A swimming pool contractor was ordered to immediately pay $80,000 in restitution and an additional $50,000 over the next 120 months to settle two felonies of a contractor failing to refund excess value for work.
John James Prendergast, 50, owner of Blue Oasis Pools and Spas Inc., pleaded to the two felonies and was sentenced to 120 months’ probation.
The investigation began on June 13, 2022, when a Keystone Heights man contacted the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office to report possible fraud. According to the complaint, the victim entered into a contract with Prendergast on January 12, 2021, for a pool to be built on his Keystone Heights property for a total of $71,450.
The victim made several installment payments totaling $42,925 — approximately 60 percent of the quoted price — via checks. However, according to the affidavit, Prendergast failed to complete the work within the 90-day timeframe required by Florida law.
Despite the victim’s repeated attempts to communicate with Prendergast and a formal demand letter sent as required by Florida statute, the contractor allegedly failed to respond or complete the unfinished work. The homeowner was eventually forced to hire another company to finish the pool installation.
During the investigation, detectives identified a second victim with an almost identical experience. On March 3, 2021, a Fleming Island resident entered into a written agreement with Prendergast for a pool to be built on his property for a total of $66,700.
According to the affidavit, the victim made payments in accordance with the contract’s payment schedule, which called for 10 percent at signing, 35 percent on the day of excavation, 15 percent at steel inspection, and 35 percent at ground inspection. Like the Keystone Heights victim, the Fleming Island man allegedly received incomplete work from Prendergast.
