FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Augustine contractor was arrested Friday after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said he took $40,000 from a Palm Coast couple for home renovations he never completed and spent much of the money buying baseball cards.
The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as 43-year-old Michael Struhar, owner of Sunshine State Contractor Services LLC. According to investigators, the couple wired $40,000 in December 2025 after signing a general service agreement that called for the work to be finished within three months.
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Struhar showed up once, removed and painted a single wall and did not return. The couple’s calls and texts went unanswered and a certified letter demanding a refund was ignored, officials said.
The sheriff’s office’s General Assignment Unit opened an investigation after the victims reported the incident in April. Bank records showed roughly $11,500 in cash and debit withdrawals and more than $33,500 in Zelle payments soon after the wire transfer.
Investigators say none of the money was spent on materials for the homeowners’ job and that recurring charges went to an online auction site where Struhar reportedly bought signed baseball cards.
The account was overdrawn by the end of December and remained negative most months afterward, the office said.
Struhar’s ex-wife told detectives unpaid subcontractors had been visiting her home since December and said Struhar texted her that the certified letter had been “all good, already taken care of,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives presented the case to the State Attorney’s Office, which approved an arrest warrant. A judge signed the warrant for grand theft of more than $20,000 with a $50,000 bond.
The FCSO Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Problem Area Crime Enforcement Unit arrested Struhar Friday. He was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and released on $50,000 bond.
“This contractor’s version of ‘if you build it, he will come’ was build nothing, take the cash, and buy baseball cards,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Contractors who think they can come to Flagler County and pocket someone’s money should think again. Our detectives will relentlessly track down scammers and thieves posing as honest professionals and take them to the Green Roof Inn.”
The investigation is ongoing. Detectives believe Struhar and Sunshine State Contractor Services may have additional victims in the area. Anyone who did business with Struhar or his company and believes they were defrauded is asked to call the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office nonemergency line at 386-313-4911.
Tips for hiring contractors offered by the sheriff’s office.
- Verify a contractor’s license (the Flagler Home Builders Association maintains a member directory at flaglerhba.com; the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation can be searched at myfloridalicense.com).
- Ask for proof of general liability and workers’ compensation insurance and contact two or three past customers.
- Get a written scope of work, payment schedule, start date and completion date. Reputable contractors typically do not demand the bulk of payment up front.
- Pay by check or card to create a paper trail, hold back final payment until work is finished and permits are closed, and obtain a lien release for each payment.