Three days after the storm passed, they were already moving through Southwest Florida neighborhoods – not to help, but to steal.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier just filed suit against Evolve Construction and six of its executives for taking over $1 million from hurricane victims across 11 Florida counties.
And when you find out exactly who was running this operation – and where they were running it from – you are going to be furious.
They Had a System
After Hurricanes Ian and Milton finished their work, Evolve Construction started its own.
Crews hit the hardest-hit neighborhoods first.
Unlicensed salespeople – not contractors, not inspectors – told homeowners their roofs were dangerous and offered to take a look for free.
Every single one of them lacked the home-solicitation permits Florida law requires before you can knock on a stranger's door to sell them something.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2103572962175569944?s=20
They promised fast turnaround, clean insurance claims, and repairs done right.
Then they collected the checks – $5,000 to $80,000 per property – and the work either never started or never finished.
Homeowners who demanded refunds were told no.
Those who kept pushing found liens recorded against their properties – in some cases filed before Evolve had purchased a single piece of lumber or pulled a single permit.
More than 60 percent of the 80 victims who filed complaints with Uthmeier's office are seniors.
The Men Who Built This Operation Were in California
That's the part that should make your blood boil.
The lawsuit names six individuals: Patrick Antoine of Lee County, Ahmed Darkawi of Minnesota, Jarret Gross of Martin County, Aleksandr Guldshtadt – also known as Alex Gold – of Los Angeles, John Vincent of Los Angeles, and Jaser "Jay" Zaabri of Los Angeles.
Guldshtadt was the CEO.
Zaabri was the CFO.
These two men sat in Los Angeles and built a company whose entire business model was sending unlicensed crews to knock on doors in hurricane-devastated Florida neighborhoods and steal from the elderly people who answered.
Florida regulators had already been tracking Darkawi on a separate track.
"Our investigations and administrative prosecutions resulted in 12 final orders against Ahmed Darkawi, the loss of his license," said Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Melanie Griffin.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2103561874705088603?s=20
Twelve final orders.
That is not a contractor who made mistakes.
That is a serial predator who kept operating while agencies processed paperwork.
Florida Has Seen This Every Single Time
After Hurricane Ivan in 2005, Florida investigators were simultaneously tracking more than 1,000 contractor fraud cases.
After Milton in 2024, the state attorney general warned publicly that scammers move in before the debris clears.
Evolve Construction ignored all of it and knocked on doors anyway.
A Naples contractor who ran the same scheme against an 85-year-old Ian victim was sentenced to four years in federal prison this past July – a case requiring the U.S. Secret Service and Lee County Sheriff to work together.
A Bradenton contractor who stole more than $200,000 from victims aged 62 to 95 spent the money at casinos.
Another unlicensed contractor was arrested in Bradenton last December on 13 felony counts for running the identical playbook after Milton.
Same storm. Same knock on the door. Same theft. Same elderly victims.
Uthmeier is seeking an injunction, full restitution for every victim, return of the stolen insurance money, civil penalties, and attorney's fees.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2103570793414230357?s=20
Anyone harmed by Evolve or similar contractors can file a complaint at MyFloridaLegal.com or call 1-866-9-NO-SCAM.
"We're going to hold them accountable," Uthmeier said Friday.
Alex Gold and Jay Zaabri are in Los Angeles right now, certain they moved fast enough and far enough.
They targeted your neighbors – seniors who survived a hurricane and trusted the man at the door.
Uthmeier just made this the worst decision they ever made.
Sources:
- Kennedy Owens, "Florida sues construction companies accused of preying on hurricane victims," Florida Voice News, September 25, 2026.
- Florida Attorney General's Office, "Attorney General James Uthmeier Files Consumer Protection Lawsuit Against Evolve Construction and Its Principals for Preying on Florida Hurricane Victims," MyFloridaLegal.com, September 25, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Justice, "Unlicensed Contractor Who Exploited Elderly Hurricane Ian Victim Sentenced to Federal Prison," DOJ.gov, July 8, 2026.
- FOX 35 Orlando, "Florida contractor sentenced after scamming Hurricane Ian victims," FOX 35 Orlando, May 28, 2025.
- Bradenton Police Department, "Contractor Accused of Swindling Elderly Victims After Hurricane Milton," BradentonPD.com, December 17, 2025.
- Staff, "Florida's hurricane season can come with a heavy dose of fraud," Yahoo News, July 9, 2026.
