An unlicensed contractor has been arrested after allegedly ripping off a Villager to the tune of $29,000 in a kitchen renovation project.
Paul Anthony Floramo, 68, of Summerfield, was arrested this week on a Sumter County warrant charging him with contracting without a license. He was taken into custody by Marion County sheriff’s deputies at the Mulberry Grove Recreation Center.
A Village of Rio Grande woman had hired Floramo’s company, Kitchen and Bath Studios of Ocala, to remodel her kitchen, according to an investigative report from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
However, it was later discovered that Floramo nor his company ever pulled permits with Sumter County for the plumbing or electrical work. In addition, the investigator found that Floramo’s company was not properly licensed with the state.
The Villager had paid Floramo a total of $29,000.
in his response to the investigative report, Floramo claimed he has not been part of the company for the past two years “due to health issues.” He said he had a “complete liver transplant.” He dismissed the woman’s complaint about the work and said it was “basically a cabinet replacement project with no major construction.”
Floramo also said Kitchen and Bath Studio has filed for bankruptcy, but blamed the bankruptcy on a clerical error by the bank.
Floramo is free on $500 bond.
