|
Ask veteran car salesman Joe Lentini, owner of Ozona Motor Cars Inc., why he plans to close his business on Dec. 31, and he will not hesitate.
"The DOT project in front of my business is shutting me down,'' he said.
The Florida Department of Transportation project he refers to is the $2.9 million resurfacing project along Alt. U.S. 19 in a 3-mile stretch between Whisper Lake Road and Harry Street. The work, typically done after 8 p.m. each night, officially began back in the spring.
However in September, things turned ugly outside of Ozona Motor Cars, said Lentini.
"I never had losing months until 90 days ago. That's when the project moved in front of my business,'' he said.
Lentini, who is a former sales manager for the Lokey Automotive Group in Clearwater, decided to open a used car dealership in 2008.
"I decided it was time to sell used cars because the economy had gone bad. Nobody was buying new ones,'' he said.
For the first two years, he had an annual salary of $50,000, selling between 12 and 15 cars every month, he said.
However, in October, Lentini sold only seven cars. "And in November, only four,'' he said.
He contends that the DOT's subcontractor, Better Roads Inc. of Naples, began using the parking area in front of his business, blocking potential customers from seeing his cars on display.
For the full article, visit the St. Petersburg Times.
|