You may ask, “why the ‘STILL (STILL)’ in the title?”. Unfortunately, this is not the first, or second, and certainly not the last time we will report on this.<\/p>\n
Over the past few years, we have written a lot about the\u00a0Florida roofing scams\u00a0that continue to plague homeowners.<\/p>\n
Breaking, Assignment of Benefits\u00a0Abuse Plaques Florida Homeowners<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Protecting Yourself from a Roofing Insurance Scam<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Florida Roofing Scams Continue<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Florida Roofing Scams STILL Continue<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n We care about our local communities and want to protect our neighbors, friends,\u00a0and clients from these criminals.\u00a0A growing number of individuals are trying to profit from the insurance claims process by convincing unsuspecting homeowners that they need a new roof. Unfortunately, Florida roofing scams continue.<\/p>\n We have\u00a0seen\u00a0stories from all over the State, but this time 2 men were arrested in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n According to News4Jax<\/a>,\u00a0 two Jacksonville brothers who ran a roofing business have been arrested, accused of scamming dozens of people in several\u00a0Northeast Florida\u00a0<\/a>counties out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n Adolph and\u00a0John Carlson\u00a0<\/a>are charged with running an organized scheme to defraud someone of over $100,000 and engaging in an organized scheme to defraud — both first-degree felonies.\u00a0The brothers own Carlson Roofing, which has been the subject of several I-TEAM reports over the past year.<\/p>\n The brothers, 44 and 41 years old, were arrested Tuesday in Duval County and held without bond. They made their first appearances before a judge Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n Patricia Tauch, who owns Orange Park Kindergarten, said she was victimized by Carlson Enterprises.<\/p>\n “They can\u2019t take advantage of us like that and expect nothing to happen,” Tauch\u00a0told the I-TEAM on Wednesday. “People trusted them\u00a0and put their faith in them to do what they said they were going to do, and they didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n The I-TEAM first talked with Tauch in March 2018<\/a>. Her daycare was damaged in Hurricane Irma, and she\u00a0explained that her business paid Carlson more than $16,000 for work that wasn\u2019t started.<\/p>\n Last year,\u00a0the\u00a0Construction Industry Licensing Board took up 65 cases against Adolph Carlson, of Carlson Enterprises<\/a>. He was accused of taking money from dozens of customers and then abandoning the jobs.\u00a0 Customers filed complaints with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which then investigated the allegations.<\/p>\n In April 2018, the Florida Attorney General’s Office\u00a0sued Carlson Enterprises over its business practices<\/a>. The state also asked a judge to freeze the company\u2019s assets, which the\u00a0judge agreed to do<\/a>.\u00a0 That lawsuit is\u00a0ongoing.<\/p>\n If you have had problems Carlson Enterprises, you can file complaints with the following organizations and agencies:<\/p>\n If you are hiring a roofer, you can check\u00a0the state\u2019s website<\/a>\u00a0to make sure the business is licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.<\/p>\n The Better Business Bureau\u2019s website also offers\u00a0advice for consumers on hiring a roofing contractor in Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n Make sure you take these three steps first in protecting yourself from a roofing insurance scam.<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0<\/span>Beware of anyone who solicits your business or tries\u00a0to convince you they can get you something for free.<\/strong><\/p>\n 2.\u00a0<\/span>Don\u2019t sign contracts you don\u2019t fully understand.\u00a0Many companies only require you to sign a work\u00a0authorization form. Any contract that states\u00a0\u201cassignment of benefits\u201d is something that needs\u00a0to be read carefully to fully understand the impact\u00a0on you.<\/strong><\/p>\n 3.\u00a0<\/span>Understand your coverage. Insurance is for sudden\u00a0unexpected events not for normal wear-and-tear.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to learn more about the details of how this insurance scam works and how to avoid it, then watch the video below. This is part of our #WhiteboardWednesday<\/strong><\/a> series aimed at informing Florida homeowners. Hope this helps. If you want to discuss AOB or your current insurance policies, then contact us by clicking the button below.<\/p>\nThis Time It’s Too Close to Home…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How To Prevent This From Happening To You<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Get The Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n