HARTride 2012
February 25th, 2008, 09:15 PM
Tampa Officials Approved Shoddy Work, Tenant Says
By MIKE SALINERO, The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 25, 2008
Updated: 11:13 pm
TAMPA - Diane Thomas was suspicious something wasn't quite right with the repairs done to her father's house with city and federal redevelopment money.
Her fears were confirmed when a disgruntled subcontractor who worked on the house told her to look beneath the soffit on the roof of her dad's front porch. The rafters underneath were rotten.
That was only the beginning. After being alerted about the rafters, officials from Tampa's Housing and Community Development Department revisited Sylvester Thomas' home on North 33rd Street in East Tampa.
They found 28 additional repairs that needed to be done, ranging from bubbles in the vinyl flooring to wavy ceiling finishes to an air-conditioning unit that didn't heat two bedrooms. All the work had been signed off on by city officials in earlier inspections.
"My dad was over there thinking his house was being taken care of in the hands of the city of Tampa," Thomas said.
The city had already paid $59,000 to general contractor Harold Rossiter Jr. The work is under warranty for one year, however, and Rossiter had crews at Thomas' house last week making repairs.
City officials are at a loss to explain why their inspectors didn't catch the shoddy work on the previous inspections. Documents from the housing department show inspectors approved work in October, November and December. Each time the inspectors approved the work, Rossiter was allowed to draw money.
"We try to catch it, but when you have two inspectors and 25 to 35 jobs going, it's hard," said Joanne Harrelson, property and finance supervisor for the housing department.
Rossiter blamed the defective repairs on a superintendent he hired and subcontractors.
"Some of the fault was definitely mine," Rossiter said. "It was wrong that it was covered up. Soon as I found out, I was embarrassed."
When Rossiter tried to withhold the subcontractors' money, they threatened to put liens on Thomas' house. Rossiter eventually paid the subcontractors, but one of them told Diane Thomas much of the work done was deficient. He was the one who told her about the rotten rafters.
Harrelson, the Community Development finance supervisor, said the inspectors didn't know the wood was rotten because it was covered up.
"The contract was written to replace the rotten wood, but we don't go over there every day," Harrelson said.
In the future, contractors will not be allowed to cover rafters until the work has been inspected, said Sharon West, manager of Housing and Community Development.
Rossiter points out that Sylvester Thomas signed off on the repairs at each stage, although his daughter claims her father's name was forged on a November voucher document. Rossiter denies the charge.
"Every house we do we have a walk-through and they approve it, the homeowner and the city," Rossiter said.
Diane Thomas doesn't deny her 78-year-old father approved the work, but she says he was distraught over the recent death of his wife and another close family member and was tired of living in a rented house.
"Dad told me, 'Diane, I'm tired. As long as they fixed everything, I want to go home,'" she said.
Thomas said she had some concerns about Rossiter's work: plumbing that backed up and a smoke alarm that sounded every time the stove was on. But overall, the renovation seemed a big improvement.
"It looked OK to me, but I'm a nurse," she said.
Rossiter said he's been in business for 25 years in Tampa and never had his license challenged. He is on a list of 10 contractors approved by the city to do work rehabilitating poor people's houses.
West, the program's manager, said the department will soon change the policy of having a list of approved contractors from which homeowners pick. Instead, qualifying homeowners will choose their own contractor. The city will still check contractors' licenses and will suggest homeowners do reference checks, West said.
Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/25/me-officials-okd-shoddy-work-woman-says/?news-metro
By MIKE SALINERO, The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 25, 2008
Updated: 11:13 pm
TAMPA - Diane Thomas was suspicious something wasn't quite right with the repairs done to her father's house with city and federal redevelopment money.
Her fears were confirmed when a disgruntled subcontractor who worked on the house told her to look beneath the soffit on the roof of her dad's front porch. The rafters underneath were rotten.
That was only the beginning. After being alerted about the rafters, officials from Tampa's Housing and Community Development Department revisited Sylvester Thomas' home on North 33rd Street in East Tampa.
They found 28 additional repairs that needed to be done, ranging from bubbles in the vinyl flooring to wavy ceiling finishes to an air-conditioning unit that didn't heat two bedrooms. All the work had been signed off on by city officials in earlier inspections.
"My dad was over there thinking his house was being taken care of in the hands of the city of Tampa," Thomas said.
The city had already paid $59,000 to general contractor Harold Rossiter Jr. The work is under warranty for one year, however, and Rossiter had crews at Thomas' house last week making repairs.
City officials are at a loss to explain why their inspectors didn't catch the shoddy work on the previous inspections. Documents from the housing department show inspectors approved work in October, November and December. Each time the inspectors approved the work, Rossiter was allowed to draw money.
"We try to catch it, but when you have two inspectors and 25 to 35 jobs going, it's hard," said Joanne Harrelson, property and finance supervisor for the housing department.
Rossiter blamed the defective repairs on a superintendent he hired and subcontractors.
"Some of the fault was definitely mine," Rossiter said. "It was wrong that it was covered up. Soon as I found out, I was embarrassed."
When Rossiter tried to withhold the subcontractors' money, they threatened to put liens on Thomas' house. Rossiter eventually paid the subcontractors, but one of them told Diane Thomas much of the work done was deficient. He was the one who told her about the rotten rafters.
Harrelson, the Community Development finance supervisor, said the inspectors didn't know the wood was rotten because it was covered up.
"The contract was written to replace the rotten wood, but we don't go over there every day," Harrelson said.
In the future, contractors will not be allowed to cover rafters until the work has been inspected, said Sharon West, manager of Housing and Community Development.
Rossiter points out that Sylvester Thomas signed off on the repairs at each stage, although his daughter claims her father's name was forged on a November voucher document. Rossiter denies the charge.
"Every house we do we have a walk-through and they approve it, the homeowner and the city," Rossiter said.
Diane Thomas doesn't deny her 78-year-old father approved the work, but she says he was distraught over the recent death of his wife and another close family member and was tired of living in a rented house.
"Dad told me, 'Diane, I'm tired. As long as they fixed everything, I want to go home,'" she said.
Thomas said she had some concerns about Rossiter's work: plumbing that backed up and a smoke alarm that sounded every time the stove was on. But overall, the renovation seemed a big improvement.
"It looked OK to me, but I'm a nurse," she said.
Rossiter said he's been in business for 25 years in Tampa and never had his license challenged. He is on a list of 10 contractors approved by the city to do work rehabilitating poor people's houses.
West, the program's manager, said the department will soon change the policy of having a list of approved contractors from which homeowners pick. Instead, qualifying homeowners will choose their own contractor. The city will still check contractors' licenses and will suggest homeowners do reference checks, West said.
Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/25/me-officials-okd-shoddy-work-woman-says/?news-metro