Hamiltons tell Stuart commission federally funded rehab left work incomplete; request reinspection

Robert Hamilton and his wife, Olga Hamilton, told the City of Stuart commission on Aug. 5 that the city's handling of a Community Development Block Grant-funded renovation left their historic home with incomplete and allegedly misrepresented work.

"He came in here and lied, sir," Robert Hamilton said of a contractor inspector who previously testified to the commission. "Our home was damaged. The man came in here and lied to a government body." Olga Hamilton said an independent home inspector and documents the family provided show "there are no functioning roof ridge vent system[s]" that had been listed in contractor bids and that the project manager later certified work at 85% despite those alleged deficiencies.

The Hamiltons said Guardian Community Resource Management's project manager, Antonio Jenkins, certified payment draws though the family contends the scope of work did not include the ridge vent or complete window repairs. "We repeatedly asked the city administration for reinspection, reopen the permit, reinspect, deduct for work that [was] not complete," Olga Hamilton said, and she asserted the city paid full amounts without deductions.

Why it matters: The Hamiltons said federal CDBG rules and state review are part of the review path for the project. They urged the city to require a reinspection by the project manager, to reopen the permit, and to pursue deductions if work was omitted. The family also said documentation submitted by a contractor contained inconsistent language about ridge cap versus ridge vent and alleged forged or falsified dates and signatures on some contractor documents.

What the commission and staff said: City staff acknowledged receipt of the Hamiltons' email and said the project manager must formulate the scope of services before procurement steps under the CDBG grant process can proceed. A staff member summarized the federal/state review chain described at the meeting: the project manager sets the scope, the Hamiltons and city review it, Florida Commerce reviews and (if approved) the item proceeds to procurement. City staff also said if the Hamiltons will not allow the project manager back into the home, the city could pursue alternate review paths through Florida Commerce, but that would cause delay.

Commissioners pressed for clarity on whether Jenkins must reinspect. Commissioner Reid asked whether an in-person reinspection by Jenkins was a requirement; staff said the project manager normally reinspects before finalizing the scope and that failing to permit a reinspection could require alternate, slower paths through state review.

Quantities and payments cited at the meeting: Olga Hamilton said the city paid full draw amounts and cited roughly "over 46,000" in public funds paid to a contractor the family named Patriot Response Group for alleged incomplete work; she also said Guardian had certified the project at 85% complete. The Hamiltons provided a bid reference they said charged $19,090 for a roof item they assert was not installed; the city and staff said they had received the family's email and would review the documentation (the commission was not provided final accounting or copy of a final payment during the meeting).

Requests and next steps: The Hamiltons asked the commission to require a reinspection by Antonio Jenkins of Guardian Community Resource Management, to reopen the permit if necessary, and to withhold payment for the omitted work. Staff said it would review the Hamiltons' emailed scope comments and would coordinate with the project manager and with Florida Commerce if needed. The Hamiltons also asked the commission to examine whether documents submitted by Guardian contained falsified dates or signatures; staff said those allegations would be looked into.

Attribution: Quotes in this article come from Robert Hamilton and Olga Hamilton during the public-comment portion of the Aug. 5 meeting. Other procedural descriptions and staff statements come from city staff remarks at the meeting.