UNLICENSED, UNINSURED CONTRACTOR ARRESTED FOLLOWING SURPRISE INSPECTION IN ST. LUCIE COUNTY
An unlicensed, uninsured contractor was arrested after state insurance fraud investigators made a surprise inspection at a St. Lucie County subdivision.
Vicente Parra Martinez, 34, owner and sole officer of P.M.V. Enterprises, Inc. located at 3611 N.E. 16th Avenue in Pompano Beach, is charged with workers’ compensation fraud and contracting without a license. He was arrested by investigators with the Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, and booked into the St. Lucie County Jail.
“Contractors who work without workers’ compensation insurance put property owners at risk of being held liable if a worker is injured on the job,” said Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, who oversees the Department of Financial Services. “And, contractors who are not licensed may not be qualified to do the work. These are serious charges, and they reflect the serious risk this contractor created for Floridians who already are struggling to recover from the hurricanes.”
Because Florida remains under a state of emergency following the hurricanes, the
penalty for contracting without a license is more severe. Martinez is facing two
third-degree felony counts and, if convicted, up to five years in prison on each
charge.
Six employees of Martinez were observed performing roof tile installation at the
Portofino subdivision in unincorporated St. Lucie County. Following his arrest,
the department’s Division of Workers’ Compensation, Bureau of Compliance, issued
a stop-work order for P.M.V. Enterprises.
The Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, investigates
various forms of fraud in insurance, including health, life, auto, property and
workers’ compensation insurance. Anyone with information about this case or
another possible fraud scheme should call the department's Fraud Hotline at
1-800-378-0445. A reward of up to $25,000 may be offered for information leading
to a conviction.
The skyline for November is beautiful Lakeland in Polk County.