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Home renovator wants to settle suit

Ed Donofrio sends checks to at least two couples. They say it's not nearly enough.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published February 13, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - A man homeowners sued, accusing him of breaking his word about renovating their properties and for setting them up with high-interest loans, wants to settle the suit.

Frank Edmund Donofrio, 38, sent checks and short, unsigned letters to at least two St. Petersburg couples late last week. Both have turned the checks over to their attorney and say the money falls far short of covering the work that needs to be done.

"It's just an insult," said Viola Bell-Gayton, who received a check for $800.

Mrs. Bell-Gayton and her husband, Harold Gayton, say Donofrio did shoddy work when he installed a new roof and central heat and air conditioning at their Childs Park home.

In a note to Mrs. Gayton, Donofrio said he was sending her the check because she was not happy with the work his company had done.

"I hope this will help you and your family," he wrote.

"By cashing this check, you hereby agree to drop the lawsuit you filed against me. ... I am sure this will compensate you for any loss you feel you have incurred."

Dorothea and Obey Freeman, who live in Historic Kenwood, got a check for $4,000.

"I was shocked," Mrs. Freeman said. "I couldn't believe that Ed Donofrio had the nerve to send us such a letter when he knows that the electrical work has to be done up to code and that's an $8,000 job. We've got about $50,000 worth of work that has to be undone and done over. I believe that he was deliberately trying to upset us."

Donofrio wrote Mrs. Freeman saying he was sorry she had resorted to legal action "instead of handling the problem face to face."

Mrs. Freeman said she had no choice.

"I'd say over three dozen times I have called him and he has promised to show up that afternoon or first thing in the morning, and all of a sudden, he's not answering our calls," she said. "It's his fault that it has gone so far."

Donofrio, who did not respond Friday to a phone message, has been sued by the owners of 10 homes. They accuse him of fraud. The suit filed in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court seeks more than $15,000 in damages for each household. The complaint also names companies with which Donofrio was associated.

The complaint claims work was never completed and that finished projects were unsatisfactory. It also states that work was performed without permits and that homeowners did not get information about their mortgage loans before closing. Eight of the homes affected are in southern parts of St. Petersburg, one is in Historic Kenwood and one in Clearwater.

Donofrio operated under at least two companies, Five Star Remodeling Consultants and Five Star Building Consultants. He solicited work by hanging fliers on doorknobs telling homeowners that their communities had been approved for "Operation Redevelopment," a program that could make them eligible for assistance with remodeling projects. In their lawsuit, homeowners say they thought the offer was part of a government program.

Gary P. Cors, the homeowners' attorney, said Donofrio apparently wants to settle the case. In a letter to the Gaytons, he said Donofrio's attorney, Joe Perlman, has requested a list of the repairs that need to be done and the amount it would take to settle the suit. Cors said Donofrio's letters and checks went out before he could get that information from his clients.

[Last modified February 13, 2005, 01:07:16]