and my Consumer Protection Division is taking action to stop these practices and secure relief for those harmed by the defendants.”

Since March of this year, the Attorney General’s Office said it has received more than 200 consumer complaints against Olympus Pools, amounting to an alleged total loss of $8 million. The civil action seeks to permanently ban the defendants from engaging in certain activities related to the pool construction business. The action also aims to require the company and its owners to provide restitution or reimbursement to affected consumers. In addition, the defendants could be liable for more than $2 million in civil penalties for violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

At the end of the day, Staten has lost nearly everything.

Because he sold more than he could deliver, Staten has lost his business, his home, his reputation, and may lose his ability to work in the industry. But is he guilty of fraud? Of deceptive trade?

To this, many pool professionals answer in the affirmative, or at the very least, that Staten is guilty of greed, biting off far more than he could chew, leaving in his wake unpaid subcontractors and devastated homeowners.

Staten has blamed his fall in part on the repercussions of the pandemic, which have included extreme supply chain interruptions and unprecedented demand for pools.

For more than a decade, Staten ran a pool construction company with apparent success, but it looks like the pandemic revealed a business model destined for failure.

The courts will determine the ultimate price he will pay.