Property owners in Florida are lucky when it comes to easily hiring and controlling licensed marine contractors contractors. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) really does a great job of making sure that “bad” contractors that damage the public are weeded out. They respond quickly to complaints they are given from consumers. Complaints from other legitimate marine contractors are addressed as well but perhaps a little slower and with less feed back from DBPR. Developing a one on one business relationship with a DBPR representative helps legitimate contractors in controlling the unlicensed activity in their area but DBPR is underfunded that the investigators are spread thin.
If a property owner hires a State licensed marine contractor, they do have an enormous amount of power over that contractor. If the property owner has a problem with a licensee, the property owner has the following options:
If the licensed marine contractor abandons the project and refuses to return the customer’s call, one remedy is for the customer to call the DBPR or send DBPR a complaint form. The DBPR will then contact the contractor to resolve the issue. Every licensed contractor who wishes to maintain their license will immediately work with the DBPR and get the issue resolved right away.
Even if the licensed marine contractor has gone out of business or is dodging the DBPR, the residential consumer can go for the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board’s Construction Industry Recovery Fund to recover all or a portion of their losses. The rules for the fund read: Payment may be available from the construction industries recovery fund if you lose money on a project performed under contract, where the loss results from specified violations of Florida Law by a state-licensed contractor. For information about the recovery fund and filling a claim, contract the Florida Construction Industry licensing Board at the following telephone number and address: Department Of Business and professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board, 7960 Arlington Expressway, Suite 300, Jacksonville, Florida 32211-7467. Telephone: (850) 727-3650.
All residential construction contracts are required to contain this clause. The fund provides residential property owners who contract with licensed contractors with the ability to recover up to $50,000.00 if they have been ripped off or otherwise damaged by that licensed contractor.
You may review the Florida Statutes by clicking on: www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/cilb/index.html and click on Statutes and Rules.
Call Rick Fender, the Vice President of Fender Marine Construction for additional information at 407-481-2750 and http://www.fendermarine.com/
