Beware of unlicensed contractors trying to con Bay Area residents repairing homes after recent hurricanes

Beware of bad contractors after hurricanes

Ariel Plasencia reports

TAMPA, Fla. - The Hillsborough State Attorney is warning residents about hiring contractors without a license as homeowners search for reputable companies to help with repairs after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"People need to know if you're going to try and take advantage of someone following these hurricanes -- and you are a contractor and you do not have a license and we can prove that it was during this state of emergency -- this crime goes from being a misdemeanor to being a felony," Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said. "And you're going to be held accountable for taking advantage of our citizens."

Lopez added that bad actors are out there.

"Certainly, when it happened, I was really distraught," Tampa resident Todd Thurm said.

Thurm said he used "basically all (his) savings" to buy an investment property near ZooTampa. He knew the home was going to need a lot of work, so he got two separate referrals for contractors from his realtor and his friend. Then he found a third one that got good reviews online.

READ: Woman accused of breaking into home after Hurricane Milton faces a judge

"And of course, I picked the lowest bid, because I wanted to make sure the project was actually profitable, which was the whole purpose of doing the project," Thurm explained.

Thurm ended up picking the contractor his realtor had recommended but forgot to check one more thing before hiring him.

"Really, it stems from me, yes, wanting to select the least expensive quote but then also not doing the due diligence and making sure that this individual was properly licensed," Thurm said. "And now I know enough about it that it won’t happen again."

READ: Burglary suspects accused of breaking into and damaging Lake Wales home in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton

After hiring the contractor, it wasn’t long before red flags started popping up.

"Floor joists were installed wrong. A roof was installed incorrectly. None of the work was done to the current code," Thurm shared.

And then there was plenty of work that just never got done, Thurm added. But the Tampa resident told FOX 13 he still honored the signed contract, paying the contractor the agreed amounts by the set deadlines.

"He kept asking for more and more and more money until I just didn't have any more money," Thurm said. "And at that point, he decided not to be on the job anymore."

The agreed-upon work was never 100% completed, Thurm added.

"That left me in a difficult position because I had to then empty money out of my 401K to be able to finish this project, just to be able to recoup all the money that I had put into the project already, which I still ended up losing about $30,000," Thurm added.

READ: Treasure Island's mayor resigns after home 'damaged beyond repair' during Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Stevie Swinson was charged with unlicensed contracting and worker's compensation fraud for failure to secure insurance in Thurm’s case, according to Lopez. She told FOX 13 Swinson is facing similar charges in two other cases and is expected to go to trial in December. He’s accused of stealing over $130,000 related to unlicensed and fraudulent contracting work from 2022-2023.

Stevie Swinson was charged with unlicensed contracting and workers compensation fraud for failure to secure insurance in Thurm’s case.

Stevie Swinson’s attorney, Victoria Hatfield, issued the following statement to FOX 13:

"We recognize there absolutely are contractors with bad intentions targeting homeowners in the Tampa Bay area during this vulnerable time. Residents are right to avoid hiring unlicensed contractors who take money and then disappear. The Florida Legislature established special laws punishing those who commit these crimes during a declared state of emergency. However, the Florida Legislature allows for several exceptions to the requirement of a contractor’s license in Florida - and some cases are not always cut and dry.

Litigation in his case is ongoing and already a grand theft charge against him was dismissed by the judge."

Even though Thurm’s experiences didn’t happen during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, he told FOX 13 he hopes people will do as much research as they can before hiring a contractor. That includes checking to see if they are licensed. He said he talked to the realtor, who wasn’t aware that the contractor he recommended was unlicensed.

"Don't get in too big of a rush. Don't necessarily pick the cheapest one," Thurm said. "Do the due diligence, even though you're anxious to get back into your home."

Click here to check if your contractor has a license.

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