Florida roofing news: The Florida Guide
By Marcy Doleman, Commercial roofing estimator. Reviewed by Hal Winstead, Editor, licensed roofing contractor.
Back in July I was standing on a modified bitumen roof over a warehouse in Ocala, pacing out a repair for an estimate, when I set my weight on a seam that looked perfectly sound and felt the whole membrane move under my boot like loose carpet. The cap sheet had never bonded to the base sheet. Call it a bad torch job, a damp deck, a Friday afternoon — doesn't matter why. What mattered was that I was in the middle of maybe twenty thousand square feet of roof that was only staying put by gravel stop and hope. That's the kind of Florida roofing news you don't see in the trade magazines, and it's why I tell people to start with a directory like roofing companies in Florida before they let anyone talk them into a quick repair or a rushed replacement. You still verify every licence yourself against the DBPR roll, no matter where the name came from.
I'm Marcy Doleman. I estimate commercial flat and low-slope roofs across the state — TPO, modified bitumen, coatings — for warehouses, retail plazas and schools. That roof in Ocala didn't fail because of wind or code. It failed because somebody didn't do the work. But most calls I get aren't abotu failure that dramatic. They're about code rules and permit rules and insurance rules, and what's actualy true this year in Florida, not what a cousin heard at a cookout in 2019.
Florida roofing news: the 25% rule isn't what it used to be
The old rule said that if you repaired or replaced more than 25% of a roof in a twelve-month period, the building department could make you bring the whole roof up to current code. That ambushed alot of property owners. Then SB 4-D (2022) took effect on May 26, 2022, and changed it. If your roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or anything newer, then only the part you're working on has to meet today's code. The full-roof replacement is no longer automatic.
But the catch sits right inside that sentence. The 2007 code edition only took effect on March 1, 2009, so a roof finished before that date generally doesn't qualify for the lighter treatment. That means an older roof with one leaking corner can still drag the whole deck into a code conversation. I ask about a roof's age before I ever talk repair versus replacement, and you should too.
What I would actually do: If a contractor says "we have to tear off the whole roof because of the 25% rule," ask them what year the roof was installed and which code edition was in force. If they can't answer without checking, get a second opinion.
Permits: the phrase "we don't need a permit" ends the conversation
Every roof replacement in Florida needs a permit from the local building department, and it needs an inspection. Not "usually." Not "only for new construction." Every replacement. So when a contractor offers to skip the permit and save you the hassle, what they're really telling you is that they know the work wouldn't pass, or they're not authorized to do it. I'd walk away right there. An unpermitted roof can tie an insurance claim into knots, and it can surface later when the building gets sold and the buyer's attorney asks for permit history.
Coverage varies by policy, so I won't guess what your insurance would do. Read your declarations page, ask your agent, and keep the permit paperwork in the same folder as the deed. It matters.
What I would actually do: Ask for the permit number before any work starts, then call the local building department and confirm it's active. A contractor who can't produce one hasn't earned the job.
The CCC and RC licence prefixes aren't alphabet soup
Roofing contractors in Florida are licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and the licence card tells you a lot if you read it right. A certified roofing contractor holds a licence starting with CCC, and they may work anywhere in the state. A registered roofing contractor holds a licence starting with RC, and they may only work in the local jurisdiction that licensed them. So a roofer who's completely legal in one county can be out of bounds twenty miles down the road. I of been wrong about this before — I assumed a registered contractor was certified because the work was good, and the licence didn't cover the job site. Allways check the number against the DBPR roll and make sure it's active before you sign a contract.
Wind mitigation inspections are the roof paper that pays for itself
A wind mitigation inspection documents six things: the roof covering, the roof deck attachment, the roof-to-wall connection, the roof geometry, the secondary water resistance, and the opening protection. That's the standard form OIR