Storm Chaser Scams in Jacksonville, FL: How to Verify a Contractor After a Hurricane (2026 Guide) | Sunshine State Pro

Every hurricane season, the same thing happens across Northeast Florida: a storm rolls through, and within days, trucks with out-of-state plates start knocking on doors in Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville, and Amelia Island. Some belong to real, licensed contractors picking up extra work. A lot of them don't. Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has built an entire Hurricane Guide around this exact problem, because it happens so predictably.

At Sunshine State Professional Services, we're a licensed general contractor (CGC 1526737), roofing contractor (RR 282812389), and specialty contractor (SCC 131151874) based right here in Fernandina Beach not a crew that showed up the week after a storm and will be gone by Christmas. This guide covers what Florida law actually requires of a contractor after a storm, the red flags DBPR itself warns about, and exactly how to verify who's on your porch before you sign anything.

Why Storms Bring Out Both the Best and the Worst Contractors

A named storm creates a sudden, urgent need for roofing, window, and structural repair across an entire region at once more demand than the area's licensed contractors can absorb overnight. That gap is exactly what out-of-state "storm chasers" are built to exploit. They follow storm tracks from state to state, work a neighborhood hard for a few weeks, collect deposits, and move on before problems surface.

This isn't a fringe issue. DBPR maintains a standing hurricane response protocol, a dedicated Unlicensed Activity Program, and a mobile app built specifically so homeowners can check a license from their front porch before a stranger walks in. That level of institutional response only exists because the problem repeats every single storm season.

Why Unlicensed Work Becomes a Felony During a Declared Emergency

Here's a detail most Jacksonville homeowners don't know: unlicensed contracting in Florida is normally handled as a lower-level offense, but that changes the moment the Governor declares a State of Emergency. According to DBPR's own Hurricane Guide, performing unlicensed construction activity during a declared emergency becomes a third-degree felony and DBPR says it may dispatch teams to conduct door-to-door sweeps in coordination with local law enforcement and building departments.

That's not a scare tactic; it's the actual enforcement posture the state takes after a hurricane. If someone is going door-to-door offering storm repairs in the days after a declared emergency, the stakes for them being unlicensed are higher than they are the rest of the year which is exactly why legitimate local contractors have nothing to hide and scammers have every reason to rush you.

5 Red Flags DBPR and Consumer Protection Groups Warn About

Based on DBPR's own guidance and the pattern our team sees every storm season, here's what to watch for before you let anyone start work or hand over a check:

• They showed up uninvited. Licensed local contractors are usually busy fielding calls from existing customers after a storm they aren't driving neighborhoods knocking on doors.
• They only have an "occupational license." DBPR specifically warns about this trick: an occupational license just means someone paid a local business tax receipt. It is not a state contractor license and does not authorize construction work.
• They create urgency or pressure you to sign today. "This price is only good if you sign right now" is a pressure tactic, not a real limited-time offer.
• They want payment in full, in cash, or a check made out to a person instead of a company. DBPR's guidance is explicit: don't pay cash in full before work is done, and be cautious writing checks to individuals rather than a licensed business.
• They can't produce a state license number on the spot — or the name on the license doesn't match who's standing in front of you. This takes 30 seconds to check (see below), and any legitimate contractor expects you to check it.

What Actually Requires a Florida License After a Storm

Not every storm-related task requires a state license, and DBPR's Hurricane Guide draws a clear line so homeowners aren't confused about what's regulated:

Requires a state contractor license: roof repairs, new or replacement roofing, installing new windows, plumbing repairs, and electrical repairs or rewiring.

Does not require a state contractor license: trimming or removing a fallen tree, removing debris, or placing a tarp on a roof.

That distinction matters because scammers often start with the unlicensed work tarping, debris hauling to get a foot in the door and your trust, then pitch the licensed roof or window replacement once they're already on-site. If you need our home addition or ADU team afterward to rebuild or expand storm-damaged space, that's licensed general contracting work start to finish, and it should never be handed to whoever happened to knock first.

How to Verify a License Before Anyone Touches Your Roof

DBPR makes this genuinely fast to check, and doing it costs you nothing but a couple of minutes:

1. Go to myfloridalicense.com and search the contractor's name or license number directly.
2. Call DBPR's Customer Contact Center at 850-487-1395 and verify over the phone.
3. Download the free DBPR Mobile app (iOS or Android) and search on the spot, before they leave your driveway.
4. Confirm the name on the license matches the person or company in front of you — a license number that belongs to someone else is a hard stop.

If you suspect someone is working without a license, DBPR wants to know: call the Unlicensed Activity Program at 1-866-532-1440 or email ULA@myfloridalicense.com . Reporting it isn't just civic duty it's how the next homeowner on the street doesn't get taken.

What Florida Law Actually Says About Deposits and Timelines

Even with a legitimately licensed contractor, Florida law puts real guardrails around how storm repair money is handled. Under Florida Statute 489.126, if a contractor accepts more than 10% of the contract price as an initial payment for residential repair, restoration, or improvement work, two things are legally required: the contractor must apply for the necessary permits within 30 days of receiving that payment, and must start the work within 90 days after those permits are issued unless there's just cause, or you agreed in writing to a longer timeline.

If a contractor takes your deposit and goes quiet, the law gives you a specific next step: send a written demand by certified mail, return receipt requested, asking them to pull the permit, start the work, or refund your payment. If they don't respond within 30 days, the statute allows that to be treated as evidence they lacked just cause and depending on how much money changed hands, mishandling it can escalate from a first-degree misdemeanor up to a first-degree felony under the same statute. We cover the deposit side of this in more detail in our guide to Florida's contractor deposit law, and what belongs in writing before you ever pay anyone in our renovation contract checklist.

Protecting Your Home Before the Next Storm, Not Just After

The best time to find a contractor you trust is before a storm forces the decision on you in a hurry. If you haven't already, take a look at this year's Atlantic hurricane season outlook and our hurricane prep checklist for Jacksonville homeowners. Reinforcements like impact windows and proper roof-to-wall connections don't just reduce storm damage in the first place they can also lower what you pay through a wind mitigation inspection, and they mean you're not the homeowner standing in a driveway making a rushed decision about who gets to touch your roof.

For active construction projects, ask whether your contractor carries builder's risk insurance that protects work-in-progress if a storm hits mid-project. A licensed, established contractor should be able to answer that without hesitation.

Why We Built Sunshine State the Way We Did

Our founder, John Belizario, started in construction as a subcontractor working alongside his uncle after coming to the U.S. from Brazil, and earned his general contractor license by investing in himself before ever taking on a homeowner's full project. That background shapes how we operate: we're not chasing storms from town to town, we're the licensed team your neighbors already know, and our goal has always been making sure a customer understands the process and is genuinely happy with the result not just getting a job closed out fast. Our full team of engineers, estimators, project coordinators, and project managers works the same job start to finish, which is a very different promise than a truck that showed up three days after the storm.

If you're weighing a full rebuild after storm damage instead of a repair, our remodel comparison guide and ADU team can help you think through the full range of options, not just the fastest patch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storms don't give you much control. Who you hire to fix what they leave behind is one of the few things you still do. If your Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, or Amelia Island home takes storm damage this season, verify first — then call a team that'll still be here next year. Reach Sunshine State Professional Services at (904) 517-2427 or through sunshinestatepro.net.