST. JAMES CITY How residents of St. James City are coping after Helene Once known for sunsets and dolphins, the tiny island community of St. James City is once again cleaning up after a hurricane.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Charlotte County woman and dog rescued from home during Helene Amidst the rising waters of Hurricane Helene, a woman and her dog sought safety atop the kitchen counter inside their Charlotte County home.
NAPLES After 60 years in River Park, neighbors moving out because of Hurricane Helene Southwest Florida is still feeling the impacts from Helene, and a Naples community got the brunt of the storm.
ESTERO SWFL 12-year-old swimmer earns statewide recognition Last season Kallen Garnier-Chan achieved a national ranked top three time in the 800 and 1000 meter freestyle.
NORTH PORT Family continues legal battle with Heritage Insurance A husband and wife will not quit the fight with their homeowner’s insurance.
CAPTIVA Captiva restaurant surrounded by sand after Helene A Captiva restaurant was left almost unrecognizable after Helene, with piles of sand reaching the doors and windows of the establishment.
PORT CHARLOTTE Charlotte County offers showers and laundry facilities post-Helene Charlotte County has opened a comfort station equipped with showers and laundry facilities to aid residents struggling with storm recovery.
On Tuesday, for the first time, Paul Beattie, owner of Beattie Development, who a lot of people say owes them a lot of money, is speaking out. Beattie’s on-oath appearance on Zoom follows the raid in August at his construction office in Cape Coral, months of WINK News Investigations, dozens of people coming forward who claim they paid for homes his company never finished and subcontractors saying they were never paid. We still don’t know where the money went, how much Beattie Development has in assets or how far along the investigation is; however, we did learn more about what could’ve caused the collapse of Beattie Development. Beattie on Tuesday said he knew things with his company were going sour in late 2023/early 2024, which brings us to where we are now. Beattie is trying to liquidate his company’s assets after records show he’s about $11 million in debt. The most recent payment a homeowner withdrew for him was in July 2024. Beattie had to answer questions for one hour in his liquidation Zoom meeting Tuesday morning. On Sept. 3rd, he filed for an assignee to take over his company’s assets. Larry Hyman, his assignee, took over the Zoom and asked Beattie numerous questions. Nobody else was allowed to ask questions. Hyman asked Beattie, “Who was at the top of the pyramid? Who was ultimately responsible for the overall operations of the company?” Beattie responded with, “Well, ultimately, I would say my CFO and myself.” Beattie blamed his chief financial officer for the bad finances, as he said he never looked at the books or records. “I didn’t have control over those financial day-to-day operations,” Beattie said. Beattie said he earned a salary of $120,000 a year, whereas his CFO earned $300,000 a year. He said he never took bonus payments. Alan Hamisch, a local attorney not involved with the case, sat through the liquidation Zoom hearing. “I think that some people do try to put a level of a buffer zone so they can say they don’t know what’s going on. But, in a company where it’s a single member LLC, or one individual is the owner, the sole owner of the company, I think it is, at the end of the day, it really is a copout to say, ‘I don’t know the answer. I had somebody taking care of it for me,'” Hamisch said. Hamisch added, “I think what we take away from it is more questions than answers. “We don’t know what the assets are.” He detailed to the court several factors he claims contributed to the downfall of the business. “It was a combination of the extensive price increases since COVID and then the hangover from Hurricane Ian two years ago, a combination of those price increases and what the hurricane did to the labor market and materials market,” Beattie said. “They were extremely hard to manage.” “What I see here is somebody who probably got in over his head; something happened, and we don’t know what happened and probably didn’t know how to get out of it,” Hamisch said. He spoke about the raid of his offices in early August. He said investigators handed him a search warrant. “They took all of our hard copies, our computers. I still don’t have access to any of my electronic devices whether they were business or personal,” Beattie said. When asked why his office was raided by Cape Coral Police and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, he answered, “Because there’s an investigation against the business and myself, I believe.” When Hyman asked Beattie about the government investigation, his attorney, Simon Gaugush, jumped in stating, “I don’t want to interrupt your inquiry, but all that’s being handled by me.” No further questions about the ongoing investigation were asked. “In these kind of proceedings, you gotta make sure that if there are criminal allegations out there that you’re not admitting to something under oath because it can be used against you in the criminal case,” Hamisch said. Beattie brought up his warehouse, which he was evicted from for not paying rent. “I want to put on record Larry [Hyman] is what we talked about, the extra supplies in the warehouse, the extra sliding glass doors, the extra cabinets. There’s a lot of extra material,” Beattie said. He went on to say that he assumes the landlord took all of it and cleaned the space out. The court reporter said the amount of participants in the Zoom was a record for her. 66 Zoom participants, including homeowners, subcontractors and attorneys both directly involved and not directly involved in the case, sat and watched Beattie’s testimony carefully. Beattie’s multiple attorneys also attended the court hearing. When asked about the assets Beattie listed on the liquidation documents, he doubled down, saying the homeowners owe him money. He claimed they were his assets because of unpaid liens. The homeowners said they’ve already paid him double or triple. Some homeowners tell WINK News they didn’t get the answers they needed. So what should they do now? “If were to recap the meeting, what I would say is make sure you file your proof of claim. Proof of claim is the most important; the most important thing you can do to recover money. And I’m not even saying there is money. It’s very hard to tell if there’s money and who’s going to get paid,” Hamisch said. Even if your name isn’t mentioned in the liquidation documents, you can still file a proof of claim. They are due Jan. 3. Beattie also said since the beginning of September, he has been served with several more lawsuits. Law enforcement still isn’t talking about the investigation. WINK News did reach out to Beattie’s attorney and did not hear back. RELATED: Lawyers for Beattie Development release statement; Former customers respond with statement Beattie Development Warehouse; homeowners items on sale and Beattie cars towed to be resold WINK Investigates: Beattie Development homeowners call on state to change construction laws “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” former Beattie customer says. Another former Beattie employee speaks out WINK Investigates: DBPR investigating Beattie Development EXCLUSIVE: Former Beattie Development project manager speaks out WINK Investigates: Numbers rise of those claiming to be impacted by Beattie Development Where’s Beattie? Former customers speak out; connect through group chat Beattie Development subcontractors speak out WINK Investigates: Beattie Development in debt for more than $11 million WINK Investigates: How to protect yourself when hiring a contractor Beattie Development now has “F” rating on Better Business Bureau