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Construction workers literally build the places we all rely on, from the cozy coffee shops we sit in every morning to the buildings we call home. Yet, despite how important their work is, wage disputes and payment issues are disturbingly common.
In recent years, federal investigations have uncovered contractors who failed to pay workers what they were owed. Rivian subcontractors, for example, were forced to pay $315,000 in back wages and penalties to dozens of Mexican workers. In another case, a Salem landscaping company had to hand over $283,000 for denying its employees overtime.
Even big names have been accused of doing the same. During the casino boom of the ‘80s, Donald Trump was accused of stiffing a small cabinetry business out of $83,600 after they finished a job at Harrah’s at the Trump Plaza. This is one of hundreds of allegations.
Now, a Florida landscaper says he’s facing a similar fight—this time with a Hilton hotel franchisee in Pensacola whom he accused of not paying him for his work.
Landscaper Says Hilton Franchisee Owes Him Thousands
The TikTok account for D&B Landscaping (@d.b.landscaping), based in Niceville, Florida, posted a video accusing the franchisee of a Tru by Hilton hotel in Pensacola of withholding money.
In the clip, which has since been removed from the platform, the landscaper alleged that the owner paid part of the bill but still owes them between $14,000 and $15,000. “Remember that hotel we were building for Hilton? The owner there is deciding he doesn’t want to pay us for the fence we built,” he said in the video.
He went on to claim there were “ground wires disconnected” and “open exposed wires.”
“All kinds of stuff happening in this hotel,” he added. “Hilton, you need to get on this.”
He also urged viewers to “push this to Hilton” in hopes of getting the company’s attention.
In follow-up videos, he named the person he says owes him money and even told his audience to “spam” them.
The Story Goes Mega-Viral
While the video has since been removed from TikTok, the video spread outside the platform. On Reddit, a user reposted it to r/Hilton, noting that construction on the property was dragging on compared to other hotels nearby. “I don’t know who is telling the truth. But I am local to this property and it is taking an extraordinarily long time to build this property compared to others in town that have gone up recently,” the poster wrote.
Over on TikTok, people told the landscaper to take legal steps instead of waiting around.
“Put a lien on the property,” one wrote.
“From my 20+ years in landscaping, don’t waste your time talking to him. Contact the lender and do what you gotta do,” another advised.
Someone else pointed out that in Florida, saying, “It’s actually a felony not to pay subcontractors over $1,500.” According to a Florida law firm, this is mostly true and is addressed by Florida Statute 713.345.
BroBible reached out to D&B Landscaping and Hilton Hotels for comment. BroBible also reached out to the company run by the person accused of owing D&B Landscaping money.