The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested 50 suspected unlicensed contractors in Operation Bad Builder after a four-month undercover sting in Riverview. Deputies posed as residents seeking home repairs and responded to online advertisements from June 1 through Oct. 2.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said investigators searched online, found people they believed were unlicensed and then invited them to provide quotes. He said some were already tied to county complaints about shoddy work and missing money, including cases where work was never finished.
Riverview undercover operation
Undercover detectives secured a location in Riverview and used it to meet people advertising repair services. Chronister said the tactic let deputies compare what contractors advertised with what they could legally offer, and he said many tried to get started right away and skip the permit process.
One of the arrested suspects, Steven Andreassen, was taken into custody for performing electrical work without a license. He was arrested in June for domestic battery by strangulation and has prior out-of-state arrests for kidnapping, robbery, sexual battery, drug offenses and assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.
Calvin Wilson quote
Calvin Wilson was also among those arrested. Deputies said he quoted $14,000 for heating and air conditioning work and wanted half up front; he was previously arrested for the same offense in Pinellas County and has a record that includes robbery, grand theft and aggravated battery.
Richard Cranker, business manager of the UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 123, told homeowners to get proof of insurance and insist that the contractor pull the proper permits for the work. Residents can also check any trade license at MyFloridaLicense.com before hiring someone for home improvements.
Operation Bad Builder arrests
Authorities said 18 of the people arrested are in the country illegally, but they did not explain how that status related to the licensing violations or the arrests themselves. Hillsborough County Sheriff officials have not yet disclosed total monetary damage estimates from the complaints that led to the sting.
The operation leaves homeowners with a simple filter before they sign anything: check the license, ask for insurance, and make sure the permit work is handled before the first dollar changes hands. That is the line between a quick quote and a repair job that can turn into a complaint.
