Dozens of Alleged Looters, Unlicensed Construction Workers Arrested in Florida

October 28, 2024

More than 100 people were arrested late last week in storm-ravaged Pinellas County, Florida, charged with looting homes and working as unlicensed contractors, two weeks after Hurricane Milton forced many residents to evacuate.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said that deputies on patrol arrested 45 people on Madeira Beach, near St. Petersburg, and charged them with burglary, loitering, grand theft, armed robbery and vandalism, according to local news reports and the sheriff’s office. Many of the homes were vacant after homeowners left the area before Miltion hit Oct. 9.

Most of those arrested were not from the area and many were not U.S. citizens and were believed to be illegal immigrants, the sheriff said at a news conference.

Detectives in the same area also arrested more than 60 people in a three-day undercover sting operation that targeted unlicensed construction work. The suspects held themselves out to be licensed contractors, offering to do roofing, plumbing, electrical and other work, Gualtieri said, according to the Tampa Bay Times and WUSF public radio station.

It was unclear if some of the alleged perpetrators were charged with both sets of offenses, or if repair work had been completed on the properties, or if homeowners had used insurance claims proceeds to pay the workers.

State officials for weeks have warned Florida residents affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton to beware of looters and unlicensed repair workers in the wake of the storm damage. And Gualtieri said similar reports of looting and unlicensed contracting had come from other barrier islands in the area.

“Our effort to protect the community has not stopped with these hurricanes’ direct impact,” the sheriff said in a statement posted online. “We are now focused on protecting our residents and our businesses who are desperate to rebuild and get on with their lives.”