As the parade of would-be contractors showed up to bid on the renovations, none of them walked out with a contract.

Instead, each man walked out with a notice to appear in court.

The operation was part of a Broward Sheriff’s Office crackdown on unlicensed contractors.

Detective Danny Belyeu played the role of homeowner in the two-day undercover sting.

“This has become a huge problem,” Det. Belyeu told CBS4′s Carey Codd. “It’s large now mainly because, I think, it’s economy driven.”

Belyeu said with so many people out of work, there’s even more of a need to make sure the people being hired to do home improvement jobs are licensed. Belyeu said homeowners need to do their homework and make sure whoever they hire to do renovations on their home is properly licensed.

“They need to be aware that there are a lot of people out here who are not qualified,” Belyeu said. “There are people out here who will take money and not do anything. They need to be very cautious when they hire people to come out and do the work.

“They need to do a little bit of diligence and not look for the low price.”

One of the workers who showed up at the house is Manuel Escoto. He offered to install doors and windows at the home and after he was arrested, he admitted to CBS4 that he did not have a license to do the work.

He said he did it, “Because I needed a job.”

Escoto and the other 10 people arrested face a misdemeanor charge of operating as an unlicensed contractor. They could face a fine and be forced to pay court costs.

If someone is caught operating as an unlicensed contractor during a state of emergency, such as a hurricane, the charge is enhanced to a felony.

The workers who showed up at the 4-bedroom home in Southwest Broward offered to do just about everything — install a pool pump, install impact-resistant doors and windows, put in ceiling fans. Each renovation required a license and state investigators said each worker that showed up did not have the proper license.

Cheryl Biesky is the regional program administrator for the Department of Business and Professional Regulations. She said the unlicensed contractors make life difficult for licensed workers.

“The licensed contractors that put so much time and effort and are reputable they’re getting the short end of the stick because they’re always being underbid by the unlicensed contractor,” Biesky said.

Some of the men caught in the BSO sting claimed to work under someone else’s license. But investigators say that doesn’t cut it.

“The same thing would [be] true if somebody said, I have a friend who is a dentist but I want to do some dentistry work in my garage and if I show up and say, by the way, are you licensed and you can’t say I work under my friend’s license and he’s a dentist,” Belyeu said.

Belyeu said there are other reasons why homeowners need to be careful — the work performed by unlicensed contractors might be substandard and not up to code.

He also said that during a prior sting operation half of the people they arrested had serious criminal backgrounds.

“These people are coming into your homes,” he said. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with and potentially you’re bringing in criminals and negotiating and giving them your money.”

Several of the people arrested also received county citations for not having proper business markings on their vehicles. A contractor’s vehicle is supposed to have the business name, telephone number and license number on it.

Investigators said there are many steps homeowners can take to make sure a contractor is licensed.

You can go to www.myfloridalicense.com or call 1(850) 487-1395 to check on a licensee.

Investigators also warned consumers not to pay large deposits for work up front and never make out a check to an individual.

“A reputable company will always want the check made out to the company and not to an individual,” Biesky said.

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$135.00 examination development and application fee payable to PTI

You can pay the total fee of $215.00 ($135.00 to PTI and $80.00 to DBPR for exam administration). $80.00 examination administration fee payable to DBPR, but mailed to PTI, if you are using a check or pay PTI $215.00 by using your credit card to cover both.

$80.00 examination administration fee payable to Pearson VUE when you schedule your exam for Business and Finance.

$295.00 total

Contract Administration, Project Management, or Trade Knowledge only:

$135.00 examination development and application fee payable to PTI

$80.00 examination administration fee payable to DBPR, but mailed to PTI or pay PTI $215.00 by using your credit card to cover both.

$215.00 total 

Business and Finance Exam only:

$135.00 examination development and application fee payable to PTI

$80.00 examination administration fee payable to Pearson VUE

$215.00 total 

Fees are to be paid directly to the VENDOR and NOT DBPR or you may encounter delays in scheduling since the check will be rerouted to the vendor.

The time for the computer based exam will be 6.5 hours, six hours and thirty minutes, including pilot questions.

ALERT: Attention Examination Candidates

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation cannot recommend or endorse any particular professional school or bookstore. The department cannot take responsibility for the quality or cost of services provided by these institutions.

Additionally, please be aware of false information in circulation, regarding “special calculators” and/or “exam questions,” answers and references that Florida uses.  This includes the sale of these exam questions, described as “necessary tools” to pass the licensure exam. These claims are false.

Beware of any party requesting payment of licensing fees up front in order to secure your license after passing the exam. If you have any questions or wish to verify specific information, please contact the department at 850.487.1395 or via email at Call.Center@dbpr.state.fl.us

Translation Dictionaries
To better serve our “English as second language” candidates, the Bureau of Education and Testing is permitting the use of foreign language translation dictionaries ONLY. Dictionaries that contain definitions of words, explanations of words or handwritten notes may not be used. In order to maintain security and to ensure fairness to all candidates, candidates are limited to the use of a single dictionary.

Please note that we no longer provide a list of specific dictionaries which are approved. Instead, any dictionary that meets the criteria described above will be permitted.

If you have questions concerning acceptable translation dictionaries, please contact the Bureau of Education and Testing, Examination Administration Unit at 850.488.5952 or you may fax your question to 850.487.9757

DBPR developed examinations are primarily provided in English but the Spanish translation is available. This includes the Construction Examination, candidates must select the desired language when completing the exam application with Professional Testing Inc. (PTI) and when scheduling for the Business and Finance exam part with Pearson VUE.

1. Job/Task Analysis
   This process refers to the study of the elements of knowledge, skill and ability necessary for an individual to practice. It also refers to the determination of those tasks which are important in determining competent performance and are typically performed by job incumbents.
2. Test Specifications
   This activity guides the test developers in constructing examinations which are consistent with the job analysis and ensuring that each form of the examination tests the same basic concepts. The test specifications serve as a “blueprint” for the examination.
3. Developing Objectively Scored Examinations

Question Development
This process refers to the actual writing of examination questions as well as the review of the questions from the perspectives of both conformance with sound testing practice and factual accuracy. Questions are written by subject matter experts who are licensed members of the profession for which the examination is being developed.

Assembling an Examination Form
After a pool or bank of acceptable test questions has been constructed, the pool serves as the basis for construction. To assemble forms of the examination, questions are selected which meet the specifications or “blueprint”.

Standard Setting
Equally important to the sound development of an examination form is the determination of a standard, or minimum passing score, used to compare and interpret the test scores. The minimum passing score is established by each professional board after considering recommendations made by the Bureau.

Pilot/PreTesting New Questions
Examinations may contain a small numbers of pretest unscored or “pilot questions”. The purpose of including pilot test questions within the examinations is to expand and improve the bank of questions from which future examination will be drawn. This is a common practice used by many national and state examination programs and is a critical step in ensuring the continued reliability and validity of these examinations. Pilot questions are not counted when computing test scores. Pilot questions are not identified. If the pilot questions were identified, many of the candidates would skip them and the results would not be valid. The development of a good examination requires accurate candidate response information for the pilot questions.

Timing the Examination
A time limit is established for the examination administration ensuring that the majority of the candidates will have ample time to complete the examination. In the event that pilot questions are included within the examination, additional time will be given for answering the pilot questions.

Licenses may be issued by registration or certification:
Registration – The applicant has taken and passed a local competency examination and can practice only within that locale.
Certification – The applicant has taken and passed the State Licensing examination and can practice throughout the State of Florida.

Methods of Licensure:
By Endorsement – Yes
By Examination – Yes
By Reciprocity – No
Business Entity – No

Please be assured that the department is very conservative with its spending, and continually works to cut costs and to operate efficiently and effectively. The licensing fees the department receives from electrical and alarm system contractors are used to pay for essential tasks associated with the profession’s licensing and enforcement activities, such as funding the contractor application process, enforcing laws and rules, and holding the required board meetings. The department has also seen an increase in unlicensed activity over the past two years, and we have focused a lot of our attention on investigating and prosecuting individuals who are doing electrical and alarm system contracting without a license.

A person who holds more than one certificate or registration issued by the board is required to complete the continuing education requirements only once during each biennial certification renewal period and only once during each biennial registration period.

Any course approved for the education requirements for persons certified under Chapter 468, Part XII, Florida Statutes, shall be accepted for continuing education for renewal for persons who are certified under Part XII and who are certified or registered contractors under Chapter 489, Part I, Florida Statutes.

* Includes $5 Unlicensed Activity fee and a fee of $4 which must be transferred to the Department of Community Affairs to fund projects relating to the building construction industry or continuing education programs offered to persons engaged in the building construction industry in Florida.

Methods of Licensure:
By Endorsement – Yes
By Examination – Yes
By Reciprocity – No

Licenses may be issued by registration or certification:
Registration – The applicant has taken and passed a local competency examination and can practice only within that locale.
Certification – The applicant has taken and passed an examination and can practice throughout Florida.