Cape Coral hires investigator to crack down on unlicensed contractors

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—The city has created a new licensing investigator position to root out unlicensed contractors and help uphold state and local license requirements.

To staff the new position, City Council approved a $5 surcharge on permits to fund it. The fee won't be on every permit pulled, just Cape Coral building permits.

City documents say that $5 per permit will add up to about $150,000 in city revenue every year. That will allow the investigator to focus solely on license contract enforcement, such as job site sweeps and online media audits.

Cape Coral general contractor Paul Barnes has been vocal in City Council meetings about the need for tougher enforcement on unlicensed contractors in the Cape. He told WINK News that when hiring a contractor, you should always check if they have the right permits and paperwork.

"Whenever a homeowner hires a contractor, not only should they verify their license number and check with their local permitting authorities, but they should also, and I see this a lot, especially lately, get a copy of their certificate of insurance with the homeowner's name list in the bottom left corner," Barnes said. "Then call the insurance company and actually verify the insurance is real."

One of the ways you can verify a contractor's license is looking up the person's name, company or license number on the Florida DBPR website.