A prominent Florida builder, once celebrated for his success, is now incarcerated for allegedly defrauding “Below Deck” star Sandy Yawn and over a dozen others, leaving their high-end homes incomplete in a bold $15 million scam, according to authorities.
Spencer Calvert, 51, was apprehended Thursday afternoon at his $3.3 million gated mansion in Jacksonville and faces multiple charges of larceny and fraud.
Yawn, who spent $1.6 million on her Nocatee home that was left unfinished and uninhabitable, expressed her joy at Calvert’s arrest. She shared her relief with The Post while on a flight to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday with her wife, Leah Schafer.
Other clients of Calvert shared with The Post their financial struggles after paying upfront for their projects, only to be left with little progress years later.
Calvert, who is the president of Pineapple Construction, is charged with misappropriating construction funds of $100,000 or more, grand larceny of $100,000 or more, and fraud to obtain property worth $50,000 or more, as per the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office stated that Calvert is accused of accepting deposits and abandoning the projects without any effort to refund or rectify the situation.
Following his arrest, deputies executed a search warrant at Calvert’s opulent residence. The fallout from his actions has left many of his clients in financial distress.
One couple recounted paying over $1 million for land and a deposit on their dream home, only to find that Calvert had not even filed for construction permits a year later.
A recent tour of the area revealed numerous untouched and partially completed projects, with the land lying dormant. Contractors, affected by Pineapple’s downfall, reported completing substantial work for Calvert without receiving payment, leading to liens being placed on homeowners’ properties for the unpaid work.
Yawn and others previously told The Post that Calvert had claimed he lacked the funds to finish their homes and continually requested more money. Yawn described Calvert as a persuasive talker who tried to elicit sympathy.
Following his arrest, Calvert was taken to Duval County Jail. Yawn mentioned that she and Schafer are now trying to gather the funds to complete their dream home in the sought-after Jacksonville suburb, potentially needing to take out a loan for a home they had already paid for in full.