Customers accuse Jacksonville roofer of taking money, not doing the work

A Jacksonville roofing contractor is accused of accepting money for jobs, but not doing the work.

Multiple homeowners tell Action News Jax their roofs are untouched, months after they paid Carlson Enterprises to do the work.

“The more it rains, the more it peels,” said Denise Daley, looking up at the peeling ceiling in her dining room.

Hail and wind damage left Denise Daley’s roof with missing shingles and leaks.

“It makes the place look dilapidated,” said Daley, who lives on Jacksonville’s Westside.

She signed a contract with Carlson Enterprises in July to get it fixed.

Three months later, the roofing contractor hasn’t even requested a permit from the city.

“If I’ve given you money, you should at least pull the permit to show that you are intending to do the work,” Daley said.

Florida law states that when you pay a contractor more than 10 percent of the price for repair, that contractor is required to “apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days.”

Action News Jax has spoken to homeowners who signed contracts with Carlson Enterprises dating back to June, and the company has not requested permits for them, either.

“People work hard for their money, and it’s a shame that we’re putting so much out there and we’re not getting anything back in return,” Daley said.

On Wednesday, Carlson Enterprises COO Daryl Strickland agreed to meet with Action News Jax investigator Jenna Bourne on Thursday morning.

He tried to reschedule at the last minute and did not respond when we asked if another manager was available.

Action News Jax showed up to Carlson Enterprises’ office to see if any managers were there to answer our questions about customers’ complaints.

The receptionist told us no managers were in.

Moments later, Strickland left Bourne a voicemail that said in part, “You probably want to check with your general manager before you do anything stupid. And you should probably check your financial records and, like, check my name and see how much I’ve contributed to the station…. Looks like this is going to turn maybe a little ugly unless you decide to change your attitude.”

Strickland later threatened legal action in a text message, saying, “Be very careful how you proceed as our council [sic] is in [sic] route now and govern yourself according [sic].”

Action News Jax found that OSHA has issued 11 citations to Carlson Enterprises in the past five years, totaling nearly $200,000 in penalties.

The Better Business Bureau’s website shows that Carlson Enterprises has 37 customer complaints.

“This company needs to be called out so that they can take action and own up to their responsibilities and get the work done,” Daley said.

Hours after Action News Jax told Strickland about our story, Daley got a call from his company saying they’d get her on the schedule by the end of the month.

The company still has not requested a permit to do that work.

Cox Media Group