JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Westside business owner is accusing an electric company of taking his money without completing the job.
Andrew Messiana was supposed to open a cigar lounge called Tobacco Galore at least nine months ago, but his plans were involuntarily put on a hiatus when Covenant Electric did not finish the service.
Messiana said he brought a 70-year-old building near the corner of Normandy and Lenox avenues to flip it into an upscale cigar lounge. He said he hired an architect who came up with the designs, and then he hired licensed electrician Leroy Bass, owner of Covenant Electric — based on a referral from a friend.
Bass was supposed to install the new electrical system to bring the building up to code, which is required before Messiana could open for business. He paid the company $26,000.
Messiana said Bass started the job in October 2021, but on Nov. 12, 2021, the electrician told him he had other jobs that need to be completed, so he stopped working on the cigar lounge and told Messiana he would have his assistant get back with him.
Messiana said since then, Bass had not shown up to do work until Aug. 29 of this year. Then, he was told it would be another four weeks of work to get everything electrical up to code.
“Over a three-week period, he asked for more money. I was trying to figure out why,” Messiana said.
Then, Messiana said about five weeks ago, Bass came back and only installed a meter.
“[He] left everything outside and drove off and that was the…
