By Tom Flanigan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-997027.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – A statewide billboard campaign will remind Florida consumers to make sure the service providers they deal with are properly licensed. Tom Flanigan reports unlicensed activity seems to be on the upswing in Florida.
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Ken Lawson says the vast majority of the state's professionals follow the law.
"Each day, thousands of licensed, hard-working men and women go to work around the state. A license from our department certifies their ability to provide specific services to citizens all across Florida as outlined in Florida law."
Lawson says the problem comes from those who don't have the required license. His department logged more than seventeen-hundred consumer complaints in the last year from consumers who found services from unlicensed providers were no bargain
"For anyone engaged in, say, contracting, barbering, or if you're a cosmetologist, there are rules, there are standards; we want to make sure you know them and comply."
The department has launched a statewide billboard campaign, urging consumers to do business only with licensed professionals. The Florida Outdoor Advertising Association is donating more than thirty billboards for the cause.