Rendering of Pinecrest Academy charter school in Viera Florida

At least six mechanics lien claims worth $1.3 have been placed on Pinecrest Academy Space Coast in Viera, Florida, a new charter school expected to officially open in the fall of 2020.

The property owner, School Property Development Brevard, LLC, is subject to six liens from five different contractors as of August 3, 2020.

Pinecrest Academy Space Coast’s 42,000 square-foot new charter school broke ground back in February 2020, and it is situated upon a 12-acre parcel. The dual-language STEM school is located 50 miles southeast of downtown Orlando, FL along Interstate 95. In construction, a mechanics lien is used to help force payment by preventing the property’s sale or refinancing until the lien claims have been resolved.

As of April 2020, the Pinecrest Academy Space Coast planned to open its doors by August 2020 to begin the 2020-21 school year. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school’s official website states it will open in the fall of 2020.

Five Contractors File Liens on Pinecrest Academy Space Coast

The five contractors are allegedly owed $1,350,920.05 for work taking place at 7550 Stadium Parkway, Viera, FL.

According to the lien affidavits, the largest lien claim was filed by a subcontractor, Ryan Incorporated Southern, against the general contractor, P&T Construction, Inc. pursuant to Florida statutes governing mechanics liens. The lien affidavits also show that P&T Construction owned and operated by School Property Development Brevard, LLC.

On August 3, 2020, Ryan Incorporated Southern filed a lien valued at $1,047,639.77, which accounts for 78% of the total funds still owed to the five contractors on this job site. Ryan Incorporated Southern’s lien affidavit states that the subcontractor provided site development services after working on the project between November 2019 and July 2020.

Subcontractor Sunflower Landscaping, Co. placed the second largest lien on July 2, 2020, at $205,200 against P&T Construction. The subcontractor processed a second lien on July 14 against the general contractor that added an extra $32,605 to their original unpaid work claim. In total, Sunflower Landscaping, Co. claims they are owed $237,805 for providing landscaping and irrigation services to the project.

Sunflower Landscaping, Co. has also been involved in a lien claim with a fellow subcontractor in Snapper Creek Nursery on the same project. On July 9, 2020, Snapper Creek Nursery filed a lien against Sunflower Landscaping, Co. valued at 6,444.60 for contributing to the landscaping and irrigation of the charter school.

The third-largest known lien placed on the Pinecrest Academy Space Coast charter school is valued at $55K from subcontractor Door and Glass Services Company. The lien was filed against P&T Construction on June 12, 2020.

The earliest lien was filed on April 22, 2020, by ABC Supply Co., Inc. against G&G Roofing Construction, Inc., which totaled $4K.

Charter School Set to Open in Fall 2020

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, preparations for a normal school year were still set in motion for Pinecrest Academy Space Coast. In an interview with Viera Voice in April of 2020, Sylvia Mijuskovic, the charter school’s principal, was optimistic about using the new facility by August of 2020.

“The construction (of the school) is so far along, that I don’t think there’s going to be any negative impact,” Mijuskovic told the Viera Voice.

According to Florida Today, the school was planning to send between 400 and 600 students to the K-6 STEM charter school by August.

As of August 2020, over 10,000 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the State of Florida. Also in August, 292 students and 14 school teachers were quarantined in Martin County because of possible COVID-19 cases reaching the classrooms.

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