Pinellas Sheriff Arrests 25 Unlicensed Contractors In Sting

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputies flushed out more than 25 unlicensed contractors during an undercover sting operation intended to expose people performing contracting services without the required state license and county building permits.

In a sting called “Operation Flush Out” that took place between Saturday, Aug. 4, and Monday, Aug. 6, undercover deputies answered ads for specialty contractors on websites and social media sites like Craigslist and Nextdoor.

The undercover deputies arranged to meet the contractors at a dummy business set up by the sheriff's office at 2705 54th Ave. N, St. Petersburg.

“Not one person who showed up was licensed,” said Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri at a press conference Monday.

He said the unlicensed contractors poured into the office, offering to do painting, framing, drywall work, electrical work and tile work for prices ranging from $700 to $6,500.

In all, the sheriff’s office arrested 25 unlicensed contractors on more than 60 charges including working without a license, and workers compensation fraud.

Some had outstanding warrants for previous arrests for performing work without a license, Gualtieri said.

Another three cases have been referred to the State Attorney’s Office and Gualtieri said the sheriff’s office is about to arrest five more unlicensed contractors.

“It’s like shooting fish in a barrel,” he said. “I know we could double these numbers. It’s so pervasive.”

The sheriff’s office took over the responsibility of investigating unlicensed contractors from the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board in May after Gov. Rick Scott dissolved the boards throughout the state.

The boards were created in 1973 as independent agencies. However, a recent inspector general’s report and a grand jury found that the boards were not accountable to county governments and failed to protect consumers and contractors.

As of July 1, the organizations responsible for overseeing contractors was reconstituted as the Pinellas County Business Licensing Department within the county government.

Nevertheless, Gualtieri said the sheriff’s office will continue to investigate and arrest contractors for criminal violations “because of the number of people out there who are being exploited.”

“They’re doing it over and over again,” he said. “They just include the citations they receive into the cost of doing business. They’re not used to getting arrested, though, so we’re going to keep doing these investigations.”

He said the county regularly receives complaints from residents who pay unlicensed contractors for services that are never performed or completed or do work that's substandard.

“One of those arrested, Jason White, is well-known to our investigators as a habitual offender,” said Gualtieri. “There were four outstanding warrants for his arrest for unlicensed contracting. He is known for doing extremely shoddy work.”

Not only do these unscrupulous contractors harm consumers but they take work away from legitimate contractors who have taken the coursework required by the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, passed the state exam, paid the $409 state application fee and the $249 certification fee, completed a background check and provided a credit report and bond surety.

“It’s very frustrating for those who are licensed and trying to do right thing and are being undercut by these unlicensed people,” Gualtieri said.

One of those arrested didn’t even bother to provide a professional contract. She just scribbled the scope of the work on a crumpled piece of paper, he said.

“They know the law. They just choose not to follow it,” he said.

So he said his office will continue to send a strong message: "Go get licensed, stop doing it illegally or you're going to go to jail,"

Video via Pinellas Sheriff

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