1. What happened: landfall near Destin at 105 mph
The National Hurricane Center's update at 8:30 PM CDT on Friday, October 9 says Isaias "made landfall near Destin, Florida" with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and a central pressure of 971 mb, moving north at 19 mph. At 4 PM that afternoon it had still been a Category 3 at 115 mph, with a forecast surge of 6 to 9 feet from the Alabama line to Grayton Beach and 4 to 8 inches of rain across southern Alabama, the Panhandle and southwest Georgia, locally 15.
The morning after, from the Florida governor's office (October 10): a state of emergency in 27 counties, 448,298 customer accounts without power at 7 AM, a 116 mph gust near Santa Rosa Sound, water 5.6 feet above the normal high tide at Panama City Beach, flooding on U.S. 98, and 5 of the state's 260 pre-approved debris sites already open. The Associated Press counted more than 726,000 customers dark across Florida and Alabama early Saturday and a roof torn off an inn in Pensacola. Alabama's governor signed a third supplemental state of emergency on October 10 as the storm, by then post-tropical, crossed the state.
Why it matters: roofs, fences, soffits, drywall and floors in two states need a contractor now, and the homeowners' insurance companies will be paying for a lot of it. Demand like this draws every truck within a day's drive, and the state knows it.
2. The rules that are now in force in Florida
All from the statutes and the state's own pages, read October 10. This is not legal advice; check anything that touches your own contracts with your attorney or the state board.
- Unlicensed work is a felony during the emergency. Florida Statute 489.127(2)(c): an unlicensed person who contracts "during the existence of a state of emergency declared by executive order of the Governor commits a felony of the third degree". On October 10 Attorney General James Uthmeier warned about contractors, "including out-of-state ones", offering roof repairs, and told homeowners to check that anyone they hire is licensed in Florida. We found no DBPR emergency order easing license rules for Isaias as of October 10; after Hurricane Ian in 2022 there was one, so watch the DBPR emergency page.
- Price gouging. Statute 501.160: once the emergency is declared, a price that shows a "gross disparity" from the average price of the 30 days before is presumed unconscionable, for 60 days unless extended. The exception is an increase that "reflects additional costs" or market trends. The Attorney General's list of covered services names tree removal, water remediation and roof repair. Reports go to 1-866-9-NO-SCAM.
- The deposit rule. Statute 489.126: if you take more than 10 percent of the price up front on a residential job, you must "apply for permits necessary to do work within 30 days after the date payment is made" and start within 90 days after the permits are issued, unless the owner agreed in writing to longer. Breaking it is a crime scaled by the money taken, a felony from $1,000.
- No assignment of benefits. The state CFO's storm page: AOBs "are prohibited for any claims made on property insurance contracts issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023". You give the homeowner an estimate; the homeowner, not you, deals with the insurer.
- Where homeowners will look for you. The governor's October 10 release urges licensed contractors to register with the Florida Disaster Contractors Network at DCNOnline.org, a clearinghouse founded with DBPR where homeowners search by county.
What to do about it this week
- 01Licensed in Florida: register on DCNOnline.org today, and put your license number on every estimate, every invoice and the truck.
- 02Not licensed in Florida: do not take the work. Ask the Florida board what, if anything, is open to you; do not take a neighbor's word for it.
- 03Photograph every roof, ceiling and floor before you touch it, with the date. The insurer will ask the homeowner for proof, and your estimate with the photos is that proof.
- 04Keep your September price list. If plywood or labor costs you more now, keep the supplier invoice that shows it; that is the difference between a cost increase and gouging.
- 05Written estimate, signed, with the payment plan on it, before the first shingle. Deposit above 10 percent: write the permit date in your calendar, 30 days out.
Where WorkTime CRM helps with this
With the paper trail, which is what every one of those rules asks for. It does not get you a Florida license and it does not talk to the insurer.
- Photos first: the "Estimate Photos" tile on the dashboard walks you through the site, a wide shot and close-ups of each room with a dictated note, and the AI builds the estimate from them. The photos stay attached and the client sees them on the signing page.
- The contract in one place: "Invoice Setup" on the estimate sets the deposit and the stages; your terms from Settings → Contract attach by themselves; the company phone and license number from Settings → Company print on the estimate. The homeowner signs online with a drawn signature, and the deposit invoice appears at that moment, not before.
- A file the homeowner can hand to the adjuster: every signed job becomes a project with a Photos tab (before, during, after) and a client portal link where the homeowner sees the photos, the payments and the messages without a login.