Police reports reveal how SWFL pool contractor allegedly forged records to extend permits by 20 years

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Newly released court documents obtained by WINK Investigates detail how a Southwest Florida pool contractor allegedly altered and re-filed legal paperwork with the county clerk to extend construction timelines by two decades, leading to his arrest on two felony charges.

David Scott Noe, 56, the owner of Screen Works Contractors of SWFL, LLC, surrendered himself at the Lee County Main Jail after arrest warrants were issued charging him with two felony counts of uttering a forged instrument, according to the reports from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

He was booked into the Lee County Jail on August 12th and subsequently posted a $50,000 bond the following day.

The criminal charges stem from an Economic Crimes Unit investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Office after multiple homeowners reported severe discrepancies on public records tied to their property titles.

Doc Alterations and Expiration Dates

According to probable cause affidavits filed by Detective Janell Fox, the criminal investigation began in April 2026 after homeowners Lonnie Ralph Taylor and Sandra Elliot alerted law enforcement to unauthorized filings on their properties.

Taylor told deputies he signed a contract with Screen Works Contractors in September 2024 and paid $71,140 for a pool build. After the concrete was poured, work halted, forcing Taylor to pay an additional $33,124 to another company to finish the project. When the new contractor checked the property title, they discovered a second Notice of Commencement (NOC) had been filed without Taylor's knowledge.

The original NOC signed by Taylor in July 2024 carried standard one-year validity. The secondary document re-recorded with the Lee County Clerk of Courts took the original document and changed the expiration date to July 9, 2044.

WINK Investigates has spoken with several former customers of Noe’s and is aware of at least 9 that claim they spent tens of thousands for unfinished pools. Taylor is one of them and Chief WINK Investigates Reporter Chorus Nylander interviewed him back in May.

During our interview, Taylor showed us the original and altered NOC document. While looking at the altered date of July 9th, 2044, Taylor said “I’ll be dead by then.”

A parallel complaint by Elliot revealed a matching pattern. Elliot paid Screen Works Contractors over $72,000 between August 2024 and January 2025 before work stalled. When she searched county records, she discovered a re-submitted NOC that shifted her project's expiration date to Aug. 30, 2044.

Key Witness Statements

When interviewed by law enforcement on April 27, 2026, the notary listed on the documents, former sales manager for Screen Works Contractors of SWFL Diane Ace, provided a recorded sworn statement denying involvement. Ace confirmed her signature on the original filings but stated she never signed, approved, or notarized the amended documents extending the expiration dates to 2044.

Ace told detectives she gave no one permission to alter the paperwork she notarized and identified Noe as the sole person at the business who submitted documents to the clerk of courts.

The Investigation and Arrest

In a May 2026 phone interview with Detective Fox, Noe claimed the conflicts were civil disagreements over outstanding customer balances. Addressing the 2044 expiration dates, Noe told the detective "he had no idea how he put 2044" and claimed it was an accident caused by copying and pasting paperwork between files.

Although Noe initially agreed to meet in person to provide an official statement and emailed partial customer records, police reports state he failed to show up for his scheduled interview and stopped responding to subsequent police outreach.

The State Attorney’s Office for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit approved felony charges in late July 2026, finding probable cause that Noe unlawfully uttered false or altered instruments.

Noe is scheduled to be arraigned in Lee County Circuit Court on Sept. 1, 2026.

As for the other customers with ongoing disputes with Noe, the Department of Professional Regulation has open investigations and has yet to take any action against his license or company.

Taylor tells WINK Investigates he hopes Noe spends more time behind bars and although he’s happy to see some action he feels there’s much more that needs to happen.

"These are just charges... We still need some accountability. They need to remove his licensure. He should not be able to practice as a contractor,” Taylor said.

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