JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Security guards who worked at Welcome To Rockville in April tell Action News Jax they still have not been paid, more than five weeks later.
The contractor who's supposed to pay them is a company Action News Jax has investigated in the past for the same thing.
Lou Aragon told Action News Jax he got a bloody nose and a fat lip while working 12 hours a day, catching crowd surfers and keeping festivalgoers safe.
Being a security guard can be a dangerous job for anyone; it’s not a job the 60-year-old would do for free.
“I ain’t got a car right now. And that’s what I was waiting on, that money, to get my car fixed,” Aragon said.
Welcome To Rockville producer Danny Wimmer Presents hired Accurate Event Group to handle security for the festival.
“Welcome To Rockville does not directly hire and pay the security staff. The festival hires outside security companies who, in turn, hire, manage and pay the members of the security team. We have paid the security companies in full and would expect that they are properly compensating their staff,” said a Danny Wimmer Presents spokesperson in an email to Action News Jax.
Last week, Accurate Event Group President Gordon Marrin told Action News Jax the checks were mailed on May 23.
On Monday, Marrin said the checks would be cut on Tuesday.
After Action News Jax pressed Marrin on the conflicting stories, Accurate Event Group CFO Elliot Rosenblatt sent us an email saying, “There were a few dozen associates that were delayed due to paperwork issues, address issues, etc. Those checks will be cut at the end of the day tomorrow and will be sent out Wednesday. All of the Rockville staff will then have been paid in full.”
Aragon is skeptical.
“I’ve talked to people three different times. And every time, it’s a different story,” Aragon said.
In February, Action News Jax exposed that Accurate Event Group took three months to pay temp workers for the Jacksonville IKEA grand opening.
The same accusations were made against the contractor after an Ohio IKEA grand opening last summer.
Action News Jax asked Danny Wimmer Presents why it continues to contract with Accurate Event Group when the company has a history of not paying workers on time. A spokesperson would not answer our question.