Hot Gold and Stolen Metal in the Crosshairs

Sarasota County Commissioners Tuesday afternoon passed a pair of ordinances to combat the sale of stolen scrap and valuables to second-hand dealers and recyclers.

“This is a huge problem, and people have suffered huge financial losses,” County Commission Chair Nora Patterson said.

It took more than a year of meetings and compromises between the two types of businesses, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and county staffers to come to common ground. Both ordinances passed unanimously.

The new regulations reflect an enormous upsurge in burglary and theft in Sarasota County. A in late July turned up more than 2,185 pounds of stolen scrap metal. Virtually every kind of metal outside has been stolen, including aluminum siding, wire from light poles, plumbing fittings and – especially – air conditioners. 

Sheriff’s Detective Dan Valentino says more than $12 million in scrap metal has been stolen since 2009. 

The two ordinances place new regulations on business. While you can still take old beer cans to the recycler and get paid in cash, lots of other items will be paid for with a check in the mail to your address.

The days when you could pull up and sell an air conditioner from the back of a pickup truck for cash are gone. And you’ll need to complete a transaction form is with a photocopy of your personal ID card, a mug shot, and a photo of the item being sold. The recycling company must keep a copy for at least one year on the premises, and five years overall.

For second-hand dealers, the requirements are even stricter. The same transaction report, mug shot, ID and photo of the item being sold are needed. But in addition, they need to hold on to the item for 30 days before disposing of it. And they have to pay by check for anything more than $100.

The “30-day rule” drew the ire of second-hand venders. They said the price of precious metals like gold and silver is volatile. Gold can drop $100 per ounce in one day. They said they would be forced to pay less to anticipate any market swing. They were also concerned about the doubling of the time period to 30 days, saying it could make their shop a more attractive burglary target.

Proponents of the ordinance said pawnshops are required by law to hold on to items for 30 days. But second-hand dealers said pawnshops often pay only 20 percent of market value, while the used-gold shops have to pay near-market prices.

County Commissioner Joe Barbetta noted while neither ordinance was ideal, “The sheriff has made numerous concessions,” he said. “The state legislature has had plenty of opportunities to address this. We did the best we could.”