A nearly $1 million renovation at former Jacksonville Jaguars star Myles Jackโs estate has spiraled into a legal collision over allegations of unpaid bills, shoddy workmanship โ and deputies escorting the contractor off his property.
Jack, who played for several teams over an eight-year gridiron career, says he poured roughly $670,000 into the project at his St. Johns County home before he alleges he uncovered inflated costs and โsignificant defectsโ in the work.
โI was getting ripped off,โ Jack said after hiring an engineer, a licensed contractor and construction attorney Edward Whelan to review the 13-month job. โEverything she touched needs to be redone.โ
Contractor Amany Youssef, 28,ย ย of AY Luxury Designs, vehemently defended her craftsmanship and said that all her work passed inspection.
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She said she was blindsided when Jack booted her off his property and refused to pay his final $260,000 bill.
โI never had to worry about money with him before. He always paid on time,โ she told The Citizen. โThis has completely destroyed us.โ
An Outdoor Oasis
Youssef, 28, landed the project in early 2024 to fix up the homeโs pool area and install a new cage but the scope expanded.
The job included a cedar gazebo with a gas fireplace and hidden subwoofers, a 60-linear-foot outdoor kitchen and a pergola-covered hot tub, with a television that rises from a stone wall at the push of a button.
Youssef started construction on a 20,000-square-foot paver driveway that included a design of Jackโs initials โbig enough to see from Google Earth,โ Youssef said.
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She said the former UCLA Bruin star approved each addition to the job, pushing the final tally to over $900,000. She said she gave him freebies and a favorable rate because he was โsuch an easy-going guyโ and had volunteered to be part of her companyโs social media.
They filmed Instagram reels together in which he wears her companyโs T-shirt. โYou can tell him and I are very, very buddyโbuddy โ weโre shaking hands and hugging,โ she said of the clips.
Red Flags
But Jack, who is frequently in Texas where heโs the majority owner of a hockey team, began to grow frustrated by the duration of the project. He mentioned his disquiet to some contractors at a TPC Sawgrass event. โThey gave me a look and were like, โAre you sure it should take this long?โโ he recalled.
Soon after, Jack hired Whelan, and an engineer and a contractor to formally inspect the project.
โIt was so obvious the work wasnโt done right,” Whelan said. “It would be like telling someone putting sod down to put the green side up,โ Whelan alleged. โOur contractor recommended that the entire cage and outdoor kitchen be ripped out and redone.โ
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Whelan alleges that AY Luxury Designs didnโt obtain necessary permits and didnโt comply with building codes for components of the project. The aluminum enclosure and outdoor kitchen, he said, werenโt properly secured to the ground.
Youssef disputes these allegations and says that she pulled all necessary permits.
The construction attorney added that the driveway has no curb so the pavers are shifting and chipping. Youssef countered that the pavers were installed properly, and there isn’t a curb because the entire driveway perimeter was reinforced with a concrete footer.
Jack calls the Police on AY Luxury Designs
Youssef didnโt realize anything was amiss until she and her crew were working on the property May 23, and a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant showed up, she said.
โ’The homeowner wants you and every single one of your employees off his property right now,โโ Youssef recalled the lieutenant saying.
Jack remained inside, observing the scene from a window, she said. She repeatedly knocked on his door, called and texted him โ but he didnโt answer.
โThere had been zero complaints and zero disputes about any of my prior work,โ she said. โI felt like he had so much respect for me. I thought he was my biggest fan before this.โ
Jack said he involved law enforcement because he wanted to avoid a confrontation. โI didnโt want it to blow up,โ he told The Citizen. โI wanted to let the experts handle it. I have no ill will toward her.โ
Lien and Limbo
AY Luxury Designs filed a $260,000 construction lien on Jackโs property on July 9. Whelan says heโs repeatedly asked Youssefโs attorney for a breakdown of the projectโs costs, including materials, labor and the firmโs fee.
โI have literally received nothing other than copies of invoices,โ he said. โWe donโt know what they actually spent.โ
Jack cautions other potential clients to be careful. โIโve been blessed to play in the NFL and have this money. For someone who saved up for five to 10 years to afford a renovation, and it turns out for them how it turned out for me, it would be devastating.โ
Youssef, who told The Citizen she’s a war refugee from Lebanon and a graduate of the University of Florida, says the cash-flow crisis has crippled the business sheโs built from scratch.
โIโve been working 18 hours a day to try to stay afloat,โ she said. โI just want the money he owes me and to move on.โ
If the parties don’t settle through negotiations, the dispute will play out in the courts.
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