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CLB Minutes 04/20/2022 April 20, 2022 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY CONTRACTORS' LICENSING BOARD MEETING April 20, 2022 Naples, Florida LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Collier County Contractors Licensing Board, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00 a.m. in REGULAR SESSION in Administrative Building F, 3rd Floor, Collier County Government Center,Naples, Florida,with the following members present: Chair: Kyle Lantz Vice Chairman: Terry Jerulle Matthew Nolton Richard E. Joslin(absent) Patrick G. White (excused) Todd Allen(excused) Robert Meister III Elle Hunt Stephen Jaron ALSO PRESENT: Kevin Noell, Esq., Contractor Licensing Board Attorney Timothy Crotts, Contractor Licensing Supervisor Colleen Kerins, Assistant Collier County Attorney 1 April 20, 2022 Any person who decides to appeal a decision of this Board will need a record of the proceedings and may need to ensure that a verbatim record of said proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which any appeal is to be made. 1. ROLL CALL: Chairman Kyle Lantz opened the meeting at 9:02 a.m. Roll call was taken; five members were present in the BCC Chambers at roll call; a sixth joined later. Mr. Crotts said Board Members Allen and White had prior engagements and asked that their absences be excused. Chairman Lantz approved the absences. 2. ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS: None 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Board Member Nolton moved to approve the agenda. Vice Chairman Jerulle seconded the motion. It was carried unanimously, 5-0. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A. Approval of Minutes for March 18, 2022 Chairman Lantz noted that Board Member Jaron filed a Form 8B (Memorandum of Voting Conflict) because he had open contracts with Carter Fence Co. and he didn't want it to look like he had any gains or losses, so he abstained. Board Member Allen filed a Form 8B because Fugang Zhou was a client of his and he didn't want it to appear he had any gains or losses, so he abstained. Attorney Noell said those forms will be part of the minutes to be approved. Board Member Nolton moved to approve the March 18, 2022, meeting minutes, with Form 8Bs for Board Members Jaron and Allen. Vice Chairman Jerulle seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 5-0. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None 6. DISCUSSION: 7. Chairman Lantz said that during last month's meeting, the Board discussed naming a business for a trade that business is not licensed to do. He asked Mr. Crotts to address that issue. 2 April 20, 2022 Mr. Crotts said at the last meeting, the issue came up about somebody having a name of a company that may mislead the public into believing they have a license other than what was approved. There's nothing in our Ordinance that addresses that, so he reached out to DBPR to find out if there was anything in the State Statute under their authority that does. At first glance, they cannot find anything that would prohibit somebody from naming a company for a license they don't hold. However, DBPR is doing deeper research and he expects an answer by the next meeting. 8. REPORTS: None 9. NEW BUSINESS: A. ORDERS OF THE BOARD Vice Chairman Jerulle made a motion to have the Chairman sign the Orders of the Board. Board Member Nolton seconded the motion. The motion was carried unanimously, 5-0. The Orders of the Board were approved. B. Hunter K. Jones—Review of Experience—General Contractor Registered Hooks Construction LLC Chairman Lantz called Mr. Jones to the podium and he was sworn in. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. Jones has submitted an application for the trade of General Contractor, a license that requires 48 months of experience. As part of the staff-review process, Mr. Jones submitted required Verifications of Experience. • H2 Technologies. They reported that he was employed there from 2015 to 2019. This company is a licensed limited-energy contractor, which means they deal in low voltage only. Mr. Jones was an assistant to the apprentice and assisted in running wire through commercial buildings. He was not an employee at that time due to his age. • Elias Bros. Group General Contracting—June 2020 to February 2021, eight months. The director of operations confirmed he worked as an assistant supervisor overseeing employees and had some hands-on experience. • Double G Construction—January 2021 through July 2021, six months. A qualifier of the company confirmed that Mr. Jones assisted in the performance of roof repairs and replacements. • Massey Group Construction—July 2021 to August 2021, one month. We weren't able to contact anybody from this company. • McFlooring Tile & Marble Designs—December 20, 2021, to March 2022, three months. We were unable to contact anybody from the company to determine the scope of work. Based upon the experience allowed and the Verification of Experience, it appears that Mr. Jones does not have the required time or experience for the license. Therefore, Mr. Jones has been referred to the Board under County Ordinance 2006-46, Section 2.5.2, Referral of the Application to the Contractors'Licensing Board for a Decision. Mr. Jones is here to answer your questions. 3 April 20, 2022 [Board Member Meister joined the meeting at 9:09 a.m.] Chairman Lantz asked if he could tell them about his experience. It's hard to get four years of experience when you're not allowed to legally work in the construction trade until you're 18 and you're only 21. So, do you want to give us a little information? Mr. Jones said his parents had their own aluminum company and did pool cages and things like that. He worked with them when he was younger. H2 Technologies was his first job when he turned 18 and he left. He also was working for the owner, not being paid and doing commercial work. Then he started doing cabinets. He did cabinets for a hotel in Puerto Rico, for a general contractor down here. After that, he started doing roofing, learning how the roofing trade works and became a supervisor and started learning how to pay employees and how to run 80-person jobs on huge high-rise buildings. After that, he went to Double G Construction to expand his knowledge and do the same thing he was doing before at Elias Brothers. Then he went to Curran Young for three years in commercial work doing high rises. He just finished building a bank for them on November 28, his last day. Chairman Lantz asked if it was three years or three months. Mr. Jones said it was three months. Since then, for four years and three months, he wasn't the full-time superintendent, but was there to punch out the job. Also in Cape Coral, he did a high-rise building for Curran Young for two months and learned how columns and decks were built when they were going vertical with that building. Since then, he started doing his own thing and was charged with unlicensed contracting. He did some work for someone, remodeled her house and had some altercations with her and she reported him to get him fined. Since then, he's been selling tile for a flooring company, getting jobs for them, residential and commercial. He knows a lot of big general contractors here that build a lot and he's best friends with most of them. Board Member Hunt asked what the problem was that the homeowner had with him. Mr. Jones said it had to do with payments. Board Member Hunt asked if he did an excellent job and she refused to pay. Mr. Jones said he didn't want to speak badly about someone, but said she was not someone they'd want to deal with. Board Member Hunt asked if the homeowner thought he'd done an acceptable job. Mr. Jones said yes, she told him he'd done a really good job. But then she turns around and tells someone something else. He offered to show them texts of her saying she loved the work. She's a two-faced person. Board Member Hunt asked Mr. Crofts if there was anything more about the citation in this package. 4 April 20, 2022 Mr. Crotts said it was for unlicensed work as a general contractor for the work that he was doing at that residence. Board Member Hunt asked if she'd complained about the quality of the work. Mr. Crotts said they weren't here for that issue today. Mr. Jones did not have a license for the trade he was conducting. Mr. Jones noted that he was reading that under Section 22-183 for Experience Requirements, college could be substituted for a portion of experience. It says education and accredited college/accredited school may be presented as a certified portion of experience requirements in this section. Specifically, each full year of school-level work in the trade for which the application is made shall be credited to the applicant at 0.75 years of experience, but such credit shall be no more than one-half the total experience required by this section. He said he graduated from college with degrees in construction, architectural design and construction technology. Chairman Lantz asked if he had a two-year associate degree. Mr. Jones said he worked on two two-year degrees at the same time. They all had the same classes. He may have spent another month for the other degree. Board Member Nolton asked if his classes were during the day. Mr. Jones said he worked during the day and went to college from 6-8 or 9 p.m. Chairman Lantz said, so you're asking us to give you a license to build a high-rise? Mr. Jones said that was his goal in two years. Chairman Lantz asked him to explain to the Board how he's qualified to build a high-rise. Mr. Jones said he's seen all the trades since he's been on the jobs, especially for Curran Young as a superintendent. He's seen how all these trades work and he learns and figures out how business works. He used that when he got fined, figuring out how the trades work. He learned how from the ground up, especially roofing. Roofing is one of the most important things on a building because if that's not dried in, then everything is going to get soaked when it rains and then everything is going to leak, so everything needs to be structurally attached together and it needs to be dried in. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if you're building a high-rise, what type of structural system are you using? Mr. Jones said he'd use block. Vice Chairman Jerulle said block is an exterior facia or wall system. What type of structural floor system are you going to use? Mr. Jones said he could show him steps on building a high-rise. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked what type of structural system. Mr. Jones asked him to elaborate further. Vice Chairman Jerulle said you have a floor and there are a dozen floor systems. Which one would you use? Mr. Jones said he'd use pilings. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if he'd use pilings for a floor. Pilings are for deep foundations. 5 April 20, 2022 He's asking about a floor system. Mr. Jones said he'd use reinforced concrete slab. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked who determines if pilings are required for a high rise. Mr. Jones said an engineer does. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked how the engineer determines that. Mr. Jones said it depends on how many stories are going up and if the building will sway. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if there were considerations for the soil conditions. Mr. Jones said, yes there are and sand is not your best friend. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked Board Member Nolton if he agreed with that. Board Member Nolton said just from the questions we've asked so far, there's a lot of experience you don't have to build a four-story building or higher. There's a lot you still have to learn, so he didn't even have more questions to ask because he hasn't been able to answer the few questions we presented. Vice Chairman Jerulle said these are some basic questions people should know for him to give you a license to be a general contractor. There may be a license you are qualified for, but he didn't see him being qualified in Collier County as a general contractor to build a high-rise. You just don't have the experience. But he appreciates the initiative. Chairman Lantz said they all appreciate the initiative. You're only 21 years old, you've passed the general contractor test, which isn't easy to do. You've gone to college, you've dabbled in a bunch of different trades. Your average job is three or four months, so you haven't mastered anything. You're just figuring out where to go. You're on the right track but have a little more ways to go. We're not trying to tell you anything negative. Keep going on the path you're going on. Board Member Nolton said you're here to ask us to waive experience and the reason you have to have the experience is so that you don't get in trouble and you don't build something wrong for a client. If you, as a general contractor, are going to build those kinds of buildings,you've got to know there are shallow foundations and deep foundations, there are three or four different types of deep foundations, as Mr. Jerulle asked, and there's this type of slab,there's precast slab, there's cast, there's a column. You should know all that. And it doesn't appear that you have that experience. Board Member Jaron asked why he didn't stay with Curran Young. Mr. Jones said he was talking to a lot of people and they were giving him jobs. He was looking at how many people were giving him jobs. He decided he didn't want to work for people anymore. He remodeled people's homes and obviously, he got fined for that. Board Member Nolton said he applauded his desire to work on his own, but said he needed more time and experience for this license. Board Member Nolton made a motion to deny the waiver of experience. Vice Chairman Jerulle seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. 6 April 20, 2022 Vice Chairman Jerulle told Mr. Jones that he has a young son in the business and he will give him the same speech he gave him. He advised him to find a general contractor who does the work he ultimately wants to do. The State requires four years of experience, but in his estimation, you need more than four years, about five to six years, to be successful. You don't want to go out and fail. You want to be successful. Find a general contractor and work five or six years. Mr. Jones said all right, thank you. C. John J. Price—Priceless Customz Fabrication LLC—Aluminum w/Concrete Contractor Review of Experience D. John J. Price—Priceless Customz Fabrication LLC—Aluminum w/Concrete Contractor Review of Credit Chairman Lantz called Mr. Price to the podium and he was sworn in. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. Price has submitted an application for the issuance of a Certificate of Competency for Aluminum with Concrete Contractor, a license that requires 24 months of experience. As part of the process, Mr. Price submitted one Verification of Experience and two IRS Wage Reports from employers. • William Bennett Carpentry—January 2016 to December 2017, 24 months of experience. Research shows that this company is a local licensed carpentry contractor. • Gatekeeper of Southwest Florida Inc. —no dates shown on the IRS Wage Report. This is not a licensed company in Collier County within City View. However, the Collier County Business Tax database shows this company as a welding service company; it is not a licensed contractor. • James A. Barr Enterprises—no dates shown on the IRS Wage Report. This is not a licensed company for contractor licensing in Collier County. The Collier County Business Tax database shows this business as an auto repair or maintenance service. In a phone interview with Mr. Price, he stated that the vast majority of the work he has done has been installing railings on homes, such as stair railings and balcony railings. We discussed the license being restricted for railings only. Mr. Price told me that he may want to do carports and screen cages later and would like the license. When asked about his experience building carports or screen cages, Mr. Price told me he has helped with a couple. He has not been able to show any experience with the concrete aspect of this license. Mr. Price did submit several photos of types of work he says he has installed, however, this could not be verified. Based upon the information received from Mr. Price, it is staff's opinion that Mr. Price does not meet the experience requirements under Ordinance 2006-46, Section 1.6.3.2, as it relates to the trade of Aluminum with Concrete Contractor. Regarding the credit part of the application review process, Mr. Price's credit score currently is 591. The minimum required under Rule G1 G4-15 is 660. As part of the credit review, Mr. Price 7 April 20, 2022 has six collections by the U.S. Department of Education and one from Wakefield Medical. For the U.S. Department of Education, the amount owed is$23,465. It also should be noted that Mr. Price had three loans under the Federal Loan Program that were 128 days past due in the current amount of$9,333. However, these have been made current. There were also two other collections from Lincoln Tech that showed on the credit report, but they have been paid in full. Mr. Price is being referred to the Board under Section 2.5.2, Referral of Application to the Contractors'Licensing Board for a Decision. Chairman Lantz said it looks like you have a lot of student loans and very little other credit, Capital One and Credit One Bank. Mr. Price said those are his credit cards and those are all paid. He looked this morning to see if his credit has gone up and it's up to 645 on one and 605 on the other, so he's trying. Because he was self-employed, it was hard to get on a payment program with his college, but that's taken care of now. That's going to be his next step, to get on a payment plan to get that taken care of so it doesn't linger. Chairman Lantz asked if he had to pay his federal loans now or were they on deferral. Mr. Price said probably because of COVID until September. He had to meet with an accountant to prove his income and get on a payment plan. Chairman Lantz said you have a lot of student loans, one little medical debt and some credit. Mr. Price said yes, sir. His payment history is 100%, so it's just student loans. Chairman Lantz said OK and asked if owns a welding or fabrication business. Mr. Price said yes, he started this business on his own when he was 21 because he worked for the Gatekeeper and didn't know he needed a license. He's done some amazing things and grew up in this town. He loves this town and would love to work here and not have to look over his shoulder and do it the right way. If you could give me codes out of the books for railings and pool fence, he knows his job and would be more than happy to prove that in some way. He also brought his tablet and can show the Board he's designed things, taking them from design all the way to build. He's drawn it up, built it and installed it. Chairman Lantz asked whether he designs, builds and installs railings. Mr. Price said railings, gates, the fencing, pool fencing, that kind of stuff and interior railings. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked what the height of a full fence is for the City of Naples. Mr. Price said 48 inches, 54 to the latch from the ground. Vice Chairman Jerulle said OK. He apologized for interrupting the Chair. Chairman Lantz said that was OK. He probably didn't mean to answer so quickly. Mr. Price asked, Is it wrong?Did I answer wrong? Vice Chairman Jerulle said,No, you had me with the answer and now you're putting doubts in 8 April 20, 2022 my mind. Mr. Price apologized. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked what is the definition of dissimilar materials? Mr. Price said it's different, like the metals don't mix up. Like if one is steel and one is aluminum, those are different materials. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked how that was relevant in the railing business. Mr. Price said if you use the wrong welding wire with the wrong aluminum, you could get a structure or something that's not right—porosity, it could break. There are a lot of different things that go into that, so you need to line up your welding wire with what materials you're using and be very cautious. If you're using T6, which is structural,you need to be using structural wire. Vice Chairman Jerulle said, OK, so that's the fabrication. What about installation?How do dissimilar materials apply in installation? Mr. Price said it's the same thing. If a steel screw goes into aluminum,you need to make a point to where it doesn't touch because it's going to start to corrode right there. And as far as anything else goes, when you're fastening things to the deck, make sure you silicone everything down, make sure it's waterproof, use stainless steel Tapcons. Make sure you're doing what you need to be doing in order to not fail. Vice Chairman Jerulle said you know what you need to be doing and that's why they're asking him those questions. What about concrete? What do you know about concrete and what don't you know about concrete? Mr. Price said he's never poured a slab or anything like that. The only time he uses concrete is a pool fence. He mixes up a bag and puts it in each at every post. If it's an 80-pound bag, then he lets it set up and he comes back. He doesn't mix concrete. He has no experience with mixing. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if he was doing carports and screen enclosures, wouldn't he need to know a bit more about concrete? Mr. Price said yes, sir. But he doesn't really want to do carports. Maybe in the future if he could get with a company that would give him some experience, he could come back to the CLB again and maybe get those restrictions lifted. He really just wants to do railings and that kind of stuff. Chairman Lantz said there's aluminum and there's a separate license for aluminum with concrete, right? Mr. Crotts said that was correct. Chairman Lantz said if he has an aluminum license and he's pouring concrete in every post, he could do that with just an aluminum license. He didn't need the concrete to do a slab. Mr. Crotts said that is correct. That is ancillary to that work. However, if he has no experience with carports and screen cages, if the aluminum license is being considered, he would ask that they restrict the license to fences and handrails. Mr. Price said decorative metals. Chairman Lantz asked Mr. Price how he felt about that, not having concrete as part of the license. 9 April 20, 2022 Mr. Price said that would be OK, as long as he'd be able to put concrete in the holes for the fencing. Chairman Lantz asked what if it was restricted to architectural aluminum? Mr. Price said that's all he needs. Vice Chairman Jerulle said when we were talking about architectural aluminum, in my world, you're talking about Bahama shutters. Mr. Price said: Yes, sir. Vice Chairman Jerulle said Bahama shutters or an application that is applied to the building that must meet the wind codes. Mr. Price said a lot of the shutters they're making nowadays aren't hurricane rated, so it's just like a decorative thing. Those are probably for Storm Smart, the companies that are making roll downs. Vice Chairman Jerulle said he's not talking about that type of shutter. Mr. Price said or talking about windshear with Tapcons Vice Chairman Jerulle said he's talking about a decorative Bahama-type shutter that's applied on either side of a window. That has to meet the wind codes, right?That has to be attached to the building so that it doesn't blow off. Mr. Price said: Yes, sir. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked him to run through how that happens, because if the Board is going to give him a license, that's going to allow you to do that. Mr. Price said that normally, he would make sure that the companies put the concrete around the windows and then drill. You put epoxy in there,put your Tapcons 12 inches on center. If it's a bigger shutter, maybe a little bit more, and use quarter-inch Tapcons and make sure you're biting what you need to be biting and if it's shallow concrete, use shallow anchors. If you need to get back there to get where you need to be, use longer Tapcons. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked what he'd do if the contractor doesn't have concrete around the windows. Mr. Price said he'd ask why there is no concrete. He said that's happened to him before. Vice Chairman Jerulle agreed it happens, noting that's why he's asking that question. He wanted to hear that he wouldn't install the window. Mr. Price said absolutely,he would not. Vice Chairman Jerrulle said that's exactly right. Board Member Nolton asked whether most of the projects he works on are for a general contractor in new construction. He doesn't permit it, it's permitted under them? Mr. Price said he likes to work with general contractors. He's got an itch. As a really cool decorative metals guy, they come to him when nobody else wants to do it, so he has a lot of good opportunities. It's amazing what he could do with somebody else's money and build things. Board Member Nolton asked if he'd done anything for a homeowner that needed to be permitted. Mr. Price said he ended up finding out he needed a license when he was working for Oakley 10 April 20, 2022 Developers on 1500 Pelican and got fined for not having a license. But he was only supposed to do their railings. They completely ripped up the whole house. That's how he ended up here. Once he realized he needed a license, he spoke to Tim (Crofts)to find out what he needed and he studied and passed all his tests. And now he's here to make sure he gets what he needs. Chairman Lantz said it seems like they're going down the road of no concrete, architectural. Is everybody in agreement with that? Board Member Nolton said he assumes architectural includes gates. Mr. Crotts said that was correct. Board Member Nolton said it seems architectural means no structural support,just components and cladding. Mr. Price said it means no structural steel posts and houses, that kind of thing. Chairman Lantz asked if everyone was in agreement. Mr. Price said absolutely. He appreciates the opportunity. Chairman Lantz said he had no issues with his credit. He understands student loan debt. He didn't feel they needed to put him on probation for that. Board Member Jaron asked if he'd checked his credit before coming here. Mr. Price said he did. It was 645 on Equifax and it was 605, so he has been working on trying to figure out how to increase it a bit, but it doesn't happen overnight. The student loans are really hurting him until he can get on a payment program. It keeps hitting his credit. He needs his taxes sorted out so he can prove his income and get on a payment program. When he was young, he didn't realize that doesn't go away. As he got older, he realized he needed to take care of things. Chairman Lantz asked if anyone wanted to make a motion. Board Member Nolton made a motion to approve the Aluminum with Concrete License with restrictions, restricting it to aluminum only, and restricting it only to architectural- aluminum, no screen enclosures or structural carports, with a 12-month probationary period so he could provide proof to Mr. Crotts that his credit score has improved. Board Member Hunt seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. E. Alexander U. Ramos—Prestige Irrigation & Landscape Lighting Inc.—Irrigation Sprinkler Contractor—Review of Experience Chairman Lantz called Mr. Ramos to the podium and he was sworn in. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. Ramos has submitted an application for the issuance of a Certificate of Competency as an Irrigation Sprinkler Contractor, a license that requires 24 months of experience. As part of the staff review process, Mr. Ramos submitted two Verifications of Experience. • A Personal Touch Lawn Care Service Inc. —28 months. Research shows this company is a landscape-restricted contractor whose license does not allow for the trade of irrigation to be performed, so work performed by the applicant would have been done as an unlicensed contractor for an unlicensed irrigation company. The qualifier of the company confirmed it's a landscape-restricted only company, but they have done some irrigation. 11 April 20, 2022 • Pablo Esteban Lawn Care Inc. — 14 months of experience. Research shows this company is a licensed irrigation sprinkler contractor. Based upon the information received from Mr. Ramos, it is staff's opinion that Mr. Ramos does not meet the experience required under Ordinance 2006-46, Section 1.6.324, as it relates to the trade of Irrigation Sprinkler Contractor. Mr. Ramos is being referred to the Board under Section 2.5.2, Referral of the Application to the Contractors'Licensing Board for a Decision. Chairman Lantz asked if he had a Lawn Care License, which Mr. Ramos' first employer. Mr. Crotts said that was correct. It was restricted. That means no irrigation. Chairman Lantz asked if he were mowing someone's lawn and the sprinkler head was up and he shredded it, can he not repair that head? Mr. Crotts said that is correct. It must go through a sprinkler contractor. Chairman Lantz asked, even if I broke it? Mr. Crotts said that is correct. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if this is one of the licenses that will go away this July. Mr. Crotts said irrigation will not go away. Attorney Kerins said there's a State irrigation license under the Specialty Contractor Section of CILB. We get to keep that portion. We will not be able to keep the landscape portion of it, so it's all tentative at this point, but most likely the landscape and irrigation license will be grandfathered into just irrigation unless there's some sort of restriction. Chairman Lantz said irrigation is a life-safety thing because you have cross-contamination of water from the fertilizer. Chemicals could get mixed with the City water or the house water. If you've never taken a backflow class, it's a huge thing, so that would be the argument for it. He asked Mr. Ramos if he wanted to explain his experience. You're trying to convince us that you have the required experience, whether you meet the 24 months or not. Either you have the 24 months, or you are highly competent in the trade. Mr. Ramos said he started with a pest control license, which is through the State. He got three licenses with the State for the termites, lawn ornamental and the pest-control license for residential and roaches. He started working for the landscape company, doing all the ornamental treatment, such as grass and plants. He noticed that customers were not properly taking care of their properties. So, by the time they called him, he had to put too much chemical down, so he studied the books and studied and got the Landscape License and the Tree Treatment License. He started his company last year, a lawn-service company. For him to replace a sprinkler, like you mentioned, he had to have an Irrigation License if it broke. If one of his guys broke it, he had to replace it, so he had to call somebody else to go up there. Meanwhile, water is just flowing through. He wants to be able to take care of the problem there. That's the reason he went back and tried to submit it last year, but he only has an A Personal Touch license. He doesn't know if the license works or not. He was told it was a grandfathered-in license, so they figured that they're able to do all these landscape and irrigation. He was working 12 April 20, 2022 with them for a while and then when he was trying to submit the paperwork last year, they told him he only had one referral. He tried to get another one, so he called Pablo, whom he has worked with in the past, so he could qualify for his Landscape License and his Tree-Trimming License. He called him back again and he gave him some experience. He said he could work three or four days out of the week and he could help out by replacing and doing new installations. So, he went there and got a second referral. His goal is to have all these licenses under one roof, so whenever he goes to a house, he'll be able to take better care of the customers from the pest-control point of view, because, for example, we call it the winter time when we get a lot of fungus on the grass. He had to pour a lot of product, a lot of fungicides, so he keeps coming back to those houses because they don't want to control the water, so he has to notify the homeowner. The homeowner has to notify the landscape guys or the irrigation person, so by the time that cycle goes, he has to keep going back again and re-treat the lawn because they don't want to control the water, which is a treatment period for all the pesticide that he used. So, the reason he decided to start his own business for the landscaping and everything is so that he can manage his work better and that way if he's on a property, he'll be able to take care of it there and not wait too long for somebody else to come in and take care of it. Chairman Lantz asked if he was trying to be a one-stop shop for maintenance. Mr. Ramos said he was. Chairman Lantz asked if he wanted to do new systems, as well. And have do you have experience installing new systems? Mr. Ramos said, yes, he has. Chairman Lantz asked what he does. Do you lay it out?Do you design it or does someone else design it? Mr. Ramos said he designs it. In the past, he did one for Personal Touch, he did for one of his friends. We had to go all the way from City water. We went from the meter over. And we designed it by the pressure that we have in there. We went by the pipe, even though it's more expensive. But he'd like to use the Schedule 40. It's a little thicker pipe because they don't break after two or three years, and you have to dig it out to replace it for any reason. It's hard. And some of those pipes that don't last too long, the cheaper ones. And that's the reason when he did the design, he went by how the pressure minimizes. He passed the test two years ago. He's just trying to put all these together to finally to get the irrigation incorporated into his business. Chairman Lantz asked who does the backflow. Do you do it, does a plumber do it?How does that work? Mr. Ramos said he'd have to call a plumber if it's backflow and it's out of his league. He knows people who are more advanced than he is on the irrigation side and the plumbing. For example, his nephew broke a water pipe downtown with a machine. He drove by and we were doing some spraying on the lawn and he broke the pipe, so he had to tell the homeowner, "Let's get it quicker in here. Let's call a plumber." So, they only chain up a pipe that was about a foot, over one inch and that cost him almost $500 just to replace that on a weekend. This plumber is taking all that money for doing something simple. He could have gone to Home Depot and tried to do it himself 13 April 20, 2022 and make the customer happy. He told him, "Let's do it the right way and let's fix it properly." That's the reason. Even though when he opened the account, he hasn't done anything out there that is not under himself. Everything was done for A Personal Touch or Pablo (Esteban) Lawn Service. Board Member Nolton asked if his plan was to have more than one company or have it all under one company. Mr. Ramos said his plan now is to have them all separate. He has Prestige Pest Management, Prestige Landscape Management and one irrigation, Prestige Irrigation& Landscape Lighting, which is low-voltage,just to put in a lamp. He was told there's no licensing for that, so that's why he put those two together. Chairman Lantz asked if it's all Prestige. Mr. Ramos said,yes. Chairman Lantz asked Mr. Crofts if backflow has to be handled by a plumber in Collier County. Mr. Crofts said that was correct. Chairman Lantz asked if there were any questions from the Board. Any recommendations?He liked what Mr. Ramos was doing, a one-stop shop. Anyone want to make a motion? Board Member Hunt said she had a few more questions. If he were working with a homeowner who decided to relandscape to be Florida Friendly, they need to make irrigation changes because they're changing their landscape. Because you do their irrigation and landscaping, they're going to come to you to do it, so tell me the steps you're going to take to decide how to change the landscape from their current model to a Florida-Friendly model. Mr. Ramos said he'd first ask the homeowner what kind of plants they want. He has to make sure they're going to put the right plants in the right place, so that way we are not overwatering in one area or minimizing the water when other ones are going to require more. So, he has to make sure that they're going to choose the right plants and he has to make some suggestions before they can do anything. We have to start from what they want and how we can get them there and explaining that we cannot put these plants here because, for example, some of these plants require a lot of water. Some of these require a lot of shade, so if we put two plants together that are not compatible, then it's going to create a problem eventually in the future because he's going to have to go back again and respray it for fungus and for insects. So, it's better that he tries to avoid using something unnecessary when he manages their property. When he goes there to take a look at the property and say, "OK, we have these plants here, we need to remove it because it's giving me a lot of problems due to the water that we have in there, so we need to shut down the irrigation on that section." Regarding the question about remodeling the landscape structure, he would have designed it on his own. Usually, he likes to do everything by hand. So, once we figure out what they want, he'll give them the option of how we can put them on the layout and depending on that, then he'll go with irrigation, eventually measuring the pipes and lines that are going to be there, the type of drift lines that are going to be put down. If there are some places that don't require a lot of water,then he can just minimize it. If they require a little bit. Some plants out there that don't require water at all, so those he doesn't have to run a sprinkler. So,he'll save money for the customer by minimizing the use of water in the pipeline they're going to be using. That would be one of the first steps that he would do,trying to 14 April 20, 2022 figure out what they want before we go forward. And then after they agree to the plants, then we can start moving and say, "OK, we've got so much pressure, we've got to make sure we go to the County and see if we need any special permit because of the water lines, so call before you dig."That's another thing that he has to make sure of because they keep breaking my internet line where he lives, out there in the Estates. The new buildings, they dig in the trenches and it's like every month his internet goes out. So, that's one of the things that he always keeps on top of his head. That would be the process that he would start. Board Member Hunt said he answered her question. Board Member Nolton said he would make a motion to approve the waiver of experience and provide a 12-month probationary period for the irrigation, in case there are negative issues that were reported that would require him to come back to the Board. If there were none, that would then convert to a full license. Mr. Crotts said that would be fine. Board Member Nolton made a motion to approve the waiver of experience and provide a 12-month probationary period for the irrigation and that would then convert to a full license. Vice Chairman Jerulle seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6- 0. F. Yasmani Balcazar Vaca—Tamiami Insulation LLC—Insulation Contractor Review of Experience Chairman Lantz called Mr. Balcazar Vaca to the podium and he was sworn in; his wife was sworn in as his interpreter. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. Balcazar has submitted an application for the issuance of a Certificate of Competency for the trade of Insulation Contractor Buildings, a license that requires 24 months of experience. As part of the review process, Mr. Balcazar has submitted a brief résumé outlining his trade certifications. In part of his résumé, he stated that he has been an insulation installer for over eight years in different states. However, none of this information can be verified by staff. There have been no verifications of experience submitted as part of this application. Based upon the information received, it is staff's opinion that he does not meet the experience under County Ordinance 2006-46, Section 1.6.3.23 B, as it relates to the trade of Insulation Contractor. Mr. Balcazar has been referred to the Board under Section 2.5.2, Referral of the Application to the Contractors'Licensing Board for a Decision. Chairman Lantz said he could see he had a lot of certifications, which he imagines are not easy to get. Can you give us a little background on your experience and how you got some of those certifications? Ms. Balcazar said he has certifications for about nine years in different states—insulation, spray foam, fiberglass, blowing, fiberboard, walls, buildings. Everything in insulation, he worked and got experience. 15 April 20, 2022 Chairman Lantz asked who he worked for in other states. Mr. Balcazar said he worked for a company in Rhode Island. He asked that they let his wife translate for him. Ms. Balcazar said he worked for Protective Barriers since he moved here from Rhode Island. Attorney Noell asked her to let him testify first and then translate that for the Board. Ms. Balcazar said he used to work for Protective Barriers, but they didn't want to give him the Certification of Experience because they see him as a competitor. He worked in other states, like Rhode Island, and has checks he can show the Board from past years. He has Verifications of Experience for construction from his last job in Rhode Island. Board Member Nolton asked how many years that was. Ms. Balcazar said from September 2016 to September 2019. Board Member Nolton asked if he'd been licensed anywhere else. Mr. Balcazar said no. Chairman Lantz asked if he does a lot of spray foam work. Mr. Balcazar said yes. Chairman Lantz asked what the advantages or disadvantages are for open-cell versus closed- cell. Ms. Balcazar said closed-cell is better because it's waterproof. Open-cell is more light. Vice Chairman Jerulle said if he were building a house in Naples and needed icynene-type insulation, what type of insulation would he propose? Ms. Balcazar said spray foam is better because it doesn't leave any space for air to come out. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if he would use spray foam in the entire building. Mr. Balcazar said not just foam, he would mix foam and fiberglass. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked what type of foam. Ms. Balcazar asked if it's residential or commercial. Vice Chairman Jerulle said residential. Mr. Balcazar said open-cell. Vice Chairman Jerulle said, So,you're going to propose an open-cell spray insulation in the attic. What about the garage? Ms. Balcazar said he'd use the same thing. But it depends on the client. Florida Code says it depends on the owner if you want to go with spray-foam or fiberglass, depending on what you want to pay. Vice Chairman Jerulle said it's his opportunity to explain his experience and explain his answer. He has a house with air-conditioned space and non-air-conditioned space, his lanai and attic. How would you handle the transition between them? Ms. Balcazar said he would definitely suggest spray foam in the entire house, depending on your 16 April 20, 2022 budget. In the air-conditioned area, definitely use spray foam. When it comes to a non-air- conditioned living area, maybe use regular fiberglass to reduce the cost. Board Member Nolton said using the same scenario, if he has a whole house, where does the spray foam go on the air-conditioned areas versus the non-air-conditioned areas? Mr. Balcazar said even if it's not AC, it would go up on the roof It would go on top of the roof Board Member Nolton said, OK, so he's saying it would go everywhere. Does he take any other steps or modifications? Mr. Balcazar said he doesn't because everything goes up on the roof Because if you put it on the ceiling,you would have to spray the cables, which is not a good idea. Board Member Nolton said if he has an attic and sprays under the roof because it's not enclosed and he has a lanai and garage that are not air conditioned, there is no insulation the way he described it. Mr. Balcazar said no, he would have to do a wall with the spray foam if the attic is not going to be insulated. Chairman Lantz asked how he would do that wall. Mr. Balcazar said there is a laminate made of foam that he has to put in between in order to spray it. It's called NuWall, to make the separation. Vice Chairman Jerulle said that answers his question. He didn't know if it answers Board Member Nolton's question. What is the difference between spray foam in commercial versus residential. Ms. Balcazar said it all depends on the architect or engineer. If the foam is going to be exposed in a commercial building, it needs to have a special paint. That's the difference and it all depends on what the engineer is looking for. Chairman Lantz (and others) said he heard him say fire proof Ms. Balcazar said yes, it has to be fireproof paint if the spray foam is exposed. Chairman Lantz said he could see he'd been spraying spray foam for quite a while. Board Member Nolton said if they're using bait insulation or foam board insulation, can he tell him the R-value for a wall versus attic space. Mr. Balcazar said it would be R19 in Florida in the ceiling and the wall is less, R5. Fiberglass is R30 and foam is R19. Board Member Jaron asked why his driver's license is temporary, 60 days. Mr. Balcazar said he had to renew it and it's a slow process. Ms. Balcazar said because they're backlogged, it's taking time and they're waiting for documents. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if she works for him. Mr. Balcazar said she helps and he's the expert. She saw his frustration with other companies. He likes to do things right, so she said they should start a company where they do things right. She does the administrative work, not sales. 17 April 20, 2022 Chairman Lantz asked how much a spray foam machine costs. Mr. Balcazar said they bought it for $70,000. Vice Chairman Jerulle so you bought it. Do you have employees? Ms. Balcazar said they bought it and have no employees. Board Member Nolton asked if they plan to do new construction or just replacement. Mr. Balcazar said new construction. Board Member Jaron made a motion to approve the Insulation Contractor License. Board Member Meister seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. G. Duniel M. Busto—Pool MD Inc.—Swimming Pool Cleaning Only Contractor Review of Experience H. Duniel M. Busto—Pool MD Inc.—Swimming Pool Cleaning Only Contractor Review of Credit Chairman Lantz called Mr. Busto to the podium and he was sworn in. Board Member Nolton disclosed that he knows Mr. Busto and he's used him at his house before, but he has no dealings with him now. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. Busto submitted an application for the issuance of a Certificate of Competency for the trade of Swimming Pool Service Contractor, a license that requires 24 months of experience, and the business law exam is required. No trade exam is required. Mr. Busto was issued a license for this trade in 2013. However, the license was not renewed in 2016 and was placed in canceled status in 2017. Mr. Busto is now required to submit a new application for the issuance of competency. Under County Ordinance 2006-46, Section 1.4, Renewal of Certificate of Competency, Subsection 1.4.9, it states in part:As of the date of the receipt of the new application, if three years have passed since the date of the most recent examination, that individual is required to retest. The most recent examination taken by Mr. Busto was in 2007. Mr. Busto asked to appear before the Contractors Licensing Board for a waiver of the business and law exam. Mr. Busto submitted a credit report, however, his personal credit report was reviewed and appears to not meet the financial responsibility as set forth in Subsection 2.5.1. under Rule G1 G4- 15-006 for the State of Florida. Mr. Busto's credit report shows no credit score. It is listed as not scored and is listed as insufficient credit. The report does show that Mr. Busto has had student loans starting in 2017 and a mortgage loan. However, this loan shows no balance. Mr. Busto is being referred to the Board under Section 2.5.2, Referral of the Application to the Contractors'Licensing Board for both decisions. Chairman Lantz asked Mr. Busto to explain. 18 April 20, 2022 Mr. Busto said the reason he requested the meeting was to avoid having to take the business and law test again. He was unaware his license expired in 2016. His employer was stopped in one of the subdivisions and they ran his tag and found out that his license had expired. But he wasn't aware of it. It looks to him that what happened all these years ago was that he's been paying the business tax license and we thought that was all they needed and they just missed it. He kept paying the business tax for screen repairs. He owns two businesses tax licenses, one for metal manufacturing and the other for handyman, so we're guessing that we just started them by paying those. For some reason, they pulled one slip. Obviously, we have not stopped servicing our customers. We have over 100 customers and have been doing business as usual with no complaints, as you can see. The reason for the zero-credit score is because his company has no debt, so it's a plus in the books. He has no credit cards and he still has a mortgage, but that doesn't report to his credit and it's current. He's just here to ask to not have to take the business and law exams again. Chairman Lantz noted that he'd been in business all these years and hadn't missed anything. Vice Chair Jerulle asked if this was one of the licenses that will go away on July 1, 2023. Mr. Crotts said it's under review. It's uncertain if that trade will go away in 2023. Attorney Kerins said the County Ordinance breaks down some of the trades, especially involving the swimming pool-related contractor specialties, which do not exactly match up with the ones that are designated by the State. So, based on some of the statutory changes and things coming, we're trying to figure that out, so we don't do anything against the preemption to make sure our Ordinance will line up with that of the State, so we don't draw lawsuits and unwanted attention. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked for Mr. Crott's recommendation. Mr. Crotts recommended that the license be reinstated with payment of all back fees required. He noted there were no complaints since he's had his license. As far as credit is concerned, he asked that a new credit report be submitted in six months so they can see if there have been any changes in credit and the mortgage. Mr. Busto said if you decide to grant the license again, would this help in getting the next step in his license, service and repairs? Would the past experience qualify, or would he have to wait two years? Vice Chairman Jerulle said the Board isn't qualified to answer that, but he could ask Mr. Crofts after the meeting. Chairman Lantz said this license certainly won't hurt you. Mr. Crotts said staff would be happy to sit down with him and explain the difference between the two license and everything that's required. Vice Chairman Jerulle made a motion to reinstate the Swimming Pool Service Contractor license and require all back fees be paid, and he must submit a new credit report in six months. Board Member Hunt seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. [The Board took a break from 10:22-10:30] 19 April 20, 2022 I. Jack T. Griffin—Paving Blocks Contractor—Second Entity Application Chairman Lantz called Mr. Griffin to the podium and he was sworn in. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. Griffin has submitted a Second-Entity Application for the trade of Paving-Block Contractor. He currently holds a valid Paving Block License from Collier County that was issued in March 2019. A review of the current licenses in City View shows there have been no complaints against this company and Mr. Griffin has stayed current on all the renewal requirements. Mr. Griffin is here today to submit a Second-Entity Application to qualify a company called Superior Interlocking Paving Inc. This company currently holds a license in the trade of Masonry Contractor, which was issued by Collier County. Mr. Griffin is here today to answer your questions regarding this Second-Entity Application. Chairman Lantz asked him to give the Board a little background. Mr. Griffin said he was born and raised in Naples, went to St. Ann's School and St. John Neumann High School and then FIU in Miami. He returned to Naples and started working for his father, Dan Griffin, at Superior. The reason he got his license was to one day succeed him,which is the time they're at now. The current company he started and owns, he runs with his brother. They do all paver maintenance-related work, cleaning, sealing, other repairs. The reason he started that company was just a lack of it in our industry. There weren't a lot of reputable people doing it, and there are a lot of issues. His brother worked for a company, Tropic Seal, under Richard Dietrich, who had been doing it for 25-some years. His brother came on with his company and they started doing that under that license since it has everything to do with the maintenance now. Currently, we're going forward and his father intends to step down and then he will qualify for that company, Superior. He's been with Superior since about 2013 as a project manager and estimator and still holds that position now. Chairman Lantz asked if he currently qualifies for Griffin Brothers or Superior. Mr. Griffin said he qualifies for Griffin Brothers. Chairman Lantz said so that's strictly maintenance, and now you want to also qualify Superior, your father's company? Mr. Griffin said yes, Griffin Brothers. The reason for the two separate companies is because we actually do maintenance-related work for other paving companies in town, so he can't show up in a Superior truck to another company's project when they just installed a driveway. It doesn't work out. Board Member Nolton asked if Griffin Brothers was the same license or a different one. Mr. Crotts said Griffin Brothers is a Paving-Block Contractor License. Board Member Hunt asked if he only does maintenance. Mr. Griffin said yes and repairs,but the reason he originally got that license was to be able to 20 April 20, 2022 qualify for paving blocking, an interlocking paving company. From his understanding, the reason his father had the masonry license was because they used to do precast work, so they were doing vertical stuff and different things like that. That part of the company is no longer around. It's closed down, but he still has the same license that qualifies for paving block and for the precast masonry. Board Member Nolton noted it would be the same license for two different companies. So, theoretically,they could compete against each other, right? Mr. Crotts said that was correct. Chairman Lantz said yes, as they've been doing for 10 years. Mr. Griffin said, right, but we haven't been competing against each other. Chairman Lantz asked how long he's had Griffin Brothers. Mr. Griffin said four years. Chairman Lantz said so you've been working for Superior? Mr. Griffin said he had. Chairman Lantz said that theoretically, he's been working for four years and if there was going to be an issue, he's had four years to screw up. Board Member Nolton said he's trying to be consistent. So, if it were the other way around, when he had the license with Superior and he came before us and he wanted to do that, we would probably give him the restricted license. Board Member Hunt asked how much ownership he has in each company. Mr. Griffin said 89% in Griffin Brothers and his brother has 11%. He currently owns none of Superior. Board Member Hunt asked if he'd been getting some ownership when his father steps down. Mr. Griffin said that would occur over time. His father is 90% and his partner, Mario, is 10%. So, as they transition the company and buy it out, his father will slowly decrease his salary in the company and his ownership and it will all transition and they'll change hands. He can't really answer because he's not the president of Superior, but that is kind of how it would happen over time. That's our buyout plan. Board Member Hunt asked if he had insight and authority within the financials for Superior. Mr. Griffin said yes, and he does reviews as a project manager. It's a company that's been around for a while in town, but it's not huge. We don't have 10-12 sales guys. We have five crews. It's himself; his father, who is more of an advisor now; and his partner, Mario. Anything that comes in, as far as homeowners, new contractors or any kind of new clientele, he (himself) takes that on personally. Mario handles the people that have been around with the company for the last 23 years, that side of the relations. From start to finish, he (Mr. Griffin) does his own job costing and everything with his office manager, so he knows all the jobs in and out. As far and handling finances goes, he got approved to sign checks and to do those kinds of things, so he's paying bills and sits down with the office manager once a week to review things that are coming in and out, payables, receivables, all that stuff So, he does have some authority to make decisions and make payments, as well. 21 April 20, 2022 Vice Chairman Jerulle asked Mr. Crofts what would happen with Superior's current license if the Board approves this license today. Mr. Crotts said that license is separate. It would stay until such time that the qualifier either does not renew it and it goes into cancel status or terminates. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if they had two qualifiers. Mr. Crotts said that is correct. There are two qualifiers for different trades. One would be for paving block, the other would be for masonry. They currently have masonry. Vice Chairman Jerulle said he understands that. Let's just talk about the paver blocks. Your father is currently the license holder for the paver blocks for interlocking. If you get your license, what's going to happen with your father's license? Mr. Griffin said he assumes his father would no longer renew that license and then it would eventually go away. Mr. Crotts clarified that Mr. Griffin's father has the license for masonry, not paving block. Mr. Griffin said he would not renew his masonry license. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked who holds the paver block license. Chairman Lantz said paver block falls under masonry. He's saying they don't need the masonry anymore, they only need the paver blocks because they don't do precast work anymore. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if they approve his license today, he will be the approver for the paver block, but not the masonry? Mr. Crotts said that's correct. Vice Chairman Jerulle said if the Board approves his license today, he will be the Paver-Block License holder for that company, but not the Masonry, correct? Mr. Crotts said that was correct. Board Member Nolton noted that he'd have two licenses until one goes away. Mr. Crotts said that was correct. Vice Chairman Jerulle said going back to Board Member Hunt's questions, he has concerns. He pointed out that he votes against Second-Entity Applications 90% of the time for various reasons. Moving forward here, if you do have a license for Superior, you're going to be the financial- responsible officer for the company. You understand that, correct?Not your father because you're doing the paver block. It's your license and you're responsible. You understand that, right? Mr. Griffin said he does. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if his father understands that. Mr. Griffin said he does. Vice Chairman Jerulle said there are a lot of concerns he has about two entities, but maybe not so much in this case. Mr. Griffin said he wished they could put everything into one company, but the only reason they can't combine the two is that the service they offer, they can't do that for other installers. Board Member Nolton noted that as he said before, if it were reversed and you had this license and you came for the Griffin Brothers, we probably would have done it restricted, where you could only do maintenance. That's probably what we would have done, so there was no chance 22 April 20, 2022 for crossover. Mr. Griffin said that's fine with him. The Griffin Brothers license doesn't need to have installation purposes. As long as it's for maintenance, repair purposes. Board Member Hunt said she was less concerned because these are family-owned businesses. Chairman Lantz said we've seen a lot of second entities and a lot of working with brothers or families. They may not have a written plan in place, but this is the first one that's actually had the conversations about succession and that's pretty rare in our industry, so that's pretty good. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked Mr. Crotts for his recommendation. Mr. Crotts said there do not seem to be any issues, there have been no complaints,no issues with registration or renewing the license, so they have stayed on top of that. Based upon what he sees and hears today, he had no reason to believe that the same thing would not happen with the Paver- Block License under Superior. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked Mr. Griffin how old he was. Mr. Griffin said he was 30 and would be 31 in a month. Board Member Nolton made a motion to approve the Second-Entity Application. Board Member Meister seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. J. Vincent J. La Manna—Tile and Marble Contractor—Second Entity Application K. Vincent J. La Manna—Floor Covering—Second Entity Application Chairman Lantz called Mr. La Manna to the podium and he was sworn in. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. La Manna has submitted a Second-Entity Application for the trades of Tile and Marble Contractor and Floor-Covering Contractor. He currently holds a valid license for Tile and Marble and Floor Covering from Collier County, which were issued in 2011. A review of the current license in City View shows there have been no complaints against this company for either trade, and Mr. La Manna has stayed current on all required renewals. Mr. La Manna is submitting a Second-Entity Application to qualify the company of Wood Flooring& More LLC for both the aforementioned trades. There is currently no license associated with this company. Mr. La Manna is here today to answer your questions regarding the Second-Entity Application. Chairman Lantz asked Mr. La Manna to give them an introduction. Mr. La Manna said he's with Sunset Carpet& Tile and has been in Naples since 1974. Basically, what he's trying to do is create another wood-flooring company that strictly does wood flooring. He'll still be running it with his son. Wood flooring has become such a big product and this way, when people look for wood flooring on the Internet, it will pop up a lot sooner than Sunset Carpet & Tile. So, basically that's all we're trying to do,just create a wood-flooring company. Chairman Lantz asked if it would be run out of the same building, the same ownership. Mr. La Manna said it would be the same ownership, same everything,just a different name. 23 April 20, 2022 Board Member Nolton asked why they didn't just change the current name. Mr. La Manna said they've been in town for so long, 48 years, so a lot of people and contractors know them as Sunset Carpet& Tile. We don't want to give up that name and we just want to create another name. So, if people are looking for just wood flooring, that's basically what this company would be doing,just wood flooring and maintaining wood floors. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked who owns Sunset Carpet& Tile. Mr. La Manna said he does. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked who started it. Mr. La Manna said his father started it in 1974. Chairman Lantz noted that Mr. La Manna and his son run it now. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked if his son had any ownership. Mr. La Manna said he does. This way, if something happens to him, the company can go under his son's direction and he could lead it. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked why he didn't ask his son to get his license. Mr. La Manna said he understands that in July 2023, that specialty license is going to be dropped. Vice Chairman Jerulle said that wasn't the answer he's looking for. He's coming before the Board to ask for a license for a second entity. If your son is in the business, why didn't you ask him to get a license for this new wood company? Mr. La Manna said he didn't think there was a need for it since he already has a license. The ownership is going to be staying the same, with him being the president of the company, so he didn't think they needed to go that route. Board Member Hunt asked how much ownership his son has. Mr. La Manna said he owns 48% of both companies. Board Member Jaron noted that his corporate name is actually Sunset Carpet& Draperies. That's the official name. Mr. La Manna said that was correct. That was the official name his father started with in 1974. People weren't doing draperies anymore and when his father passed away, he didn't know much about draperies. But he kept that name because people knew them back in the early 70s and to keep it the same for credit with distributors and others. If he were to drop that name and use Sunset Carpet& Tile, he'd have to re-establish all new credit with distributors and manufacturers. So, that's why they filed a DBA with Sunset Carpet& Tile, and draperies went to the wayside. Now it's shutters and other stuff These days, carpet has kind of gone to the wayside and wood is a big product that most builders and homeowners are doing now. So, we're trying to create a company that if you Google it, it pops up with Wood Flooring & More versus Sunset Carpet& Tile,which doesn't have any name involving wood flooring. We're trying to promote wood flooring. So, if you do Google it, it's strictly a store that's going to do wood flooring and service wood flooring. If you need maintenance, that's what the "More" is for, if you need it to be buffed or cleaned. 24 April 20, 2022 Chairman Lantz asked if he has a storefront now. Mr. La Manna said they just sold the building and he's working on the production of flooring, so they are going to be in the process of building another building. Chairman Lantz asked if they'd have signs for both businesses. Mr. La Manna said correct. They were in permitting, which is tough because everyone is backed up right now. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked Mr. Crofts for his recommendation. Mr. Crotts said the only question staff has with the second entity is that he says he really wants to keep this as floor covering. However, he has submitted a Second-Entity Application for tile and marble also. My question would be: Do you plan on doing tile and marble? Mr. La Manna said, no, not really. Tile and marble are going to stay through Sunset Carpet& Tile. The wood flooring is going to fall under wood flooring, so that's the flooring part. Wood Flooring & More is going to strictly handle wood flooring, so he put both in the applications. Mr. Crotts asked if he wanted to pull the application for tile and marble for the second entity. Mr. La Manna said, sure. Chairman Lantz asked if he got his building up and running and he came in as a contractor who was doing a house and needed someone to do tile all his showers, the bathroom and kitchen and he wanted to put laminate wood floor throughout the whole house, could he handle it? Mr. La Manna said he could. And that's why he wants Wood Flooring & More. We're doing the license for the tile and everything else because this way, if you come in for wood flooring and you want him to do the bathroom as well and they ask, "Can you do the shower?" This way, Wood Flooring & More has both licenses. They can do all of it under Wood Flooring & More, versus saying they could only do the wood flooring and you have to go to Sunset Carpet & Tile for the tile work. We're just trying to make it as simple as possible. Chairman Lantz said he could either write two checks, one to Wood Flooring & More and one to Sunshine Carpet& Tile, or he could still write one check to Sunset Carpet& Tile, if you were to keep it that way. His concern is there can be some confusion. What is your intent?Is Wood Flooring & More going to be only wood floors and Sunset Carpet& Tile is going to be only carpet and tile? Or is it going to be more? Mr. La Manna said the majority of it is strictly going to be flooring, but if you ask me if we could do your entry with tile or a bathroom. Instead of saying,we can only do your wood flooring because we're only licensed for wood flooring and then you have to go to Sunset Carpet& Tile and write a check to them, it just seems easier if Wood Flooring & More handled everything. Board Member Nolton said it seems like it would be easier to change your DBA and drop "Carpet" and add"Wood Flooring," if that's what you're trying to do. There are all kinds of ways to get hits on the internet rather than a second entity. Mr. La Manna said with all the contractors and everybody in town and how long they've been in business, everyone knows them as Sunset Carpet& Tile. If he drops Sunset Carpet& Tile and brings on a new company,people are not going to notice it as much as they did with Sunset 25 April 20, 2022 Carpet& Tile. Board Member Nolton said he wasn't telling him to drop Sunset. Keep Sunset but drop"Carpet" and add"Wood." Mr. La Manna said they could do that. Board Member Nolton said that would be a much simpler process. Board Member Hunt said that in the document he provided the Board, it says he owns 50% and his son owns 48%, so who owns the other 2%? Mr. La Manna said it's probably a typo or error. Chairman Lantz asked if there were other questions or issues. Vice Chairman Jerulle said he's OK with Mr. Crofts' recommendation for a license that gives him the ability to just do wood flooring and not tile. Board Member Nolton said that just complicates what we just talked about when Mr. Lantz said he wants the whole house done. He's going to have to create a contract with both companies. Board Member Hunt said he owns both companies, so it shouldn't be an issue. Board Member Nolton said that's true. Vice Chairman Jerulle made a motion to approve the Second-Entity License for Wood Flooring & More, LLC for floor covering only. Board Member Hunt seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. Mr. La Manna withdrew his application for Tile & Marble, 8J. 10. OLD BUSINESS: A. Luis Patino—The Oasis Group of SWFL Inc. dba Oasis Renovations & Pools—Swimming Pool/Spa Servicing/Repair Contractor Review of Credit Chairman Lantz called Mr. Patino to the podium and he was sworn in. Mr. Crotts reported that Mr. Patino appeared before the Board on June 16, 2021, to review his credit worthiness. At that hearing, the Board set criteria that Mr. Patino had to meet. He was asked to appear before the Board on February 16, 2022, to answer questions regarding this. However, he thought the meeting started at 11 a.m. and missed the meeting. He was confirmed to come back on March 16`h to supply those documents. However, on March 16th, he showed up the day of the meeting and staff didn't have a chance to review those documents. Staff has had a chance to review the documents Mr. Patino submitted. Mr. Patino's current credit score is 637. The minimum credit score required is 660. However, when Mr. Patino appeared before the Board in July 2021, his credit score was 547. With regard to the creditors that the Board asked him to take care of • TD Auto. This has been paid and settled. • Suncoast Credit Union. His credit report shows that he has entered into a payment plan and will pay$300 a month, along with a $1,500 down payment. Based upon this credit plan, Mr. Patino will need 25 months to settle this account. 26 April 20, 2022 • Verizon. Mr. Patino supplied an email from Verizon that stated that this account had been closed and disconnected and there is no longer a balance remaining. This account has also been removed from Mr. Patino's credit report. Mr. Patino said he's working on it. There's a lot to work on. Can we go back to the history of why he's here before the Board?Back in 2016 or 2017, he sold several accounts to some Canadians. That caused a lot of problems. That's what stretched him thin. He got into a lawsuit with the Canadians who breached the contract and he went all the way, but it stretched him thin, and caused a lot of family headaches in the midst of all the troubles. Code Enforcement knows about that and now he's here. We relapsed on the renewal of the license, and when we went to settle that, his credit came into question because of everything that he went through with Oasis Pools, the original company he had. He's still in the pool business. Chairman Lantz asked if he had one of three left. Mr. Patino said he has Oasis. Chairman Lantz said he remembers being here a year or two ago, when his license got renewed and he had three bills he had to pay. That was our original order. TD Auto, Suncoast and Verizon. Two of the three are 100% gone. Mr. Patino said he sold his house and has a few things he's still working on. Chairman Lantz said Suncoast Credit Union still has not been resolved. Mr. Patino said it's on the installment plan and he's planning on resolving it. Chairman Lantz said it's not paid off, but you have moved forward and it's not an$8,000 debt. Mr. Patino said it's probably $7,000 now. Chairman Lantz asked if he had a payment plan. Mr. Patino said he did. We have an installment plan, but he's not planning to take 25 months to pay it off. He wants to try to pay it off in six months. He doesn't want it to linger. He's been in business since 2010 and he's still in town. The Canadians aren't, though. Board Member Nolton said if he understood right, his credit score has continued to move up. Mr. Crotts said that was correct. Board Member Nolton noted it went up 90 points. Chairman Lantz asked what the will of the Board was. Vice Chairman Jerulle asked what Mr. Crofts' recommendation was. Mr. Crotts said staff recommends that Mr. Patino's license be reinstated to active probationary. During this probationary status, Mr. Patino must provide staff with an agreed- upon payment plan with Suncoast Credit Union and show that payments have been made on time, per the agreement, after six months. After 12 months, Mr. Patino must supply documentation from Suncoast Credit Union showing the on-time payments have remained and a credit report showing that his credit score has increased. 27 April 20, 2022 Board Member Nolton made a motion to adopt Mr. Crotts'recommendation: to prove that Suncoast Credit Union has been paid on time, to provide his credit report and prove that his credit score has increased in six months and in twelve months. Vice Chairman Jerulle seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. 11. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None 12. NEXT MEETING DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 18, 2022 Commissioners' Chambers, Third Floor, Administrative Building F, Collier County Government Center, 3299 E. Tamiami Trail, Naples, FL Board Member Hunt made a motion to adjourn. Board Member Meister seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, 6-0. There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned at 11:02 a.m. Collier County Contractors' Licensing Board , oard Tev-ry Jtr‘A.k1e r new\ These minutes were approved by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Contractors'Licensing Board on 5 - 1 - , (check one) as submitted ✓ or as amended 28