When you hire a professional to care for a sick or aging loved one, you shouldn’t have to welcome a caregiver with a criminal record into your home. But 10 Investigates uncovered gaps in Florida’s law that allow backgrounds of independent home health aides to go completely unchecked. For the weeks Sherisa Powell Stackhouse worked as a home health aide for Bruce Barber while he battled a brain tumor that would eventually claim his life, his wife had no idea Stackhouse had been convicted in Manatee County for stealing from people’s homes. In one case, a judge sentenced Stackhouse to probation for stealing jewelry from a woman she was caring for in Hillsborough County. Investigators found she later sold the valuables at a Pawn Shop in Manatee County. In another case, she also faced probation for forging a check taken from a woman’s home. “I would not have hired her if I had known that,” said Sue Barber, who accuses Stackhouse of keeping a nearly $3,000 refundable deposit after Bruce passed. The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said it could not file charges because a deposit dispute is a civil matter. But Stackhouse could still be breaking the law. While Stackhouse told 10 Investigates she is an independent contractor who doesn't need licensing, her contract with Sue identifies her home health business as an agency. The Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA), which oversees home health agencies, said she does not have a license for that. This led 10 Investigates to uncover that while the AHCA requires home health agencies to background check their workers and have proper licenses to operate, independent home health aides have no such demands from the state. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/investigations/10-investigates/florida-home-health-care-aid-laws-elderly/67-9385aa9d-112e-46cc-a996-14053db62342