Florida Dream Real Estate

Description of Work: I have been dealing with a nightmare for the past several months attempting to work with Michael O'Donnell (a.k.a. Michael H. O'Donnell) owner of Safe Home Builders and Florida Dream Real Estate and listed on his sites with his partner/wife LaTara Clements as sales agents of Charles Rutenberg Realty Inc. I purchased a "fixer upper" house in Daytona Beach from him/Florida Dream Real Estate in June 2012. I also hired him/Safe Home Builders to bring the house up to code, only to find he was not only incapable of doing so, but he/his company were also unlicensed to do many of the repairs (electrical, plumbing, etc.) he was paid to do, but unfortunately only after losing $33,000 through this individual's price gouging and complete failure to provide the work for which he/his companies were paid to provide. One such example was a $12,000 charge to install roof hurricane straps which I found to be 3 times the normal cost and learned from the town inspectors to be installed incorrectly, thereby invalidating my hurricane rider for my homeowners insurance. Another such example was a $2,500 electric service panel change he/his company is neither skilled nor licensed to perform. This is 5 times the rate of an actual licensed electrician and the work done not only failed inspection, but was found to be dangerous because the wiring used was incompatible with the wiring to which it connected, which explains why the lights were always blinking or dimming. I found that he has cutaway the sub-structure of my bathroom in order to make the handicap accessible changes I require in that room, which means I am not safe to use the bathroom, given there is no structural support for the floor. When I attempted on numerous occasions to work through issues I found (like the fact that no permits for any of the work were obtained and that inspectors were actually paid by him to perform the inspections) I was met with demands for more money because the work stalling, excuses and ultimately told, "sue me". I contacted the county of Volusia and was informed that he was allowed 30 days to obtain licensed workers and permits to complete the work accordingly or refund my money. He said he would comply and obtain permits and begin work within the 30 days, but has not performed any of the work and has ignored all attempts to contact him. I have contacted and will continue to work with Florida Office of the Attorney General, Seniors Against Vicious Crimes (Tallahassee, working for the Attorney General) and the Department for Business and Professional Regulation (Orlando), Seniors Consumer Complaint Analysis (Alyssa McDuffy), Florida Construction Industry License Board (Tallahassee). I am putting this information out there for all in hopes that others do not fall victim to his greed, incompetence and illegal business practices. If you or someone you know has had similar experiences or issues with Michael O'Donnell (a.k.a. Michael H. O'Donnell), Safe Home Builders, Florida Dream Realty or La Tara Clements, please e-mail me at DontHireThem2@gmail.Com as I understand there is a greater chance of bringing individuals like him to justice through group complaints and class actions lawsuits. Some of the sites you can view Michael O'Donnell and La Tara Clements at follow: http://www.buildingright.com http://www.floridadreamrealestate.com/ http://www.linkedin.com/in/lataraclements http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelodonnellorlando