Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
- Economic Crimes Unit
- Community Policing Unit

Florida Department of Financial Services

State Attorney Sixth Judicial Court

What:                  
Deputies assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit, along with various other Sheriff’s Office components, and other state and county agencies worked collaboratively in an undercover sting to charge and arrest unlicensed contractors working in Pinellas County during “Operation Flush Out”.

When:
The operation began on Saturday August 4, 2018 and ended on Monday August 6, 2018.

Where:       
The undercover sting operation was conducted at 2705 54^th Avenue North, Suite 6, located in St. Petersburg.

Why/How:
Deputies assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit along with the Florida Department of Financial Services, and the State Attorney Sixth Judicial Court worked collaboratively to charge and arrest unlicensed contractors working in Pinellas County during an operation coined “Operation Flush Out”.

The undercover sting operation was conducted at 2705 54^th North, St. Petersburg and began on Saturday August 4, 2018, and ended Monday, August 6, 2018. Through this undercover sting deputies were solicited by unlicensed specialty contracting suspects who offered to perform illegal unlicensed contracting work to undercover deputies.

Investigators arrested 29 suspects with over 60 criminal charges. These charges include unlicensed specialty contracting violations, workers compensation fraud, and various other criminal charges unrelated to unlicensed contracting.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) located at 4145 34^th Street North, St. Petersburg, to discuss the purpose of “Operation Flush Out”.

“Go get licensed, stop doing it illegally, or you’re going to go to jail,” warned Sheriff Gualtieri.

Video of the Sheriff’s press conference can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/xzCy_0YhRbY