KEY WEST, January 14, 2020 – A Big Coppitt Key man allegedly took tens of thousands of dollars from a Key West resident for contracting work he didn’t complete and wasn’t licensed to do.
Christopher Wardlow, 54, was arrested January 10 on a charge of contracting without a license based on an arrest affidavit prepared by State Attorney’s Office Investigator Frank Zamora.
In April, Wardlow, working under the business name Wardlow Building Group Inc., entered into an agreement with a resident of the Key West by the Sea condominium complex on South Roosevelt Boulevard to remodel his condo. The proposal was for $40,350 and in four separate transactions from February through July, the condo owner paid Wardlow a total of $35,100.
Wardlow “did demo work, tile work and some electrical work but did not complete the job,” Zamora wrote.
In fact, Wardlow is not licensed to perform any contracting work. He has several complaints against him with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and that agency revoked his general contractor’s license on April 23, 2018. In addition, certifications in assessing mold and remediating mold damage expired. Also, his Monroe County Building Department license has had a “hold” on it since 2017.
Zamora was contacted about Wardlow by Key West police in October and worked the case with Mark Terrell, an investigator with the DBPR.