TAMPA, Fla. -- One of the most scrutinized bills of the 2019 legislative session in Tallahassee was a comprehensive criminal justice package sponsored by GOP House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Paul Renner. 


What You Need To Know

  • Woman credits Florida law for holding rogue contractor accountable

  • Criminal justice package passed in 2019 legislative session

  • Meena Patel says she got back over $2,700 because of the law

Criminal justice advocates complained afterward that it ultimately delivered far less than promised, but at least one Tampa homeowner is thrilled that it passed last year.

Tampa resident Meena Patel believes if the 2019 legislation hadn’t passed, she’d be out more than $2,700.

Patel and her 79-year-old mother contacted a contractor last November and paid him a deposit of $2,750, half of estimated $5,500 he said it would cost to upgrade her driveway.  He said the work would begin in six weeks, once the construction materials arrived. 

Six weeks later, and those materials never arrived. And by that time the contractor had ghosted her, ignoring her phone calls and texts.  She then went online and learned about the provision in that bill (HB 7125) that altered Florida Statute 489.126 in order to afford homeowners more protection against contractor fraud by making it easier for them to press criminal charges.

The law now says that if a consumer pays a contractor more than 10 percent of the contract price for a home improvement project, the contractor must apply for permits within 30 days. After the permits are issued, work has to begin within 90 days. If that doesn’t happen, the homeowner can send a letter to the contractor demanding that they begin that work within 30 days – or they need to get their deposit back.

Patel sent the contractor a certified letter, and again didn’t hear anything back. Frustrated, she reached out to Hillsborough County Democratic State Rep. Susan Valdes, who co-sponsored HB 7125 during the 2019 session. An aide in Valdes’ office directed her to seek redress through the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office, who told her the route to go was with the Hillsborough County Office of Consumer Protection. 

“We deal with cases like this all the time,” says Eric Olsen, the director with the Hillsborough County Consumer and Veterans Services Agency. “Sometimes they end up being criminal cases…but most of the time we’re able to mediate the case and get monies returned, like we did in this case.”

Valdes says the legislation puts the contractor on notice that he’s criminally liable if he attempts to take the money and run. She cautions that it might take some time, but it’s worth it for the homeowner to follow the steps listed in the law. 

“That contractor is liable criminally,” she says.

Contractors violating the law who have taken more than $1,000 from a homeowner could face felony charges.

Patel is thrilled to get her money back, because she didn’t think she would.  She’s pleased that her local and state elected officials we’re able to address her concerns.

"I never really thought I would get a response to be honest with you,” she says. “About how these representatives actually can advocate for a consumer. And that’s what I was most pleased about. Not just Susan Valdes office. But the Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Agency.”

Hillsborough is just one of six counties in the state which houses a consumer protection agency (along with Pinellas, Orange, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, & Broward).