Serene Pavers of New Smyrna Beach files for bankruptcy, owes 150 creditors $1.6 million

Serene Pavers & Stonescapes, the New Smyrna Beach business that closed last month without completing jobs for which customers paid thousands, has filed for bankruptcy, court documents show.

A Chapter 7 filing Wednesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's Middle District of Florida by owner Eric Bartolozzi shows Serene Pavers owes about 150 creditors nearly $1.6 million. That includes more than 100 customers who paid deposits for paver jobs, many of which were never started.

And on the Facebook page "Scammed by Serene Pavers and Eric Bartolozzi," some customers and subcontractors said they weren't listed and may file a claim.

Chapter 7 of the federal Bankruptcy Code provides for "liquidation" - the sale of a debtor's nonexempt property and the distribution of the proceeds to creditors.

The court does not have to accept the filing, according to the federal courts' website. A denial can be made for several reasons, including "transfer or concealment of property with intent to hinder, delay or defraud creditors; destruction or concealment of books or records; perjury and other fraudulent acts."

An objecting party has the burden of proof in a Chapter 7 case.

Debt on credit cards, unpaid suppliers

The filing shows Serene Pavers' owes American Express $63,000 for credit card purchases and nearly $44,000 to Home Depot Credit Services. On Deck Capital Inc., a small business lender based in Utah, is owed $85,000, according to the filing.

The action confirms what former Serene Pavers employee Carly Erskine told The News-Journal earlier this week, that Serene Pavers closed without handing workers their final checks. She is owed $650 while she looks for a new job.

"I hope everyone gets their hard-earned money back. EVERYONE!," Erskine wrote in a text to The News-Journal. "Employees, subs, clients and vendors. We all deserve the money that is owed to us."

Paver suppliers − including Tremron of Jacksonville, which is owed more than $440,000 − are also listed as creditors. St. Rose Brick Pavers of Vero Beach is past due on $19,000.

So, too, is Superior Sheds of Orange City. Serene Pavers sold the sheds at a second location in Port Orange and owes the supplier nearly $52,000.

As backyard paver porches go hand in hand with landscaping, Serene Pavers owes Edgewater Yard Shop nearly $10,000 and FieldTurf of Calhoun, Georgia, more than $5,000.

Others to whom Serene Pavers is indebted include the Samsula Landfill, $18,000; two individuals at Echols Construction of New Smyrna Beach, $8,200; and the Coronado Law Group, nearly $1,000.

Although the bankruptcy filing lists the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety as a creditor for more than $11,000, Director Michael Fowler said he believes it's an error.

"They had given us a quote for a storage shed which we never received," Fowler said in an email. "Because they never delivered, we never paid them and are not out any money."

Serene Pavers, which has been given an eviction notice for its New Smyrna Beach storefront at 1605 Canal St., owes its landlord Samuel Gregory more than $10,000.

Serene Pavers lists nearly $300,000 in assets, including a fleet of nine vehicles, a Bobcat and a mini track loader, as well as its paver inventory, five Big Green Egg grills, 10 Breeo firepits and seven Traeger grills. The business asserts it has $0 cash in a Chase bank account.

Customers have expressed dismay to the News-Journal at not only potentially losing thousands of dollars, but also at how many of them were strung along, and told that paver jobs that were expected to be done months ago were delayed for various reasons. Some have been contacting the State Attorney's Office as well as law enforcement agencies, some of whom are investigating whether the customers were defrauded.

Leaving a legacy of anger

There has also been anger expressed at how Bartolozzi appeared to lead the life of a highly successful business owner, posting Facebook pictures of his boats and constructing a $1 million Yellowstone National Park-area home in Wyoming in 2019.

That home is now up for sale for nearly $1.6 million, a similar amount to what Serene Pavers owes its creditors.

Efforts to reach Bartolozzi, including a message to his bankruptcy attorney, James Skow of Daytona Beach, have thus far been unsuccessful.

Serene Pavers Closes: Customers of New Smyrna Beach paver company wonder if they will ever get their money back

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: After closing, Serene Pavers of New Smyrna Beach owes $1.6 million