Created: 8/26/2009 5:11:16 PM 
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Unlicensed contractors doing work in Florida, beware. State agents are on the hunt for you.
As part of a statewide initiative, the Department of Business and Professional Regulations is paying surprise visits to those doing construction work or home repairs around Florida.
State agents from the Jacksonville office spent two days this week looking for unlicensed contractors in Clay County and Jacksonville Beach.
At each stop, those working on homes and construction sites had to show investigators they have the right permits, insurance and licensing to do the job.
"For consumers it's so important. If they hired an unlicensed contractor, they have no recourse. If they pay somebody money and then they take off, the consumer is out of the money," says Sandra Rentfrow of DBPR.
Rentfrow says don't forget the safety factor. She says someone without a license probably doesn't have the proper training to even do the job.
"We just go out in the neighborhoods and we ride," says Rentfrow. While the State is doing a massive sweep of sites this week, Rentfrow says she has a team in the field weekly looking for those breaking the law.
"We may have days where we don't find anything and I'm happy for that," says Rentfrow.
But there are days where they find those not following the rules too. In Jacksonville Beach, agents found an unlicensed roofer doing shingle work on a home. There was no permit pulled for the work either.
Investigators stopped the work and warned the homeowner. "I think we have made a difference in our region."
Rentfrow says the number of complaints is down, which means the patrols are paying off.
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