FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Florida Board of Professional Engineers has filed a 724-count administrative complaint against Enrique Fernandez Jr., a South Florida man accused of forging his late father’s name and license number on dozens of building inspection reports across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The action follows a Local 10 News investigation that first exposed Fernandez Jr. in November 2024.
The 293-page complaint, filed in Tallahassee, outlines 724 separate instances in which Enrique Fernandez Jr. allegedly submitted engineering documents, inspection reports, and project affidavits using Florida license number 21218, a license belonging to his father, Enrique L. Fernandez, a licensed engineer who died in 2018.
The Board alleges Fernandez Jr. forged his father’s signature and affixed his professional seal to documents connected to major projects throughout South Florida.
Fernandez Jr. denies the allegations. In an interview with Local 10 News last year, he stated, “That is not mine, sir,” when shown inspection documents bearing his name and signature. He has maintained that someone else is responsible for the alleged forgeries, telling us, “They have the wrong Enrique Fernandez.”
While this is not a criminal case, the complaint is a civil and administrative enforcement action. The Board is seeking fines of up to $5,000 per violation, meaning Fernandez Jr. could face $3.6 million in penalties if each allegation is upheld. He has also been issued a cease and desist order, prohibiting him from performing any engineering-related work.
State and building department records show Fernandez Jr. acted as a private provider, an individual or company certified to perform building inspections outside of local government, for firms including NV5, JEM Inspections and Engineering, E&K Engineering, and Winmar Construction.
The investigator also revealed that Fernandez Jr. had allegedly renewed his deceased father’s credentials and redirected contact and email information to himself, making it appear the license was still valid.
NV5, a private engineering firm based in Hollywood, confirmed Fernandez Jr. was briefly employed but was terminated after failing to produce a valid license. Company officials said all of his work was reevaluated.
Tavistock Development Company, which oversees the Pier 66 project, described the situation back in November as an “unfortunate event” and said it immediately hired licensed third-party engineers to re-inspect all work connected to Fernandez Jr. In a statement, Tavistock said no structural issues or safety concerns were found.
Local governments, including the cities of Miami Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, as well as Miami-Dade County, also confirmed that the inspections Fernandez Jr. allegedly performed were not structural.
While Fernandez Jr. has not been criminally charged, the matter has been referred to law enforcement. The state investigator said a detective told her:
“He forged a dead man’s signature and used a dead person’s seal. So it makes it more complicated criminally, because there’s no victim,” said an investigator.
She added that she spoke to a detective who said he planned to consult with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to determine whether the case should be forwarded to the Statewide Prosecutor, given that it spans multiple cities and jurisdictions.
Local 10 News reached out to Fernandez Jr.’s attorney for comment, but has not received a response.
