Dive Brief:
- The New York City Department of Buildings has permanently revoked the license of MRMD NY Corp. — a general contractor that owes more than $600,000 in fines and penalties for various violations — and has pulled 486 work permits, halting construction at 433 of the company's job sites, according to the agency.
- MRMD spokesperson Robert San Miguel claims the agency is unfairly targeting the company and said MRMD has filed a formal complaint and has requested an internal affairs division investigation from the Department of Buildings.
- The Department of Buildings called the move to revoke the contractors' license based solely on fines "unprecedented," as officials were unaware of any similar efforts in the past.
Dive Insight:
MRMD, according to the Department of Buildings, owed the city almost $870,000 in outstanding penalties as of November 2014, but had worked out a payment arrangement, in addition to agreeing to properly supervise all of its job sites. However, by Aug. 31, the agency said, the company had accumulated an additional $600,000 in fines and allowed serious safety violations to continue at its sites.
Public records, according to POLITICO New York, show MRMD has received summonses for violations such as failure to safeguard property affected by construction, failure to post permits for work and having expired permits for equipment.
San Miguel said the agency’s Building Enforcement Safety Team has constantly been on MRMD’s sites and issued $200,000 fines in a period of five months in a targeted effort to "write as many violations as possible."
The Department of Buildings has recently focused on safety and adherence to construction codes due to an increase in the number of construction-related deaths and injuries in New York City over the past year.