CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — Pinellas County officials held a press conference Thursday to discuss the continued arrests of unlicensed contractors in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Since the two hurricanes hit the area, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said deputies have investigated an unprecedented number of scams targeting vulnerable residents and businesses.
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“This type of unlicensed contracting, the volume of it; the magnitude; people from outside the area — all of the illegals that are here — we have never seen anything like this in Pinellas County,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during Thursday’s press conference.
In order to combat the apparent rise in crime, Gualtieri and Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said their agencies have been conducting several undercover operations.
“Our current focus is protecting our residents and businesses who are desperate to rebuild and get on with their lives from being exploited and ripped off by people offering to do work on their property; but in some cases, have absolutely no intention of doing the work; in other cases are unqualified to do the work, and in all cases are unlicensed to do the work,” the sheriff said.