Newlywed Jacqueline Ruby envisioned a fairy tale wedding. Her search for the perfect floral designer led her to Jason Saunders, owner of Jason’s Creations Wedding & Event Floristry LLC. “His name kept popping up everywhere; every bridal shop was recommending him,” Ruby said.
According to her contract with Jason's Creations, Ruby agreed to pay the floral designer nearly $5,000 for her wedding flowers. Ruby told ABC Action News that Saunders wanted the bill paid in full, two months before her big day.
Bank records show Ruby paid Jason’s Creations most of the money before she began seeing other brides’ online complaints about Saunders and his company. I-Team investigator Jackie Callaway found brides filed similar complaints with the Attorney General, The Better Business Bureau, and consumer protection offices in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.
A review of court records shows Jason Saunders is a convicted felon. In 2017, he pled guilty to dealing in stolen property and providing false information to a pawnbroker. Several brides who contacted ABC Action News say Saunders used a mobile software application to request payments even after they say he stopped answering calls about their order.
Jason's Creations was located in downtown St. Petersburg until late 2020. Court documents reveal Saunders’ former business partner, Antonio Bell, filed suit against him in December 2020 for acting fraudulently and misappropriating funds. In August 2021, Jason Saunders filed for bankruptcy.
The attorney for Bell says he was a minority owner who handled administrative duties. Bell is classified as a victim in the lawsuit.
He responded to our messages in an emailed statement. In short, Saunders claims he has worked with some brides to get their money back, but did not respond when we asked for the names of those brides. He also blames his former business partner for locking him out of the business account which he says forced him to miss weddings.
Read the complete article at www.abcactionnews.com.
