Florida roofer has ignored $2.2 million in OSHA fines. He’s still working, records say
Jacksonville roofer Travis Slaughter earned a federal contempt of court order by not paying $2.2 million in OSHA fines. The federal agency has hit another Slaughter business with $1,007,717 in proposed fines, saying he’s “demonstrated an egregious disregard” for worker safety.
And, the Department of Labor says, Slaughter is still busy working in Jacksonville.
A Jan. 30 search of a City of Jacksonville Building Inspection Services database, OSHA Area Director Michelle Gonzalez said, found “that Florida Roofing Experts has been issued 66 permits to conduct roofing activities at 66 different locations since Jan. 9, 2020.”
A check of permits issued in Jacksonville show 13 permits issued for Florida Roofing Experts since Jan. 30 with another three awaiting payment.
What’s also awaiting payment from Slaughter: the $2.2 million in OSHA fines to Slaughter’s Great White Construction for 13 Willful violations, 14 Repeat violations and one Serious violation.
All of the Willful violations — defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as one in which “the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement ... or acted with plain indifference to employee safety” — involve failing to provide proper fall protection.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit found Slaughter in contempt for ignoring the fines on Jan. 3. In 10 days, the court wanted to see payment and that the violations had been addressed. Slaughter didn’t meet that deadline.
Slaughter hung up when contacted by the Herald twice about his OSHA issues.
Slaughter’s words to the court
The roofer’s Jan. 17 filing with the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said he didn’t remember receiving court orders from Oct. 2, 2017, June 5, 2018, or Sept. 26, 2019.
“In the past, Great White Construction and its employees worked hard to provide a quality service while keeping everyone safe,” Slaughter wrote. “However, OSHA began to unfairly target Great White Construction and assess hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
“The crushing amount of the fines caused me to stop reading any mail or documents from OSHA.”
Slaughter said that’s when he decided to close Great White and start Florida Roofing Experts to focus on only roofing. State records say Great White was dissolved June 12, 2018. He registered Florida Roofing a year earlier, on April 25, 2017.
He claimed “any OSHA violations were immediately corrected and no longer exist. Unfortunately, I am a small residential roofing contractor and do not have the financial ability to pay the more than $2 million in fines ...These cases will basically force me out of business and I am already planning to close my contracting business and work for any company that is willing to hire me.”
He asked for no “coercive sanctions.” “Coercive sanctions” can include prison time.
Labor’s reply to Slaughter’s response
Labor’s Jan. 31 answer could be summed up as calling Slaughter a liar.
▪ The aforementioned permit check calls into question Slaughter’s claim that he’s planning to close Florida Roofing Experts.
▪ Just saying you can’t pay with an “unsworn, undocumented claim” doesn’t get you off the hook,” Labor’s Jan. 31 filing stated. And if Slaughter can’t pay, Labor said, the law says he has to pay what he can. “
“To the extent he was unable to pay the total penalties — and he has not shown such inability — he was (and is) obligated to pay what he can. The Response does not assert that Mr. Slaughter could not have paid any amount of the penalty, and Mr. Slaughter has not paid a penny towards the penalty.”
▪ Labor dismissed Slaughter’s claim of quickly righting OSHA-cited wrongs with “The Response does not indicate the method of abatement or contain a statement that employees have been notified of abatement or statement that the information contained in the certification is accurate.”
▪ Labor pointed out Slaughter’s not only “failed to comply with the abatement certification and payment obligations” of the Jan. 3 order, but has continued to violate the same Occupational Safety Health Act standards he was ordered to cease and desist from violating.”
That’s a reference to the Jan. 9 inspections that resulted in eight Willful violations of duty to have fall protection and the aforementioned $1,007,717 proposed fines. Slaughter is contesting the violations.
According to online Florida records, Slaughter’s Florida licenses as a certified plumbing contractor, roofing contractor, building contractor and pool/spa contractor each remain in good standing.
