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Ocala board fines unlicensed electrical contractor $1,000 and forwards case to state regulator
Summary
The Contractors Board found John Cuda Affordable Electrical Services LLC guilty of acting as an unlicensed contractor and disregarding municipal registration rules, imposed fines totaling $1,000 ($500 per violation) plus $202.61 prosecution costs, and directed the file be sent to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The City of Ocala Contractors Board of Examiners and Appeals on Feb. 21 found John Cuda Affordable Electrical Services LLC guilty of operating without required registration or licensure and of disregarding municipal registration rules after city staff observed work and the company vehicle at 1213 Southeast Eighteenth Avenue.
Officer Jeffrey Gilbo presented staff findings that the vehicle on site bore the business name but displayed no license number and that the company was not registered with the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) or with the City of Ocala. The board found two violations under the City Code and assessed a fine of $500 per violation, for a total fine of $1,000, plus $202.61 in prosecution costs. The board voted to forward the case to DBPR for state-level review and required payment by 4 p.m. Friday, April 3.
"We are strictly here for John Cuda electrical services and asking to find them guilty of the 2 violations cited," Officer Jeffrey Gilbo told the board when presenting evidence. City staff also noted that a stop-work order had been posted on the site and that another contractor later pulled the necessary permits to complete the work.
No representative for John Cuda Affordable Electrical Services LLC appeared at the hearing. Board members discussed applicable penalty ranges under City Code chapter 22, including that fines for unlicensed contracting may reach $500 per violation per day and up to a maximum in multiple-violation scenarios. The board adjusted the staff recommendation upward from the lower first-offense amount to $1,000 total to reflect the seriousness of unlicensed electrical work.
Board member Eddie Fantino moved to find the company guilty, assess a $1,000 fine ($500 per violation) and require payment of prosecution costs $202.61; the motion also directed staff to forward the record to DBPR. The motion carried on a voice vote.
City staff said they will prepare a packet to send to DBPR the next business day so state regulators can review the evidence and board action. The case record was accepted into the public record by vote of the board.
