Latest news with #Montalto
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dream home ordeal left Florida homeowner out an extra $150K — but he says can't celebrate builder's arrest
Retired veteran David Alvarado thought he'd found the perfect place to build a new family home in Port St. Lucie, Florida. In 2023, he hired a builder to do just that. But all he got from Mark Montalto of Port St. Lucie Properties was an empty lot and a $19,000 lien from a landscaping company that said Montalto never paid them. 'It's been traumatic, to say the least,' Alvarado told WPTV. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Alvarado not only had to pay off the lien but hire a new builder — all while suing Montalto. Between the lien, legal fees, rental housing and the new contractor, he says he spent $150,000 extra. 'It's just gut-wrenching,' he said. 'I know people know what I'm referring to when you feel that pit in your stomach. It's just hollow.' WPTV reports that Alvarado is one of at least 19 people who have filed suits against Montalto in St. Lucie Court. In April, the builder was arrested for construction fraud, including 17 charges of grand theft and four counts of theft from people 65 and older. If convicted, Montalto, 61, could be sentenced to over 100 years in jail. But Alvarado fears the builder's victims will never get their money back; Montalto filed for bankruptcy last month. Dorothy Calixte and her husband are among those suing Montalto. She told WPRV they had to pay $90,000 in liens to finish their dream home and take out a mortgage at a higher rate. She also had to get a second job to pay down the debt. 'You shouldn't have to live like that, and you don't even have time to enjoy the dream home that you wanted,' she said. Read more: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis There is some recourse for homeowners like Alvarado and Calixte who are trying to recover money they lost to builders who don't fulfill their contracts and have declared bankruptcy. One option is the Florida Construction Industry Recovery Fund. The maximum award a Florida homeowner can recover from this fund has traditionally been $50,000 per claim. But that's just been raised to $100,000 for claims on homebuilding contracts signed after Jan. 1, 2025. There's no foolproof way to prevent contractor fraud — but you can take several steps to lower your risk: Research the contractor's background. Look up licensing status and check for complaints or lawsuits on your state's contractor licensing board and county court websites. Get everything in writing. A clear, detailed contract can help protect you if something goes wrong. Request lien waivers. This helps ensure subcontractors are paid and reduces the chance they'll file liens against your property. Watch for red flags. Frequent delays, evasive answers about payments, and requests for large upfront deposits can all be signs of trouble. If you find yourself in a similar situation, taking action is crucial to protecting yourself. While laws and regulations vary by jurisdiction, here are a few steps to consider: File a complaint with the state licensing board and your local consumer protection office. Dispute wrongful liens in court if you believe they're invalid or were filed in error. Hire an attorney to explore your legal options, including suing the builder or filing a claim in bankruptcy court. Apply to your state's Contractor Recovery Fund (also known as a Homeowner's Recovery Fund) if the contractor was licensed and your case qualifies. For Alvarado and others like him, justice may still be far off. But the arrest of Montalto is, at the very least, a step in the right direction. 'Thank God,' said Calixte, after learning of Montalto's arrest. 'That's all I ask for. At this point, I need justice.' Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
11 New York middle schoolers sickened after taking THC gummies, a growing problem
A student at a New York middle school gave marijuana gummies to at least a dozen classmates this week, sending nearly all of them to the hospital, police and the school district said. The 13- and 14-year-old students were sickened Monday morning at William Floyd Middle School in Moriches, New York, the Suffolk County Police Department said in a statement. Eleven of the students were taken to the hospital and one was released into the custody of a parent, James Montalto, a spokesperson for the school district, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "While we cannot discuss student discipline publicly due to privacy laws, we take this matter seriously and there will be appropriate consequences," Montalto said. "We will continue to build upon our anti-drug programs and also continue to host grade-level assemblies highlighting the dangers of all drug use including edible marijuana." It's not clear how the student obtained the edibles or whether they knew the gummies contained marijuana before sharing them. But similar incidents have happened in schools across the country and cases of children ingesting marijuana-laced treats have grown as more states have legalized the medical and recreational use of cannabis. List: In what states is weed legal? The number of children under the age of 6 who accidentally ate products laced cannabis rose from 207 cases in 2017 to 3,014 cases in 2021, according to a 2023 study published in the journal Pediatrics. More than half of the children were toddlers, ages 2 and 3, and the vast majority obtained the edibles at home, the study found. In California, at least two children were given THC-infused candy packaged like Starburst during a Halloween trick-or-treating event at Earhart Elementary School in October 2023. One of the elementary students was sickened and required medical attention, according to police. Two months later, an Iowa father was charged with multiple felonies after his 4-year-old son ate a chocolate bar containing THC and had to be treated at a hospital. Three students at a Florida middle school were hospitalized that same month after taking edibles laced with an unknown substance. Study: More kids are being treated for eating marijuana-laced gummies, other edibles at home Toxicologist and Emergency Medicine physician Dr. David Vearrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center previously told the USA TODAY Network the side effects of marijuana edibles can be extremely dangerous in young children. "The most common side effects are mental status depression and sleepiness as well as decreased breathing in some cases," Vearrier said. "Sometimes acute agitation is a factor as well." Edibles made with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can come in the form of gummies, chocolates, lollipops, drinks, chips, cookies and other baked goods. Because children often don't realize how potent each piece can be and they are smaller than adults, "a higher milligram/kilogram dose is ingested, which puts children at risk for increased toxicity from these exposures," the researchers behind the 2023 study said. Dope ropes, THC Doritos: Our patchwork pot laws and kids can pay the price, experts say A child might also easily mistake many of the products for a regular snack, Marit Tweet, an emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, said in a statement accompanying the study. The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent cease and desists letters in 2023 to six companies with marijuana products that resembled Doritos, Cheetos, gummy bears, and other candies with nearly identical packaging to the original brands, as they did in the California case. But, the FTC said all it can do is "strongly encourage sellers to review all of their marketing and product packaging." Meanwhile some states, including Illinois, require edible packaging to not appeal to children and restrict the total amount of THC allowed per package, Tweet previously told USA TODAY. Contributing: Emilee Coblentz, Natalie Neysa Alund and Mike Snider, USA TODAY; Joshua Williams, USA TODAY NETWORK This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 11 New York middle school students hospitalized after taking edibles
CBS News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida lawmakers revisit gun laws, Parkland families push back
As the new legislative session begins Tuesday, Florida lawmakers are once again taking up gun laws, sparking opposition from families of the 17 victims killed in the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. A newly introduced bill would lower the minimum age to purchase a gun from 21 to 18, reversing a measure passed in response to the Parkland shooting. Debbie Hixon, whose husband Chris was killed that day, opposes any rollback of the law. "That law has really saved a lot of lives across the state," Hixon said. Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old daughter Gina Rose Montalto was among the victims, also opposes the measure. Debate over guns on college campuses Another bill under consideration would allow firearms on college and university campuses. Montalto believes that only well-trained security personnel should carry weapons in those settings. "Well-selected and well-trained should be the ones with weapons on campus," Montalto said. "I don't feel that our students are in such jeopardy that they need to carry as well." FIU sophomore Vinh Le also expressed concerns. "If everybody has a gun, then it might cause shootings," Le said. Lawmakers and leadership weigh in State Sen. Randy Fine, who introduced the Senate versions of both bills, defended the proposals. His office referred to past press releases, in which he stated: "The Second Amendment does not take the semester off when you step on a college campus." Regarding lowering the gun purchasing age, Fine argued the current law is inconsistent. "After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act passed in 2018, I committed to addressing the inconsistency that allows an 18-year-old to be given a firearm by a parent or purchase one in a private transaction but not from a licensed firearms dealer," he said. Gov. Ron DeSantis has also voiced support for open carry in Florida. Hixon, Montalto, and other Parkland families plan to travel to Tallahassee to speak with lawmakers in an effort to prevent changes to existing gun laws.
