Hillsborough sheriff arrests 80 for unlicensed contractor work

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says it plans to put construction fraud out of business.

At a press conference Tuesday, Sheriff Chad Chronister showed video of an undercover sting conducted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office says 114 contractors responded to work on a project and, by the end of the sting, 80 were arrested for working without a license.

The sheriff's office urges residents to check out every person they hire to do work at their home.

If someone doesn't want to show you their license, that's a huge red flag.

"I implore residents not to hire unlicensed contractors and, if you decide to hire someone to do a home project, do your homework and make sure they have the proper licenses and permits to do the work," said Chronister.

Officials also wanted to reinforce that contractors must be licensed for every job, no matter how big or small. There is no such thing and a handyman with no license.

This operation netted dozens of people. The sheriff's office hopes this gets the message out to unlicensed contractors that the sheriff's office is coming after them.