Letter: Catch unlicensed contractors

David Israel
St. Augustine
Published Friday, June 05, 2009

Editor: As a licensed contractor who pressure washes and cleans windows, I find it unbelievable that there are so many people doing the same thing without a license and getting away with it. Whatever happened to the enforcement department for St. Johns County?

Law-abiding contractors like me go through the procedures to ensure that the consumer is protected in many ways. We have to obtain an occupational license and insurance. If we really want to protect the consumer, we get bonded.

Being a retired police officer, I know how important this procedure is.

Many elderly residents get ripped off every day by unlicensed contractors. This is as serious as someone driving under the influence, because someone is going to get hurt by damage to their home or even worse. You never know who you are allowing in your home. Robbery and sex crimes have been committed by people who claim to be legal and are not. The county will go out of its way to arrest a drunk driver. How about protecting the consumer?

I see guys every day driving around in a beat-up, pick-up truck with no markings and an old, junky pressure washer in the truck. They trick consumers into thinking they are getting a deal, when actually they end up damaging their houses. They are last seen driving away, never to be heard from again. Who suffers? The consumer and guys like me who try to do it right.

St. Johns County should protect the innocent from scams and illegal contractors. They are violating the law. It would be great if police had the authority to stop and ask a person working on someone's home if they have a license. If they don't, then they could arrest them. Maybe the word would get out and everyone involved would be protected.