How to Choose a Roofing Contractor in Florida

Florida has more roofing fraud, unlicensed work, and post-storm contractor abuse than any other state. The 2022 to 2025 hurricane seasons brought a wave of out-of-state storm chasers, Assignment of Benefits abuse, and unlicensed work that left thousands of homeowners with unfinished projects, denied claims, or worse. Here's exactly how to verify any contractor before signing anything.

Step 1: Verify the Florida license. Every roofing contractor working in Florida must hold a Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC) or Registered Roofing Contractor license issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Look up any contractor by name or license number at myfloridalicense.com. A legitimate Florida contractor displays their license number on every estimate, every contract, and every truck. ProCraft Renovations is Licensed Florida Roofing Contractor #CCC1335912.

Step 2: Verify insurance. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) showing both General Liability and Workers' Compensation coverage. A legitimate contractor's COI is issued by their insurance carrier and lists you (or your property address) as the certificate holder. Verify the policy is current — many shady contractors carry expired or canceled policies. Without workers' comp, you can be personally liable if a worker is injured on your roof.

Step 3: Verify local presence and history. Out-of-state storm chasers often operate from rental offices, P.O. boxes, or hotel rooms. Look for a permanent local address, a local phone number, and a history of work in Brevard or Indian River County. Ask for references from completed jobs in your specific community — Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, Vero Beach, wherever you live. A legitimate local contractor can name multiple recent customers within a few miles of your home.

Step 4: Get a written line-item estimate. Avoid any contractor who quotes a single bottom-line number. A legitimate estimate breaks out material costs, labor, decking allowance, permit fees, warranty coverage, and any optional upgrades. This makes apples-to-apples comparison between contractors possible and protects you from scope creep during the project.

Step 5: Check Florida-specific reviews. Google reviews tied to a specific local business address, BBB ratings, and Florida-focused review sites (NextDoor, local Facebook groups, county-specific contractor boards) give a clearer picture than national reviews. Look for consistent themes — communication, cleanup, warranty service, and how the contractor handles problems.

Step 6: Confirm the contractor pulls permits. Every roof replacement in Brevard County and Indian River County requires a permit pulled by the contractor (not you as the homeowner). Some unlicensed operators ask you to pull the permit yourself — this transfers liability to you and is a red flag. Legitimate contractors include permit fees in their estimate and handle the entire permit process including final inspection.

Red flags to avoid. Door-to-door sales pressure after a storm. Offers to waive your insurance deductible (illegal in Florida). Pressure to sign an Assignment of Benefits before you've reviewed it with an attorney. Unusually low bids (typically 30%+ below market). Cash-only deals. No physical local address. Requests for large upfront deposits (legitimate Florida contractors typically take a modest deposit and bill on substantial completion).

Storm chaser warning signs. Out-of-state plates on the work truck. License numbers that don't verify on myfloridalicense.com. Sales reps who can't name local cities, neighborhoods, or building inspectors. Aggressive timelines ("sign today or the price goes up"). Pressure to file an insurance claim immediately without an inspection. After every Florida hurricane, the storm chaser influx is intense — slow down, verify, and only hire local licensed contractors.

What ProCraft offers. Florida-licensed (#CCC1335912), fully insured, locally based in Melbourne, an experienced roofing team serving Brevard and Indian River County, written line-item estimates, permit handling, and workmanship warranties on every job. Call (321) 550-2272 to request a free estimate, or visit the homepage to learn more.