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Contractors working in Collier County without workers’ compensation and licenses got caught last week in a surprise sweep called Operation Check Point.

The Oct. 11 sweep included sites in eastern and western Collier, Naples and Marco Island. During the sweep, state Department of Financial Services investigators issued stop-work orders to six companies operating in Collier without workers’ compensation.

Collier County government and the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation also participated in the sweep and cited seven companies for working without workers’ compensation or without proper licenses.

Construction businesses with one or more employees are required to have workers’ compensation, said Nina Banister, a spokeswoman for the financial services department. But the owner can be exempted from that requirement if they apply for an exemption from the department.

Naples-based Architectural Cabinets & Millwork, Marco-based Collier County Custom Concrete, Bonita Springs-based ZetFrame, LaBelle-based L & J Clean Up, Miami-based Professional Wood Installation Inc. and Amarildo A. Adriano received stop-work orders from the Department of Financial Services for lack of workers’ compensation. No other information about Adriano was available from the state Tuesday.

“That’s key — (owners) have to apply for (the exemption), it’s not automatic,” Banister said. “It’s important for employers to know that we do conduct such sweeps fairly often.”

Nonconstruction businesses with four or more employees are also required to have workers’ compensation, as well as state and local governments and farmers with more than five regular employees and/or 12 or more seasonal laborers who work for 30 days or more.

The employers cited for lack of workers’ compensation will be required to show proof of insurance to resume work, and pay a fine 1.5 times the evaded premiums, or $1,000, whichever is greater.

“But it’s not just a matter of complying to avoid penalties,” Banister said. “Employers should comply to protect their workers.”

Collier County Custom Concrete, owned by Timothy Dwyer, also was cited for lack of workers’ compensation by Collier County, according to Lisa Koehler, a county government spokeswoman.

The county also cited Epifanio Rodriguez of Professional Wood Installation, Dan Robbins of Bonita Springs-based Accent Electronic Systems Integrators, Marcial Corrito of Semar Contractor and Roman Zet of ZetFrame Inc. for working as unlicensed contractors. Daniel Spolar of Bonita Springs-based Spolar Enterprises Inc. was cited for hiring uncertified or unregistered contractors.

These companies will be given 10 days to contest their citations, or they will have to pay a $300 fine, Koehler said. If they decide to contest they’ll go before the contractors licensing board.

“Our goal is we want licensed contractors on that job site, so we will continue working on that job site to make sure there are licensed contractors,” Koehler said. “... We’re not going to lift that stop-work order until we know that everybody’s licensed on there and has their insurance and workers’ comp.”

The county is also investigating Miami-based Ace Flooring Systems for possible unlicensed activity and John Brown of F.D.I. Builders and James Stephen Boggs of Cypress Construction for possible workers’ compensation violations.

The DBPR issued one citation to Accent Electronic Systems Integrators for operating without a proper electronic contractors’ license, said Alexis Antonacci, a department spokeswoman. The DBPR also issued two cease-and-desist orders to individuals working for the company, she said.

Accent Electronic Systems Integrators vice president Curt Ross said his company was not cited, but rather a company with a similar name. If the company was cited, he said he was unaware.

State records show that Accent Electronic Systems Integrators does not have an electronic contractors license, Antonacci said.

“(The Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s) goal is to bring people into compliance, ... so we will be encouraging this company, if they want to stay in business, to get licensed,” Antonacci said.