Gabrielle Russon
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a businessman caught up in a plumbing war to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
Jason James’ appointment to the influential airport Board is effective July 18, although it requires Senate approval. DeSantis announced his appointment after 5 p.m. Friday.
James is currently the president and Chief Executive Officer of Mechanical One, but he is facing at least his second lawsuit over his messy break with his former employer, One Stop in Winter Park, when he formed his own plumbing and HVAC business in Maitland.
In an Orange Circuit Court lawsuit filed in May, One Stop Services shareholder Richard Hoover sued James and others, alleging they recruited more than 40 One Stop employees, stole One Stop’s mechanical equipment, and took its big clients with them to start an identical competing company at Mechanical One.
Mechanical One fired back and filed a motion to dismiss this week, arguing the lawsuit did not have merit and the statute of limitations had also passed.
James, who had worked at One Stop since 2016, had risen in the ranks and been promoted to executive vice president of One Stop.
In May 2021, James went on paid leave for a month because he broke his foot. Hoover’s lawsuit said that in reality, James broke his foot moving furniture into his new office at Mechanical One as he secretly launched his own company, Hoover’s lawsuit said.
James and another then-One Stop leader met with Lennar Homes, one of One Stop’s most valuable clients, to recruit them to switch to Mechanical One, the lawsuit said. One Stop’s focus was working with homebuilders to install heating and air conditioning units.
The lawsuit said James had a non-competition and non-solicitation clause in his contract that prohibited him from competing with One Stop or soliciting One Stop employees for a specific period, the lawsuit said.
James and others had accessed One Stop’s confidential business information, including budget, prices, employee compensation and more, Hoover’s lawsuit said. “One or more of the Defendants have also absconded with One Stop’s threading machines (and possibly other equipment) and inventory, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars to One Stop,” the lawsuit said.
One Stop also sued James and others in a similar 2021 lawsuit, claiming the company had lost millions of dollars because of Mechanical One’s “scheme.”
“Competition within the HVAC and plumbing subcontractor business is fierce and is highly sensitive to price, quality, and level of service provided,” the 2021 lawsuit said.
The two sides reached a settlement to end the litigation in 2022. The terms of the agreement were not listed in court records.
Highlighting the airport board appointee’s credentials, James received an associate degree from Valencia College and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, DeSantis said.
Florida Politics reached out to DeSantis and Mechanical One for comment, but did not hear back late Friday.
