After natural disasters, construction is in high demand. It’s a time where construction work is needed more than ever, but property owners and industry members must also remain vigilant in protecting their interests. To speed up recovery, licensing requirements are often loosened a bit for contractors and subs. We saw it following Hurricane Harvey, and Florida has followed suit- licensing requirements for roofers have been temporarily relaxed After Hurricane Irma.
Check out our Construction Playbook for Disaster Recovery
Rebuilding After Hurricane Irma
In Florida, and really anywhere else, it’s a bad idea to perform work that you are not licensed to do. Florida raises the stakes- unlicensed contractors cannot file liens and could be subject to serious penalty. We discuss that and more in our post on recovering from Irma.
Licensing for Roofers
By way of an emergency order last week, the Secretary of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, at the direction of Florida Governor Rick Scott, lightened the regulatory load for contractors. To quote the press release,
“The Emergency Order allows licensed general, building, and residential contractors to perform roofing repair and installation…”
The release continues, stating that local governments may authorize local and specialty contracting licenses for businesses that retain those licenses elsewhere in Florida. The order also waives fees for some businesses who have to relocate or reopen due to damage after Hurricane Irma. The order pertains to the following counties:
Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Union, Volusia
If you’d like to read the full order, it can be found here.
Takeaway
Following a disaster, it’s often necessary to roll back some regulations to speed up recovery work. Unfortunately, dishonest contractors flock to these areas and cause issues. Hopefully this won’t be the case after Hurricane Irma.
For more on Florida construction payment, head over to our Florida Resources. Not in Florida? Select your state.
