Martin County pool contractor claims partnership breach upended work on customers' pools

Lamaur Stancil, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

MARTIN COUNTY — A pool contractor under fire for at least 20 unfinished home projects is pointing to a failed subcontractor partnership as the reason why the pools aren't done and the money hasn't been refunded.

"Pro Pool is very upset at what happened to their customers and what happened to their business," said West Palm Beach attorney Ted Miloch on behalf of Pro Pool Builders of Martin County. "This is a very bad situation."

Miloch spoke Friday, which is the first time Pro Pool had addressed complaints from customers whose pools had been dug but not finished.

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Customers said they hadn't been able to contact Pro Pool in months and the company did not appear at two meetings of the Martin County Construction Industry Licensing Board, including one held Wednesday.

Miloch said Pro Pool entered into a $569,000 partnership with a subcontractor in November to get gunite for its pools. Gunite is a concrete-like substance used for pool basins.

According to a complaint filed by Pro Pool, the subcontractor breached the deal in January and has not refunded the money. Pro Pool is suing to get the money back and to refund customers whose pools are not complete.

"Not every business is built like a Fortune 500 company," Miloch said. "Not many businesses can take a half-million-dollar hit."

Rodger Clyne stands on the back porch of his Port St. Lucie home on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, looking out at the giant hole in his backyard that was supposed to be a swimming pool. Clyne contracted the project with Pro Pool Builders which started digging in March, but more than a month and tens of thousands of dollars later, Clyne has not been able to reach anyone at the company. Clyne and his family are just one of dozens of homeowners left stranded by Pro Pool Builders across the Treasure Coast.

The complaint identified Gunite Guys and Beyond of Vero Beach, owned by Michael and Barbara Hooker, as the defendants. The Hookers also own a business called Banker's Maintenance and Inspection in Vero Beach.

The Hookers could not be reached Friday.

The demand and cost for gunite throughout the pool industry means it wasn't an easy option for Pro Pool to find another source for the product, Miloch said.

Customers had been taking their complaints to the county licensing board, which has the power to not give permits to a company or to revoke its business license.

Wednesday, the board indefinitely revoked the Pro Pool license, based on contact from the company, in which it agreed to the discipline, according to an order written up for the meeting.

Pro Pool Builders contractor Robert Sigman Jr. agreed to the order and signed it Tuesday, according to county records.

Lamaur Stancil is the Treasure Coast regional economy reporter covering business and industries, including retail, tourism and hospitality. Contact him at 321-987-7179 or lamaur.stancil@tcpalm.com and follow him at Lamaur Stancil on Facebook and @TCPalmLStancil on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Pro Pool Builders claims failed partnership caused work stoppage