Chorus Nylander
•8/13/2026
LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A Southwest Florida pool contractor is facing multiple felony fraud charges following a WINK Investigates report detailing how nearly a dozen local families were left with tens of thousands of dollars in losses and unfinished backyards.
David Scott Noe, owner of Screenworks Contractors of Southwest Florida, was arrested Wednesday evening by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Booking records show Noe is charged with two counts of fraud for uttering a false instrument, which is a charge related to using falsified documents to trick somebody. He is currently being held at the Lee County Jail on a $50,000 bond, with an arraignment scheduled for Sept. 14.
The arrest follows reports filed by local homeowners, including Ralph Taylor of Lehigh Acres, who hired Noe to construct a pool ahead of his retirement. Taylor paid more than $72,000 for the project, only to be left with an unfinished concrete shell, skipped inspections, and an allegedly forged Notice of Commencement extending a lien expiration date on his property without his consent.
Determined to seek justice, Taylor turned the duplicate documents over to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
"It's taken two years of our lives fighting against something we should have never had to fight for," Taylor said. "I got a notification this morning from the Lee County Sheriff's Office that they had arrested David Noe... It looks like something's finally happening."
To complete the project, Taylor spent an additional $35,000 out of his retirement savings to hire a second contractor. While relieved by the arrest, Taylor noted that criminal charges are only a starting point for full accountability.
"These are just charges," Taylor said. "They need to remove his licensure. He should not be able to practice as a contractor."
Affected families across Lee, Collier, and Hendry counties are now waiting on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to conclude its administrative review into Noe’s license. The DBPR has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Taylor cautioned future homeowners to thoroughly vet contractors before signing agreements, advising consumers to run public record searches and directly speak with past clients to verify completed work.
WINK Investigates will continue to follow this case as it moves through the court system.
