SARASOTA, Fla. — Her carport, lanai, and car were destroyed, but Jackie Drewing still felt lucky. Hurricane Ian bulldozed much of the Venice Isles Estates mobile home park last September, but her home was left standing.
Down the street, widow Kelly Canegalie returned to find Ian spared most of her home but demolished the carport and 2 vehicles. Many of her neighbors didn't fare as well.
“I started crying when we came in the entrance and looking at homes just totally on the ground,” Canegalie said.
As the residents began to rebuild, word spread about Justin Hoover, who did aluminum work. Canegalie met Hoover while he was measuring her neighbor's damaged carport. She described him as "very, very kind. A gentleman to the tee."
Hoover’s charm won Drewing over as well.
“He was so polite and respectful," she said. "Yes ma'am, no ma'am, absolutely.”
But Sarasota Sheriff’s detectives have another way to describe him: a wanted man.
Hoover hit up 31 storm victims, most in Venice Isle Estates. He collected thousands of dollars from the homeowners in March and April, according to police records, but didn't return to complete the work.
In September, nearly a year after the storm, the sheriff’s office issued warrants for the 45-year-old's arrest.
Drewing and Canegalie, who each gave Hoover more than $5,000, are included in the criminal case. Canegalie cried while talking about the trust she placed in Hoover and the money she could not afford to lose.
“It is just wrong that there are people that do this," she said. "They prey on other people.”
ABC Action News found Hoover had moved out of his rented home in Gibsonton and left no forwarding address. He's also not answering his cell. But this is not the first time we’ve left messages for Hoover about unlicensed contracting.
We first exposed Hoover’s troubles in Hillsborough County after another storm victim, Becky Starnes, paid him a $6,000 deposit on repairs to her carport and screen room. The Ruskin resident and teacher contracted with Hoover in November, shortly after Hurricane Ian hit, but she never saw him again.
The victims we spoke with had no idea Hoover pleaded guilty to grand theft in 2021 when he was also contracting without a license in Hillsborough County.
Sarasota Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Fairly said when he's caught, Hoover could face a charge of scheme to defraud, a first-degree felony. In Florida, that could mean up to 30 years in prison.
Victims, including Canegalie, want Hoover off the street.
“I hope he gets locked up because that's what he deserves,” she said.
Anyone who knows Justin Hoover’s location is asked to contact the Sarasota Sheriff's Office.
Never hire any contractor without checking their complaint and license history. You can check a contractor’s license here. And never pay a large deposit upfront.
