Help Freddie Winston Stand Up for Small Business and Accountability in Washington, D.C.

For more than three decades, Freddie Winston has built his life and career around hard work, entrepreneurship, community, and service.

In 1991, Mr. Winston founded F&L Construction, Inc., a minority-owned Washington, D.C. construction company. For decades, F&L has provided general contracting, construction management, design-build, site development, solid-waste removal, and recycling services throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Government sources have recognized F&L's longstanding presence and work, including its participation in significant public and private projects and its service to federal and District-area clients.

F&L Construction's longstanding record has also received recognition beyond its project work. In the early 2010s, F&L Construction was recognized as a regional U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) champion for its accomplishments as a small business. This recognition reflected the company's position as a successful small business and its contributions to the regional business community.

But Freddie Winston's story is about more than construction contracts.

It is about giving back.

Throughout his career, Mr. Winston has invested in Washington-area communities and young people through sponsorships, educational initiatives, youth athletics, charitable programs, and community partnerships. His efforts have included supporting the Miss Black USA Pageant, DCAA Track Team travel, Feed the Children, local schools, youth programs, the Children's Cancer Foundation, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Metropolitan Police Department school and youth initiatives.

Now, after decades of building a business and contributing to the community he calls home, Freddie Winston is fighting for something much bigger than one contract.

A Fight for Fairness

F&L Construction is currently involved in an active legal dispute concerning its removal from a D.C. Housing Authority contract.

Mr. Winston contends that the circumstances surrounding the contract involved unfair and unethical bidding practices, improper conduct, corruption, and fraud within the District's contracting process. These allegations are being contested through the legal system and have not been finally adjudicated.

The case is currently pending in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia under Case No. 2024-CAB-001425. Members of the public can review the case and the proceedings through the D.C. Superior Court's case-information system.

At the heart of this fight is a question that extends far beyond F&L Construction:

Can a small, long-established D.C. business compete fairly for government work without participating in a political "pay-to-play" system?

Mr. Winston believes the answer must be yes.

He believes that government contracts should be awarded based upon merit, qualifications, performance, integrity, and fair competition—not political relationships, favoritism, or who is willing to participate in an insider system.

And he believes that small businesses should not have to choose between doing business the right way and staying in business.

Why We Are Asking for Your Help

Taking on a government entity in court is an enormous financial burden—particularly for a small business owner.

The legal battle requires attorneys, litigation expenses, document review, discovery, expert assistance, court costs, and the time and resources necessary to pursue the case properly.

That is why we are asking for your support.

This fundraiser is intended to help Freddie Winston and F&L Construction defend their legal rights and pursue accountability through the judicial process.

Your contribution will help provide the resources necessary to continue this fight and ensure that a small, minority-owned D.C. business has the ability to stand on equal footing in court.

This Is Bigger Than One Company

This fight is about more than F&L Construction.

It is about the small contractor who has spent decades building a business.

It is about the entrepreneur who employs people in the community.

It is about minority-owned businesses trying to compete for public contracts.

It is about contractors who believe they should be able to say no to political pressure and still have a fair opportunity to compete.

And it is about whether government contracting in the nation's capital should operate according to fair rules that apply equally to everyone.

Freddie Winston has spent more than 30 years building his company and serving his community. Now he is asking the community to stand with him.

If you believe small businesses deserve a fair shot, if you believe government contracts should be awarded fairly, and if you believe that standing up against alleged corruption should not be something a small business has to face alone, please consider contributing to Freddie Winston's legal defense fund.

Every contribution—large or small—helps.

Every share helps.

Every person who tells this story helps.

Help us make sure that a small business owner with the courage to challenge the system has the resources to have his day in court.

Stand with Freddie Winston.

Stand with F&L Construction.

Stand for fair competition, accountability, and the right of small businesses to compete on a level playing field.