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:                  
Detectives 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 Punch List.”

When:
The operation began on Saturday, February 16, 2019 and ended on Monday, February 18, 2019.

Where:       
The undercover sting operation was conducted at a residence located at 875 Sky Loch Drive in Dunedin.

Why/How:
Detectives 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 Punch List.”

Detectives arrested 39 suspects with 79 criminal charges and referred one suspect to the State Attorney’s Office for one additional criminal charge. These charges include unlicensed specialty contracting violations, workers compensation fraud, and various other criminal charges unrelated to unlicensed contracting.

The undercover operation was conducted at a vacant residence located at 875 Sky Loch Drive in Dunedin, and began on Saturday, February 16, 2019 and ended on Monday, February 18, 2019. During this undercover operation, undercover detectives were solicited by unlicensed specialty contracting suspects who offered to perform illegal unlicensed contracting work at the residence.

Detectives say these unlicensed contractors were found advertising on websites to include Facebook, Craigslist, Next Door, and various other social media platforms. The suspects came to the residence and met with undercover detectives while offering to do a variety of work that included electrical, painting, drywall, and tile work.

All of these suspects agreed to engage in this illegal contracting work without a license and without pulling a permit.

The results of this weekend’s operation reinforces the fact that unlicensed contracting is still an ongoing problem in Pinellas County. 

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference on February 18, 2019, at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office North District Station located at 2496 Bayshore Boulevard in Dunedin. During the press conference, Sheriff Gualtieri stated, “My message to people who are out there engaged in this activity is to do it the right way, do it the legal way, get licensed, and don’t rip people off.”

There has been a total of 152 suspects arrested and over 330 criminal charges since the inception of the first undercover operation, “Operation Nailed” on August 7, 2017. The total monetary amount quoted by these suspects has been close to $700,000.00.

On July 1, 2018, a law was passed that eliminated the existing licensing board in Pinellas County and turned the responsibility over to Pinellas County Government. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate criminal violations and work with Pinellas County Government to help protect citizens being exploited by those engaged in unlicensed contracting. 

Citizens in Pinellas County can search for licensed contractors or report unlicensed construction activity by visiting the PCCLB website here: http://www.pcclb.com/ . Citizens can also report violations of unlicensed contracting by contacting the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200.

The press conference can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/cJaE_oLDdPU