Disgraced Florida builder arrested after allegedly scamming ‘Below Deck’ star, dozens out of millions by failing to finish their upscale homes

A once high-flying Florida builder is behind bars for allegedly bilking “Below Deck” star Sandy Yawn and more than a dozen others by failing to finish their upscale homes in a brazen $15 million swindle, officials said.

Spencer Calvert, 51, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon at his $3.3 million gated Jacksonville mansion and charged with several larceny and fraud raps.

The news thrilled Yawn, who said she paid $1.6 million for her home in Nocatee that was left half completed and unlivable before Calvert suddenly went dark.

“We are so happy!” Yawn told The Post on a flight to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday with wife Leah Schafer.

Others who contracted with Calvert told The Post they had been left insolvent after paying for their projects upfront and having little to show for the purchase years later.

Calvert, the president of Pineapple Construction, was charged with misappropriation of construction funds $100,000 or more, grand larceny of $100,000 or more, and fraud to obtain property $50,000 or more, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

“Calvert is accused of knowingly and intentionally accepting deposits and abandoning the project without any attempt to refund or correct the situation,” read a press release from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies executed a search warrant at Calvert’s lavish home after his arrest, officials said.

The ordeal has left many of the builder’s victims in financial ruin.

One couple paid more than $1 million for their plot of land and a deposit on their dream home — but Calvert still hadn’t filed construction permits a year later.

“We did everything right,” said one bilked buyer. “We saved, we worked hard for years and years. But one bad move with one bad actor and we don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s hard to describe it to you.”

A tour of the area earlier this month revealed plot after plot of untouched and half-finished projects, with the parcels sitting completely dormant.

Contractors have also been scrambling after Pineapple’s collapse, telling homeowners that they completed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of work for Calvert and were never paid.

Officials said contractors have been hitting homeowners with liens for the unpaid work done on their properties, compounding their misery.

Yawn and others previously told The Post that Calvert indicated he didn’t have the funding to complete their homes, and continually asked for more money.

“He’s a good talker,” Yawn said. “He’s the kind of guy who tries to make you feel sorry for him.”

Calvert was transported to Duval County Jail after his arrest.

Yawn said she and Schafer are now attempting to cobble up enough money to finish construction on their dream home in the coveted Jacksonville suburb — and may have to take out a loan on a home they already paid for in full.

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Selim Algar

February 23, 2024 7:44 pm