Fla. Contractor Arrested Following Surprise Inspection

An unlicensed, uninsured contractor was arrested Monday after Florida insurance fraud investigators made a surprise inspection at a St. Lucie County subdivision.

Vicente Parra Martinez, 34, owner and sole officer of P.M.V. Enterprises Inc. in Pompano Beach, is charged with workers’ compensation fraud and contracting without a license. He was arrested by investigators with the Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, and booked into the St. Lucie County Jail.

Because Florida remains under a state of emergency following the hurricanes, the penalty for contracting without a license is more severe. Martinez is facing two third-degree felony counts and, if convicted, up to five years in prison on each charge.

Six of Martinez’s employees were reportedly observed performing roof tile installation at the Portofino subdivision in unincorporated St. Lucie County.

Following his arrest, the department’s Division of Workers’ Compensation, Bureau of Compliance, issued a stop-work order for P.M.V. Enterprises.