'Sash and Sill' owner arrested as dozens of Sarasota County homeowners wait for answers without money, windows

Owner of window installation company arrested

The reviews were great and so were the prices ? or so it seemed for dozens of customers who said they paid for new windows and never got them.?Kimberly Kuizon reports.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The reviews were great and so were the prices – or so it seemed for dozens of customers who said they paid for new windows and never got them. 

The complaints against the company, "Sash and Sill," come from across Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties. The owner of the company, Todd Hoch, has been arrested and customers still want to know what happened to their money and whether they'll get any of it back. 

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Local perspective:

As Cody Davis prepared to do a full window replacement of two homes, he came across the Sarasota company, Sash and Sill. 

"Just from a google search. They had 300-400 close to 5-star reviews. It seemed like they were a reputable company," said Davis. 

Davis said he put down more than $30,000 for the jobs, and he was told installation would happen last July, but he never saw the windows. 

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Hoch sent a letter to some customers, saying the company had shut down and he was declaring bankruptcy.

"I have exhausted my personal and business resources to overcome the situation. We are currently working on getting as many of your projects completed as possible," Hoch said in an email sent last July. 

Davis soon found out his window order was never even placed. 

What we know:

The Punta Gorda Police Department first filed a felony charge of money received by a contractor after taking more than a $21,000 deposit by check four months before he announced he was going out of business.

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Investigators also determined no permits were ever pulled. 

One month later, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office filed a similar charge for a client who paid by check a deposit of more than $12,000 for windows. Deputies determined no permits were ever pulled. Hoch was charged with a felony of contractor fail to refund excess of work. 

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said there are more than 30 cases pending against Hoch. 

Booking photo of Todd Hoch. 

"That’s a lot of money and it’s my money. Is it in somebody’s fancy car, fancy home?" asked Maureen Harvey, one of the Sarasota County customers. 

Sarasota County deputies are continuing to investigate. 

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What they're saying:

"Hopefully this stays alive, and anybody watching can feel velated like that’s not cool and a lot of people were and are affected by it, and it should come to justice and people should get their money back," said Harvey.

Both Harvey and Davis are waiting to see if they’ll too receive justice. 

"Really it just exposes that there is a flaw in the system and how many times will this happen until something changes and is prevented from happening again," said Davis. 

What's next:

Hoch is scheduled to appear in front of Charlotte County Judge Lisa Porter on August 25, 2025 for an arraignment.