TAMPA BAY, Fla — New documents show the owner of Olympus Pools has been fined $1.4 million for hundreds of unfinished projects.
According to documents from the state, the owner, who claimed media reports forced him to hand over his license, agreed to surrender his license to avoid further proceedings with the state.
Customers who were left with unfinished pools and huge messes will be eligible for restitution money. State regulators found at least 170 customers had unfinished projects.
ABC Action News I-Team Investigator Jackie Callaway found permits stating Olympus Pools made little progress in hundreds of projects.
On Saturday, July 24, Olympus Pools announced the business has lost its license and will be closing its doors. The company notified owners via its Facebook page that it was closing down.
The move comes days after the I-Team dug through permits that showed Olympus Pools making little progress on a majority of its projects.
See the official statement below:
"Over the last several months at Olympus Pools, we have endured constant negative media coverage encouraging viewers to file complaints with Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation. As a result, the DBPR has forced us to voluntarily relinquish our license. This means we are no longer allowed to continue working for any of our customers. We have fought hard and would have continued to do so for as long it took to complete every project.
Although we are greatly disappointed in the decision, we understand the pressure that has been placed on the Department to act. We do not feel the decision is beneficial to our community or our customers, however, it was not our decision to make. If it were up to us, we would continue working for our customers.
We have enjoyed servicing the Tampa Bay area for close to 10 years. We are proud of the thousands of projects we have built and the work we have done for our community in that time. We are grateful for all of the support the vast majority of our former customers, employees, friends, family, and neighbors have shown us during this time."
