How do I check a contractor's license in Florida?

Florida regulates contractors through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB). Florida has the second-highest concentration of hurricane-related contractor fraud after Texas, so the licensing system is rigorous and consumer-facing.

License types:

- Certified contractor: licensed statewide; can work in any Florida county. - Registered contractor: licensed at the local (county or municipal) level; can work only in that jurisdiction.

Certified contractor classes:

- Class A General Contractor (CGC): unlimited. - Class B Building Contractor (CBC): commercial up to 3 stories, residential up to 3 stories. - Class C Residential Contractor (CRC): residential up to 2 stories. - Specialty certifications: CCC (Certified Roofing), CMC (Certified Mechanical/HVAC), CFC (Certified Plumbing), EC (Certified Electrical), CPC (Certified Pool/Spa), CGC (General), CBC (Building), CSC (Sheet Metal), CCC (Roofing).

What to check at myfloridalicense.com:

1. License number, name, status (must be Active or Current). 2. License class authorizes the work. 3. Insurance: Florida requires proof of general liability and workers' comp on file with DBPR. Status visible on lookup. 4. Continuing education compliance. 5. Complaint and discipline history. Florida publishes the full case files.

Florida-specific consumer protections:

- Florida Construction Industries Recovery Fund: up to $50,000 per claim for state-certified contractors. One of the largest recovery funds in the US. - 3-day right to cancel home improvement contracts. - Notice of Commencement filing requirement for permitted work over $2,500. - Lien law: 90 days to file a mechanics' lien after work completion; 1 year to file a lawsuit.

Hurricane-related risks:

- Storm chasers. Every hurricane brings out-of-state crews. Florida CFO and AG run active storm-fraud enforcement. - Assignment of Benefits (AOB) abuse. Roofing contractors taking over insurance claim handling and inflating claims. Florida passed reforms in 2019 and 2022 limiting AOB; verify any AOB language carefully before signing. - Hurricane-deductible absorption offers. Illegal under Florida law and may void your insurance claim.

How to verify a Florida contractor:

1. License at myfloridalicense.com (Certified) or local building department (Registered). 2. Sunbiz entity check at dos.fl.gov/sunbiz for LLC/corp status. 3. County court records. Major counties have free online dockets: Miami-Dade (jud11.flcourts.org), Broward (browardclerk.org), Orange (myorangeclerk.com), Hillsborough (hillsclerk.com), Pinellas (mypinellasclerk.org). 4. Federal court (PACER). 5. OSHA. Florida is federal OSHA (no state plan for general industry construction). 6. BBB.

Common Florida contractor issues:

- Registered (local) contractor working outside their county. Local registration does not authorize work in other counties — verify the work location is within the contractor's registered jurisdiction. - License class mismatch. CRC (Residential) cannot legally do 4-story-plus construction. - Out-of-state crews. Verify Florida licensing — out-of-state contractors must obtain Florida licensure, not just rely on their home-state license. - AOB clauses buried in contracts.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) verifies Florida licenses at both Certified and Registered levels, cross-references Sunbiz, checks major Florida county court records, OSHA, BBB, and phoenix-pattern. Florida is one of the highest-fidelity states for Groundcheck verification because the state publishes comprehensive disciplinary data.