An air conditioning contractor working without a contractor’s license, has been charged with ripping off two Villages homeowners.
Christopher Michael Romanenko, 39, of Fruitland Park, has been arrested on two Sumter County warrants charging him with grand theft from persons 65 or older.
Romanenko is alleged to have contracted with two customers in February and May to install new AC systems. He collected advance payments from the victims in the amounts of $1,300 and $1,700, never returning to perform the agreed-upon work.
Romanenko had been arrested in July on a warrant obtained by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in reference to charges of contracting without a license. Romanenko formerly operated under the business names KTAC Management, Inc. and KT Home Management, Inc. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office cautions homeowners to only do business with reputable, licensed contractors, and to check out contractors before entering into agreements for work or providing up-front payments. Information on businesses which require licenses for services, such as air conditioning and heating contractors, can be obtained from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
