Texas Roofer Arrested in Florida for Helping Hurricane Victims

A lot of very exploitative people come into disaster areas. Contractors in times like these have the ability to ask for payment in advance. My own family was a victim of just such a scam after Andrew - pay in advance and disappear. I'm glad Florida is taking requirements for licensing seriously.

Florida has strict building codes due to the extreme winds that are especially important for Roofers. Being and expert roofer in Texas is different than being an expert roofer in Florida and the way that you can proof you know the codes is by getting licensed in the state.<p>There is plenty of work to be done here so we&#x27;d appreciate help from other states... but you will need to get licensed in order to prove that you can do the work that will stand up to future storms.

In EU, tradesman with licence in one state could offer services (with some exceptions with special rules like healthcare or finance) in any other states, while it is required just to notify authorities of other states. So it is surprising to me that in USA, licences do not appy to other states.

&gt; “Ignorance is not an excuse,” Prummell wrote. “If you are in Charlotte County, doing business with the people of this community, you had better be on the up-and-up and have the appropriate licensing and insurance. These people have been through enough, and I will not allow unlicensed contractors to further victimize them.”<p>&gt; <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;floridapolitics.com&#x2F;archives&#x2F;562882-florida-sheriff-arrests-texas-roofer-for-attempting-to-work-on-homes-damaged-by-hurricane-ian&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;floridapolitics.com&#x2F;archives&#x2F;562882-florida-sheriff-...</a><p>I live in FL, and I agree. No license in the state means working under a licensed contractor as a sub-contractor.<p>Ignorance of <i>any</i> law, in <i>any</i> jurisdiction is no excuse for violatinig the law; period.

Alternative headline - Illegal Business operator with little to no hurricane building experience arrested before they could do more damage.

The article points out that Florida is NOT one of the states with licensing reciprocity.

everyone, except Reason, knows that scammers descend on disaster areas. who knows if this guy is gonna repair roofs to code? or just rip off desperate families. i lived in florida for 20 years, beware the post-hurricane “helpers”

Headline kinda makes it sound like he was working for free, I wonder if they would still have arrested if it was volunteer work.

Is there any major difference in licensing requirements between Florida and Texas? I can imagine that if the housing code was dramatically different, then allowing contractors from other states could be an issue.

Reasons why licensing is good<p>- liability coverage<p>- not a con artist<p>- work meets code<p>Reasons it&#x27;s bad<p>- protectionism

This is the same country where people can buy guns in stores and have to pay to go to university or the doctor, so it makes complete sense.