Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford announced the following:
On Wednesday, December 19th, two people were arrested in Gulf County for Contracting without a License. The arrests stemmed from an investigation conducted by the Construction Fraud Task Force consisting of officers from the State Attorney’s Office, the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office, the Port St. Joe Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Department of Financial Services and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The individuals were arrested when they arrived separately at a home and represented themselves as roofing contractors who were ready, willing and able to roof homes damaged during Hurricane Michael. Contracting without a License During a State of Emergency is a third degree felony punishable by a maximum of 5 years in prison and a $5000 fine. The Construction Fraud Task Force was formed to deter unlicensed contractors from taking advantage of unsuspecting homeowners. During past recovery efforts, numerous unlicensed contractors either took homeowners’ money and ran or took the money and provided substandard work that would not pass building inspections. The goal of the task force is to prevent our citizens from being victimized twice. If you have been the victim of contractor fraud, contact the State Attorney’s Office at 850-872-4473 or your local Sheriff’s Office.
If you have any questions or need additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.