An older couple in Embassy Hills paid a door knocker four thousand dollars as a deposit eleven days after a storm. He had a magnetic sign on a pickup, a clipboard, and a very good line about being in the neighborhood finishing another job. They never saw him again. By the time they called us in November, the phone number was disconnected, the company name did not appear in the state license database, and the truck had out of state plates that nobody had written down.
This happens in Pasco County after every named storm, and it happens most to people who are frightened, exhausted, and looking at water marks on their ceiling. The good news is that the checks which would have stopped it take about five minutes and are free.
The three checks that take five minutes
One. Look up the license at myfloridalicense.com. Florida roofing contractor licenses start with CCC for certified or RC for registered. Search the license number they give you and confirm the name on the license matches the company on the contract.
Two. Find the physical local address, and look at it on a map. Not a PO box, not a UPS Store suite number, not an address three states away.
Three. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly from their insurance agent to you. General liability and workers compensation. A forwarded PDF from the contractor is not the same thing.
If someone will not do all three, that is your answer, and you do not owe them an explanation.
What Florida Law Actually Says
Homeowners are often surprised how much of the standard post storm pitch is not a gray area but a straightforward violation of state law. Knowing these four gives you solid ground to stand on.
- • Nobody can waive your deductible. Florida Statute 489.147 prohibits a contractor from directly or indirectly paying, waiving, or rebating all or part of your insurance deductible. It also prohibits offering you cash, gift cards, or other things of value in exchange for letting them inspect your roof or file a claim. Anyone offering "we will cover your deductible" is breaking the law in front of you.
- • Unlicensed contracting during a declared emergency is a felony. Ordinarily unlicensed contracting is a misdemeanor for a first offense. Under Florida Statute 489.127, doing it during a declared state of emergency in the affected area is a third degree felony. That is how seriously the state takes storm chasing.
- • Large deposits come with obligations. Under Florida Statute 489.126, a contractor who takes more than ten percent of the contract price as a deposit must apply for the permits within thirty days and begin work within ninety days, absent a valid reason. Failing to do so is a criminal matter, not just a contract dispute.
- • You usually have three days to cancel. Florida Statute 501.021, the Home Solicitation Sale law, generally gives you three business days to cancel a contract over twenty five dollars that was signed at your home rather than at the seller's place of business. Door knocker contracts typically qualify.
How to Vet a Roofer Properly
Verify the license yourself
Do not accept a photo of a license, a laminated card, or a number on a business card. Go to myfloridalicense.com and search it. Check that the license is active, that it has not expired, and that the qualifying business name matches the name on your contract exactly.
A very common trick is a real license number belonging to somebody else entirely. The database will show you the name it actually belongs to.
Confirm they are physically local
Ask where the shop is and then go look at it, or at least look at it on a map. A local roofer has a yard, a dumpster, trucks with permanent lettering, and a phone number with a local area code.
This matters for a reason beyond fraud. Roofing warranties are worthless if the company is not here in three years to honor them. Out of state crews follow storms and are gone by spring. Our shop has been on Commerce Ave in Port Richey since 2003.
Get the insurance certificate from the insurer
Ask for a certificate of insurance showing general liability and workers compensation, and ask that their agent email it to you directly. If a worker is hurt on your roof and the contractor does not carry workers compensation, you can end up exposed.
Insist on a written, itemized contract
It should name the company, the license number, the physical address, the full scope of work, the specific materials and colors, the total price, the payment schedule, the start and completion window, the warranty terms on both material and labor, and who pulls the permit.
Anything a salesperson promises verbally that is not written in the contract does not exist. Do not accept a one page document that says "roof replacement per insurance scope" and a signature line.
Confirm the permit is pulled in their name
Reroofs in Pasco County require a permit, and the licensed contractor pulls it. If a contractor asks you to pull the permit as the homeowner, that is a serious warning sign. It usually means they cannot, and it transfers the liability for the work onto you.
You can verify permits with Pasco County Building Construction Services. Do that before final payment, not after.
Keep the deposit small and never pay cash
A reasonable deposit is enough to cover materials, and many established roofers ask for nothing up front at all. Pay by check or card so there is a record. Never pay in cash, and never make the final payment until the work is complete, the permit is closed with a passed inspection, and you have the written warranty in hand.
The Red Flags, Plainly
- • They knocked on your door uninvited after a storm.
- • They offer to cover, waive, or "work around" your deductible.
- • They want a large deposit, in cash, today, and the price drops if you sign now.
- • They want to get on your roof alone before you or an adjuster has seen it. Some create the damage they then find.
- • The paperwork is a single page, or it authorizes them to deal with your insurer on your behalf.
- • Out of state plates, magnetic door signs, a rental truck, or a phone number from another area code.
- • They say your insurance company approved them, or imply they work with or for your carrier.
- • They pressure you to sign before you have read it, or before your spouse gets home.
If you have already been taken
Report it. Unlicensed contracting and contractor fraud go to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at myfloridalicense.com. Deceptive business practices and price gouging go to the Florida Attorney General at myfloridalegal.com. You can also file with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, because taking a deposit and disappearing is theft.
Report it even if you think the money is gone. These crews work neighborhoods systematically, and the reports are how they get caught before they reach your neighbors.
When not to spend money with us
Get more than one estimate. We mean that. If another licensed local roofer gives you a better price on the same written scope, take it. We would rather lose a job on a fair comparison than have you feel rushed into ours.
And be skeptical of us the same way. Look up CCC1327707 at myfloridalicense.com. Ask us for a certificate of insurance. Read our reviews. Drive by the shop on Commerce Ave. Every check in this guide should be run on every roofer you talk to, including the one who wrote it.
The simplest protection is the oldest one. Hire the roofer who was here before the storm and will be here after it. Ask your neighbors in Port Richey, New Port Richey, or Trinity who they used and whether the company answered the phone two years later. That question filters out almost every storm chaser there is.
Farrell Roofing has been at the same address in Port Richey since 2003. Florida license CCC1327707. Call (727) 845-7663 for a free inspection and a written price across Port Richey, New Port Richey, Hudson, Holiday, Trinity, Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Odessa, Land O' Lakes, and Spring Hill. No deposit required to get an estimate, and no pressure to sign anything on the spot.
This Resource Center provides general educational information for Florida homeowners. It is not legal, insurance, engineering, or emergency management advice. Always follow instructions from local emergency management officials, and contact your insurance carrier with questions about your individual policy or claim.
For official storm information and evacuation orders, see the National Hurricane Center, Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Pasco County Emergency Management.