9 Investigates: Difficult to prosecute unlicensed contractors

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — 9 Investigates learned it's difficult for investigators to track down and prosecute unlicensed contractors who rip off consumers.

Investigators told Channel 9's Mike Manzoni that an audit puts limits on them.

Hurricane season is about to hit Central Florida, and investigators said that gives unlicensed contractors a lot of business.

"They start canvassing the neighborhoods and they use all sorts of techniques, and they've been practicing their lines for years,” said Carlos Morales, with the Orange County Consumer Fraud Unit.

Morales is one of four investigators in the unit who go over unlicensed contractors. They write tickets and hand some cases over to prosecutors.

Prosecutors only take up cases when victims are willing to prosecute. That’s roughly 1,300 cases Morales' office handles each year, and only about 50 of them ever result in criminal charges, Eyewitness News learned.

An audit found the county's investigators can only go so far to track down unlicensed contractors, because the county ordinance applies to unincorporated areas of Orange County only.

Investigators then have to hand off complaints from residents in cities and towns.

"If they do not have the resources, that means that individual might be operating in that jurisdiction and can victimize someone and then leave the area,” Morales said.

Morales said he fears some towns and cities don’t have the manpower to properly investigate unlicensed contractor complaints. Morales said he fears contractors who are up to no good take advantage of the current system.

"Once they know about the challenges of the ordinance, they may play around with us and they may use it for their advantage,” Morales said.

Cox Media Group