Florida Licensed Pros

Hurricane roof damage? Do these 10 things before signing anything

Updated 2026-07-28

After every Florida hurricane, two waves arrive: the adjusters — and the scammers. The hours after you spot damage decide whether your claim goes smoothly or turns into a years-long fight. Work the list in order.

Secure & document (day 1)

  1. Stay off the roof. Walk the property and photograph damage from the ground and from windows — wide shots first, then close-ups, with timestamps.
  2. Photograph interior damage too — ceiling stains, wet insulation, soaked flooring. Water spreads fast; today's photos are tomorrow's evidence.
  3. Mitigate, don't repair. Your policy requires you to prevent further damage (tarps, buckets, moving furniture) — keep every receipt. But don't start permanent repairs before the adjuster documents the damage.
  4. Call your insurer and open the claim as early as possible — claims are often handled in order received.

Protect yourself from the second wave (week 1)

  1. Treat door-knockers as salespeople, not saviors. Legitimate roofers are overwhelmed after a storm; the ones with free time to canvass your street are usually out-of-state "storm chasers".
  2. Sign nothing on the spot. Florida has sharply restricted assignment-of-benefits (AOB) deals after years of abuse — be extremely cautious with any paper that assigns your claim, and have anything you don't fully understand reviewed first.
  3. Verify the license before anyone climbs your roof. Roofing in Florida requires a state license (CCC/RC prefix). Check it in our roofing directory and on the official DBPR portal — our 5-minute guide shows how. During a declared state of emergency, unlicensed contracting is a felony in Florida — that's how serious the state considers it.
  4. Get the scope in writing — itemized, with materials, permit responsibility and timeline. Compare at least two or three quotes; there are 6,125 actively licensed roofing contractors in the metros we track alone.

Before work starts

  1. Confirm insurance and the permit. Ask for current certificates of liability and workers' comp, and make sure a building permit is pulled where required — "no permit needed" for a roof replacement is a lie.
  2. Never pay large deposits in cash. Florida law limits what a contractor can collect before starting work under certain conditions; a demand for most of the money up front is a classic exit-scam signature.

More guides: Verify a Florida license · Risks of unlicensed contractors