December 23, 2010

Dear Friends,

Holidays are a wonderful time to look back on the blessings of the past year. This year, I have been blessed to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and work with a dedicated group of public servants. You have heard me talk about how great our employees are, and I would like to share one example that demonstrates their dedication.

In this situation, DBPR Regional Program Administrator, Erin Cameron, and Chief Attorney for Unlicensed Activity, Maura Bolivar, were able to obtain a release and satisfaction of a nearly $60,000 mortgage imposed on a low income 81-year-old homeowner in Quincy by an unlicensed contractor.

The mortgage ballooned out of an installment contract for $13,500 with an unlicensed contractor for roofing work on a modest 1,000 square foot home. The unlicensed contractor assigned the installment contract to his wife's finance company. The finance company converted it into a mortgage of nearly $60,000, without any clear explanation to the homeowner, and later assigned it to an unrelated third party. The elderly homeowner paid approximately $20,000 over seven years as the roof leaked and incurred significant water damage because he feared he would lose his home.

Cameron and Bolivar convinced the third party to sign a satisfaction and release of the mortgage. The homeowner will enjoy a peaceful holiday season due to the work of our compassionate and solution-oriented staff.

This is just one example of the hard work our employees do everyday to assist our licensees and protect the public from unscrupulous businesses. I want to thank all of the employees at the DBPR for their support and hard work this year. DBPR is a great place to work, and I am very blessed to be a part of it.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Charlie Liem
Secretary

Department of Business and
Professional Regulation
1940 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Customer Contact Center:
850.487.1395
www.MyFloridaLicense.com