Florida State Hub Roofing Contractor Fraud Series

Florida Roofing Contractor Complaints & Consumer Protection Guide

Florida requires a roofing license and banned Assignment of Benefits in 2023 — yet contractor fraud remains endemic. Understanding the CCC vs. RC license distinction, the post-AOB fraud landscape, and FDUTPA remedies is essential for every Florida homeowner.

Updated February 2026

~6,600 words

CCC/RC license analysis, SB 2-A, FDUTPA

Florida DBPR verification process

Florida's Two-Tier Roofing License System: CCC vs. RC

Florida is unique among states in its approach to roofing contractor licensing. Unlike states that either have no license requirement (Texas, Georgia) or a general contractor license that covers roofing (most other states), Florida created a dedicated roofing contractor license class with two distinct tiers. Understanding the difference is essential because hiring the wrong tier for your job — or hiring a contractor who fraudulently claims a license status they don't hold — creates both legal and financial risk.

Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC)

A Certified Roofing Contractor holds a license number beginning with "CCC" issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) through the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB). The "certified" designation means the contractor has passed the state certification examination, met Florida's experience and financial responsibility requirements, and can legally perform unlimited roofing work anywhere in Florida without any additional local licensing requirements.

Obtaining a CCC license requires: passing the CILB state certification examination, documentation of sufficient experience (typically four years in the trade), a personal credit report demonstrating financial responsibility, proof of general liability insurance (minimum $100,000 public liability, $25,000 property damage), and workers' compensation coverage for employees. The process involves background checks, fingerprinting, and DBPR review — typically 60-90 days from complete application submission.

Registered Roofing Contractor (RC)

A Registered Roofing Contractor holds a license number beginning with "RC" and is authorized to perform roofing work only within the specific local jurisdiction(s) where they have satisfied local competency requirements. An RC license holder must first obtain a local certificate of competency from a city or county licensing authority, then register that competency with the state DBPR. They cannot legally perform roofing work outside their registered jurisdiction without separately satisfying the competency requirements of each additional jurisdiction.

Under normal conditions, a Division I contractor (General or Building — license prefix CGC or CBC) cannot self-perform roofing work without a separate roofing license. Florida law requires them to subcontract roofing to a licensed roofing contractor. This requirement has been temporarily waived during hurricane emergency orders — for example, DBPR Emergency Orders following Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Helene and Milton in 2024 allowed Division I contractors to perform roofing self-performance in affected counties for the duration of the emergency period. After the emergency order expires, the subcontracting requirement returns in full. Homeowners should always verify that whoever physically installs the roof holds a valid Florida roofing license, not just that the general contractor holds a Division I license.

Unlicensed Contracting: A Florida Felony

Florida Statute 489.127 makes it a felony of the third degree for any person to engage in contracting without a required license. For roofing work valued at $1,000 or more, performing that work without a valid CCC or RC license — or performing it outside the geographic scope of an RC license — is a criminal offense. This gives defrauded homeowners a direct tool: if an unlicensed contractor has performed work on your property and taken payment, the Florida Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division and local law enforcement have jurisdiction to pursue criminal charges. Multiple documented cases have resulted in arrests and convictions on charges including unlicensed contracting, grand theft, and filing false insurance claims.

The Assignment of Benefits Crisis: How Florida Became the National Test Case

To understand Florida's current roofing fraud landscape, you must understand what came before — a decade-long crisis centered on the Assignment of Benefits (AOB) mechanism that reshaped roofing fraud, insurance markets, and legislation not just in Florida but ultimately in Georgia, North Carolina, and other states that watched Florida's experience and legislated preemptively.

An AOB is a document through which a homeowner signs over their insurance claim benefits — the right to payment and the right to negotiate with the insurer — to a third party, typically a contractor. The legal theory was that this would simplify the claims process: the contractor handles the insurance paperwork, the insurer pays the contractor directly, and the homeowner gets a repaired roof without dealing with the bureaucracy. In practice, it became one of the most systematically exploited mechanisms in insurance history.

Florida's post-2017 hurricane season — particularly the aftermath of Hurricane Irma — exposed the AOB crisis at scale. Contractors flooded storm-affected neighborhoods, securing AOBs from bewildered homeowners before insurance adjusters had even visited the properties. The contractors then submitted inflated claims directly to insurers, filed suit when claims were disputed (often with the same attorneys who maintained coordinated referral relationships with the contractor networks), and collected legal fees under Florida's one-way attorney fee statute that added millions in litigation costs to the insurance industry.

SB 2-A: What Changed and What Didn't

Senate Bill 2-A, signed in December 2022 and effective January 1, 2023, is Florida's most comprehensive property insurance reform in decades. Its core changes affecting roofing contractors are significant — but so are its limitations, and homeowners who misunderstand the scope of the reform remain vulnerable.

What SB 2-A Did

For all property insurance policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023, the AOB mechanism is eliminated. Homeowners with policies issued after that date cannot legally assign their post-loss insurance benefits to a contractor, regardless of what a contractor asks them to sign. If a contractor presents any document — regardless of what it is called — that purports to transfer your right to receive insurance proceeds or to negotiate on your behalf with the insurer, that document is void and unenforceable for post-January 2023 policies.

SB 2-A also eliminated Florida's one-way attorney fee statute for property insurance litigation, which had allowed plaintiffs' attorneys to collect fees from insurers upon any favorable outcome while denying fee recovery to prevailing insurers. This eliminated the financial incentive that drove much of the AOB litigation volume. Decline in AOB litigation has been measurable and documented by insurers since 2023.

What SB 2-A Didn't Do

The AOB ban applies only to policies issued or renewed after January 1, 2023. Policies issued before that date — and any active claims under those policies — are still governed by prior law, which permitted AOBs. Homeowners who purchased policies in 2020, 2021, or 2022 and have not yet renewed may still be subject to AOB provisions on active claims.

More importantly, the structural fraud incentives that drove AOB abuse have not disappeared — they have adapted. Contractors continue to approach homeowners with paperwork that mimics AOB effects under different names. "Direction to Pay" authorizations, "Assignment of Claims," "Limited Assignment of Benefits," and "Work Authorization" documents can all function as AOB substitutes if they transfer control of the claim or payment to the contractor. The consumer protection principle is unchanged: never sign any document that gives a contractor authority over your insurance claim proceeds or negotiations before understanding exactly what you are signing and consulting your insurance carrier.

Florida Statute 489.147 further restricts contractor conduct around insurance claims. Under this statute, contractors are prohibited from interpreting insurance policies for homeowners, offering rebates tied to insurance claims, or advertising services in ways that encourage homeowners to file claims. Contractors must include specific disclosure language in all contracts for insurance-related roofing work, informing homeowners that they should contact their insurer about coverage before signing. Violations carry $10,000 fines.

FDUTPA: Florida's Consumer Protection Statute

The Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA), codified at Florida Statutes § 501.201 et seq., is the primary civil consumer protection statute applicable to roofing contractor fraud. While Florida's criminal statutes and licensing enforcement provide important accountability mechanisms, FDUTPA is the tool that gives defrauded homeowners a direct path to financial recovery without requiring them to initiate or participate in a criminal case.

For roofing contractor fraud specifically, FDUTPA applies to misrepresentations about license status, materials quality, scope of work, insurance claim handling, and pricing. A contractor who claims to hold a CCC license while only holding an RC license (or no license at all) is making a false representation in trade or commerce — a textbook FDUTPA violation. A contractor who promises 30-year architectural shingles and installs 3-tab shingles is misrepresenting the characteristics of a service — another FDUTPA violation. A contractor who inflates an insurance claim estimate and pockets the difference has engaged in an unfair trade practice with specific financial harm to the homeowner.

The Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund

Florida maintains a unique consumer protection mechanism that most states lack: the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund, which provides a source of actual compensation for homeowners who obtain a judgment against a licensed contractor but cannot collect it. This addresses one of the most common frustrations in contractor fraud cases — winning a civil judgment but being unable to collect from a contractor who has dissolved the business entity or has no attachable assets.

6-Step Florida Contractor Verification Process

Florida-Specific Red Flags

7-Step Florida Fraud Response Protocol

Miami, Tampa, Orlando & Fort Lauderdale: Market Specifics

Miami-Dade and South Florida

South Florida is the state's highest-risk market for roofing fraud by both volume and sophistication of schemes. The combination of hurricane exposure, a large non-English-speaking population, concentrated wealth in coastal markets, and historically permissive enforcement has created a particularly active fraud environment. The documented impersonation of legitimate contractors — using their license numbers and business identities to collect deposits — is more frequently reported in South Florida than anywhere else in the state. Always verify the license holder's identity directly through DBPR by calling the licensing board and confirming that the person presenting themselves at your door is the actual license holder of record.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties have adopted local contractor licensing programs that provide some additional local accountability beyond the state DBPR system. Check with your municipality before hiring; some local jurisdictions require local registration in addition to state licensing.

Tampa Bay Area

The Tampa Bay area's hurricane risk — amplified significantly by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and subsequent storms — has elevated contractor fraud volumes substantially. Hillsborough and Pinellas counties experienced significant roofing fraud waves following Ian, with the DFS CID and local law enforcement pursuing multiple cases. Tampa homeowners should be particularly vigilant about post-storm door-knockers who appear within the first 48-72 hours of any major storm — this window is when storm chasers are most aggressive and homeowners are most vulnerable to high-pressure tactics.

Orlando and Central Florida

Orlando's fraud profile is shaped by its status as a major tourist and convention destination with a large transient population and significant vacation property ownership by out-of-state investors. Absentee property owners — those with investment or vacation properties in Central Florida who do not live locally — are particularly vulnerable because they cannot monitor work progress and may not know local contractor norms. Post-storm fraud targeting absentee owners has been documented following multiple Central Florida weather events.

Florida Regulatory Contacts