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SUN CITY CENTER, Fla. (WFLA) — Paul Moran’s screened porch keeps out bugs and rain, but it doesn’t protect him from the bad memories of building it.
“I suppose [what happened] When we’re here,” Moran said.
Moran came to 8 On Your Side in 2019 after the disappearance of contractor Danny Musgrove. He claims he paid Musgrove $20,000 to build his backyard.
“The concrete was ready. The floor was ready to pour,” Moran said. “I never saw him again.”
However, Moran said Musgrove made several promises via text message.
“We’re going to cash out your wife’s IRA and get your money back. We’re sorry about that,” Moran said. “Yeah, you’re right?”

Moran said she knew she had been scammed when she saw Musgrove on TV.
“The day I got the call to turn on the Channel 8 news, Danny was on the news,” Moran recalled. “I knew I was violated.”
Musgrove has been accused by several homeowners of taking money and then doing the work poorly or not completing it. Victims say the total amount Musgrove received was about $400,000.
Musgrove’s license was revoked, but no criminal charges were filed against him. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Ms. Moran had hoped to get back some of the money she paid Ms. Musgrove when she filled out an application for the Homeowner Construction Recovery Fund. The application was filed at the end of 2020.
Ms Moran is one of several victims from various contractors who said the application process was not easy.
“There’s no smooth process because we don’t know how to find what they want,” Moran said. “I’ve sent them there a couple of times because I got kicked out.”

Finally, this year, Moran received a letter stating that her “claim has been deemed complete” and has been “submitted for final review.” A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for Wednesday.
According to data provided by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), there are 984 active cases related to requests from the fund.
$4.5 million was paid in the fiscal year ending 2023. It paid out $2.7 million in the previous fiscal year. As of the end of last year, about $24,000 had been raised in the fund.
Marnie Villanueva, DBPR’s deputy director of communications, said the application will be scheduled for the next quarterly Building Permit Board meeting once it is completed.
“On average, once all appropriate documentation is submitted to DBPR, cases are processed within approximately four to six months,” Villanueva said.
Moran is hoping for a final push, but he also considered giving up midway through.
“Yes,” he said. “absolutely.”
Mr. Moran’s claims fall short of even the oldest claims about the fund. Villanueva said the distinction involves a 1999 case, and the plaintiffs still have to correct deficiencies before proceeding with the case.
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