By The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed: October 2026.
A Central Florida roofing company disappeared with deposits, homeowners told WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando, after taking thousands of dollars for new roofs and then stopping work. The Roofing Brief could not load the full WFTV article from its server, so this page relies on WFTV’s published headline and the Florida statutes cited below.
Why Florida sees this pattern repeatedly
Florida contracting fraud has its own criminal statute: a contractor who takes money and then stops work is covered by s. 489.126, Florida Statutes, which sets penalties by the dollar amount taken. To vet a local contractor, start with our rankings of roofers in Ocala and Gainesville, and see the AOB reform explainer for the insurance-claim rules that also apply to roofers.
How to avoid the vanish pattern
Florida’s deposit rule is not a 10 percent or $1,000 cap; an earlier version of this page said so, and the statute does not. What s. 489.126(2) says is that a contractor who takes an initial payment above 10 percent of the contract price for residential repair or improvement must apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after the permits issue, unless it has just cause or the owner agrees in writing to longer periods.
- Look up the license on the Florida DBPR license search and confirm the license class and status before any payment.
- Ask the insurance carrier directly to confirm general liability and workers’ compensation coverage, not a certificate handed over by the contractor.
- Write the deposit, the permit-application date and the start date into the contract; a payment above 10 percent starts the 30-day and 90-day clocks.
- If work stops, send a written demand by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address in the contract; s. 489.126(3) lets a prosecutor infer lack of just cause if the contractor does not perform or refund within 30 days of that demand.
| If this happens | Then this applies |
|---|---|
| You paid more than 10 percent and no permit application appears within 30 days | The contractor is out of compliance with s. 489.126(2)(a); send the certified-mail demand. |
| The contractor does no work for any 90-day period while holding more than the value of the work done | That is prima facie evidence under s. 489.126(3)(b), unless the owner caused the stoppage or the contract sets another period. |
| The money taken is less than $1,000 | First-degree misdemeanor under s. 489.126(5)(a) or (6)(a). |
| The money taken is $1,000 to under $20,000 | Third-degree felony under s. 489.126(5)(b) or (6)(b). |
| The money taken is $20,000 to under $200,000 | Second-degree felony under s. 489.126(5)(c) or (6)(c). |
| The money taken is $200,000 or more | First-degree felony under s. 489.126(5)(d) or (6)(d). |
| The contractor is gone and you hold a judgment, arbitration award or Construction Industry Licensing Board restitution order | An owner-occupant may apply to the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund under s. 489.141, after exhausting bonds and a failed writ of execution. |
Source: WFTV Channel 9 Orlando. The Roofing Brief was not involved in the underlying reporting.