Blog

This month, 118 unlicensed contractors were all charged for illegally operating in the state of Florida. This investigation took place in Hillsborough County in Florida. Every single unlicensed contractor authorities caught was arrested. Here is how the investigation was carried out: Members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office went undercover, posing as homeowners who were in need of repairs in their home. Most of the officers performing this investigation found the unlicensed contractors on social media because this is where they were promoting their services. None of the illegally operating contractors had a company website. 

The scary part is that when authorities arrested these unlicensed contractors, they found that many of the arrested had a dark criminal past. Some were registered sex offenders, some had been charged with burglary, and some had multiple drug offenses. Some of these people even had a prior offense from operating without a license. This goes to say, be careful who you hire. It is bad enough that these people are operating as a contractor without a license, but you definitely wouldn’t want burglars in your home when you are at work or rapists working in your house when you ARE at home! 

If you want to work as a contractor, be sure you meet all of the legal guidelines necessary to perform jobs. You never know who your customer may really be - it could be an undercover cop waiting for you to slip up. Plus, it is best to be an expert on what you do, especially when you are working on people’s homes.