Petitioner: BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
Respondent: LAURIE BURCAW, P.E.
Judges: SUSAN BELYEU KIRKLAND
Agency: Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Locations: Tampa, Florida
Filed: May 12, 2010
Status: Closed
Settled and/or Dismissed prior to entry of RO/FO on Friday, July 2, 2010.
Latest Update: Nov. 20, 2024
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FILED
Depa Lert of Business and Professorial Reputation
Dapaty Agency Clerk
CLERK, Brandon Nichols
Date t2f1/2009
File #
STATE OF FLORIDA
FLORIDA BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
FILED
FLORIDA BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL Florida Engineers Management Corporation
ENGINEERS, ; .
CLER 40e jl lave
DATE A.
Petitioner,
Y. FEMC Case No. 2009010471
LAURIE 8. BURCAW, P.E.,
Respondent,
ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT
COMES NOW the Florida Engineers Management Corporation (FEMC) on behalf of
Petitioner, Florida Board of Professional Engineers, hereinafter referred to as “Petitioner,” and
files this Administrative Complaint against LAURIE §. BURCAW, P.E., hereinafter referred to
as “Respondent”. This Administrative Complaint is issued pursuant to Sections 120.60 and
471.038, Florida Statutes. Any proceeding concerning this complaint shall be conducted
pursuant to Section 120.57, Florida Statutes. In support of this complaint, Petitioner alleges the
following:
1. Petitioner, Florida Board of Professional Engineers, is charged with regulating the
practice of engineering pursuant to Chapter 455, Florida Statutes. This complaint is filed by the
Florida Engineers Management Corporation (FEMC) on behalf of Petitioner. FEMC is charged
with providing administrative, investigative, and prosecutorial services to the Florida Board of
Professional Engincers pursuant to Section 471.038, Florida Statutes (1997).
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2. Respondent is, and has been at all times material hereto, a licensed professional
engineer in the State of Florida, having been issued license number PE 46064. Respondent’s last
known address is 3430 Crenshaw Lake Road, Lutz, FT. 33548.
3. Respondent was the principal owner of a land development company, Burcaw
Development Group, Inc., and an engineering firm, Burcaw and Associates, Inc. Burcaw and
Associates holds a Certificate of Authority from the Board of Professional Engineers issucd
under the provisions of Section 471.023, Florida Statutes. Under the terms of that statute,
Respondent is the Professional Engineer who qualifies Burcaw and Associates 10 be an
engineering firm.
4, In 2004 Ashton Tampa Residential, LLC, an affiliate of Ashton Woods Homes
(hereinafter Ashton Tampa), entered inio real eslate sales agreements to purchase two parcels of
property (Sagamore ‘Trace and Durant Road Projects) from Burcaw Development Group with the
sales price to be based on the number of buildable lots. As part of the real estate sales
agreements, Ashton ‘Tampa agrced to retain Respondent and Burcaw and Associates for the site
development cnginecring and permitting.
5. Respondent acted as engineer of record for the site development engineering and
permitting for the Sagamore ‘Trace and Durant Road Projects and scaled, signed and dated all
enginccring documents filed for public record and permit purposes.
6. As is not uncommon in a land devclopment project, Respondent and Bureaw and
Associates estimated the number of buildable lots that would be available under the engineering
plans that it proposed for the Sagamore Trace and Durant Road Projects. However, in the case of
the Sagamore Trace and Durant Road Projects, the property transaction agreements between
Bureaw Development Group (owned by Respondent) and Ashton Tampa based the sale price for
POPE v. Lawrie Burcaw, I... Case No. 2008010471
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the property solely on the number of buildable lots. Under such circumstances, it was incumbent
upon Respondent to assure that the number of buildable tots on each parcel would be carefully
ovaluated and revised as necessary by Respondent, the engineer of record for these two projects.
7. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it turned out that Respondent’s engineering plans
allowed for the overdevelopment of the parcels in the Sagamore Trace and Durant Road Projects.
As a result, the number of buildable lots in the Sagamore Trace and Durant Road Projects were
eventually reduced to conform to local building code, permitting, and zoning requirements.
Respondent had numerous opportunities to make cortections in her engincering design and to
inform Ashton Tampa of the certainty of neccssary lot reductions in the number of builduble lots
in the Sagamore Trace and Durant Road Projects prior to the closing on the sales of the
properties between Ashton Tampa and Burcaw Development Group. Instead, however,
Respondent chose to withhold such information from her client, Ashton Tampa, in order to boost
Burcaw Development Group’s profit on the sale.
8. In addition, the Sagamore Trace Project property transaction agreement specilicd
that Burcaw Development Group/ Burcaw and Associates collectively were obligated to obtain
all required permits prior to the closing date. As described herein in Paragraphs 5-7, the
construction plans developed by Burcaw and Associates required major modifications and
without such modifications would not be approved by the permitting authorities.
Notwithstanding these facts, Respondent continued to make deceptive claims to Ashton ‘Tampa
that most of the permits had been obtained and that permitting processes were on track.
9. Specifically, on June 29, 2005, Respondent’s employee, acting on Respondent’s
directions, provided to Ashton Tampa’s office correspondence indicating that all Sagamore
Trace closing permits had been obtained. This was a [alse statement.
FRPE v Laurie Burcaw, PF, Case Ne 2009010471
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10. On the cve of closing, August 16, 2005, while Respondent informed Ashton
Tampa that the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Letter of
Completeness actually had not been received, Respondent did not reveal her actual knowledge
that the Hillsborough County permit had not yet been received and her actual knowledge that the
number of buildable lots would have to be reduced in order for a Hillsborough County permit to
be issued. As a direct result of the untruthful representation of the County permitting status,
Respondent led Ashton Tampa to closc the transaction at the full price based on the maximum
number of usable lots as per Respondent’s-at that time unapproved-engineeting plans. In fact, the
Sagamore Trace Project construction plans were not approved by Tlillsborough County until
August 22, 2006, onc full year after the closing, and only 25 buildable lots were allowed on the
parcel, as opposed to 30 such lots as contemplated at the time of closing.
ll. Asaresult of Respondent’s actions, Ashton ‘lampa was damaged in an amount in
excess of $280,000.00 due to the required redesign of the Sagamore Trace and Durant Road
Projects and, as a result of Respondent’s false assertions, by having overpaid for real property
that could not be used as was contemplated by Ashton Tampa when it bought the Sagamore
Trace and Durant Road property.
12. Rule 61G15-19.001(6)(b), Florida Administrative Code, states that a
“(professional engineer shall not commil misconducl in the practice of engineering. Misconduct
in the practice of engineering as sct forth in Section 471.033(1)(g), F.S., shall include, but not be
limited to: (b) Being untruthful, deceptive, or misleading in any professional report, statement,
or testimony whether or not under oath or omitting relevant and pertinent information from such
report, statement or testimony when the result of such omission would or reasonably could lead
to a fallacious conclusion on the part of the client...”
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13. By not providing and, indeed, by intentionally withholding and misrepresenting,
material mformation to her client regarding the permitting status and construction viability of
engineering plans for which Respondent acted as engineer of record, Respondent committed
misconduct in the practice of engineering by “omitting relevant and pertinent information...
when the result of such omission would or reasonably could lead to a fallacious conclusion on
the part of the client...”
14. Based on the foregoing, Respondent is charged with violating Section
471.033(1)(g), Florida Statutes, and Rule 61G15-19,001(6)(b) by engaging in misconduct in the
practice of engineering.
WIHERETORE, the Petitioner respectfully requests the Board of Professional Lngineers
to enter an order imposing one or more of the following penalties: permanent revocation or
suspension of the Respondent's license, restriction of the Respondent’s practice, imposition of an
administrative fine, issuance of a reprimand, placement of the Respondent on probation, the
assessment of costs related to the investigation and prosecution of this case, other than costs
associated with an attorney’s time, as provided for in Section 455.227(3), Florida Statutes, and/or
any other relicf that the Board deems appropriate.
SIGNED this 7 day of Neve magix 2009,
Execptivé Director
FRPE v Lanric Bureaw, P.E., Case No. 2009010471
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COUNSEL FOR FEMC:
John J. Rimes, IIT
Prosecuting Attorney
Florida Engineers Management Corporation
2507 Callaway Road, Suite 200
Tallahassee, Florida 32303
Florida Bar No. 212008
JR/sm
PCP DATE: November 17, 2009
PCP Members: Rebane, Charland, Halyard
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
: Of Yeti ng344 2009,
i om,
r
PBFE v. Laurie Bureaw, P.E., Case No. 2009010471
6
Docket for Case No: 10-002542PL
Issue Date |
Proceedings |
Jul. 02, 2010 |
Order Closing File. CASE CLOSED.
|
Jun. 29, 2010 |
Unopposed Motion to Cancel Hearing filed.
|
May 21, 2010 |
Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
|
May 21, 2010 |
Notice of Hearing by Video Teleconference (hearing set for July 8, 2010; 9:00 a.m.; Tampa and Tallahassee, FL).
|
May 12, 2010 |
Initial Order.
|
May 12, 2010 |
Administrative Complaint filed.
|
May 12, 2010 |
Election of Rights filed.
|
May 12, 2010 |
Agency referral filed.
|