ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – There is an update Thursday to an I-TEAM investigation on a pool company accused of not finishing contracted work in the Jacksonville area. The license holder of the company is due before the Constructions Trades Qualifying Board in Duval County August 2.
Customers of Staycation Pools & Spas say their pool builds were abandoned. One couple told News4JAX construction started on their pool almost two years ago, and they only have a shell of a pool in their backyard collecting rainwater.
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The license holder of the company - Jordan Pierce Hidaldo - has been ordered to appear for a hearing in Jacksonville on an administrative complaint against him. The complaint comes from code enforcement and the building inspection division. It’s possible Hidalgo could be suspended from building any more pools in Duval County during this hearing.
News4JAX plans to be at the hearing and will keep you posted on what’s decided.
Hidalgo operates several other pool and construction companies, all based in the Tampa area:
- A to Z Gulfcoast Services LLC
- Pinellas Construction Services LLC
- 30 Day Pools
- Pools by Jordan LLC
- Modern Pools
- West Bay Pools
After a News4JAX I-TEAM investigation on Monday, more customers of Staycation Pools & Spas in the Jacksonville area are coming forward alleging the company took their money but never finished construction.
A military veteran couple in Mandarin told the News4JAX I-TEAM they put over $100,000 into a pool build that remains unfinished almost two years later. It’s a similar scene in St. Augustine, where Jimmy Olaciregui’s pool is also collecting rainwater.
Signed contracts show Olaciregui has paid $103,000 to Staycation Pools & Spas. He hired Staycations Pools & Spas in April of 2022 and the dirt from digging the pool in October is still piled high, sitting on the side of his yard.
News4JAX confirmed through the Attorney General’s office that it has received 75 complaints from customers of Hidalgo-owned pool companies.
“After he gets that money that you’ll never hear from him again and then he’ll have a million excuses,” Olaciregui said.
News4JAX talked to Hidalgo on Monday and he said that the Jacksonville office was mismanaged but he could not provide a reason why jobs are not complete.
News4JAX reached out again Wednesday only to be directed to the president of the company, Doug Griffith, for comment on why so many pools are sitting unfinished in the Jacksonville area.
Griffith has not returned our requests for comment.