Why This Matters in Brevard
Brevard County has experienced a remodeling boom over the past decade with rapid population growth, particularly along the coast. That boom attracted both legitimate contractors and a steady stream of bad actors - unlicensed operators, low-quality crews, deposit-and-run scams, and storm chasers who appear after every hurricane to do shoddy roof or window work and disappear. The Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board regularly publishes enforcement actions against these operators, but the most reliable defense is vetting before signing a contract.
This guide is a practical checklist: 10 things to verify before you give any contractor a deposit, common red flags that should make you walk away, and how to structure the contract to protect yourself.
Step 1: Verify the License
Florida licenses general contractors through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The main residential remodeling licenses are: Certified General Contractor (CGC, no limits on scope), Certified Residential Contractor (CRC, limited to residential), and Certified Building Contractor (CBC, residential and limited commercial). Some specialty trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) have separate licenses.
Go to myfloridalicense.com and search by license number or company name. Verify: (a) license is current and active, (b) license type matches the work scope, (c) no recent disciplinary actions. If the contractor cannot or will not give you a license number, walk away.
Brevard County also requires local registration for contractors working in unincorporated areas, and most cities require their own registration. A legitimate Brevard contractor will be both state-licensed AND locally registered.
Step 2: Verify Insurance
A legitimate Brevard contractor carries two types of insurance: General Liability (typically $1M minimum, covers property damage and injury caused by the contractor's work) and Workers Compensation (covers injuries to the contractor's employees on your property).
Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) before any work starts. The COI should be issued by the contractor's insurance carrier directly to you (or your address) as the certificate holder. Verify directly with the insurance carrier listed - some unscrupulous contractors fabricate COIs.
Without workers comp, if a worker is injured on your property, your homeowners insurance may not cover it and you could be personally liable. This is not theoretical - Brevard has had several cases where homeowners faced six-figure liability from a worker injury on an uninsured contractor's job.
Step 3: Get Real References (and Check Them)
Ask for three references from projects similar in scope to yours, completed within the last 12-18 months. Call them. The questions that actually matter:
- Did the project come in on the original budget? If not, what were the change orders for?
- Did the project finish on the original timeline? If late, by how much?
- How was the daily communication with the project manager?
- How did the contractor handle problems when they came up?
- Would you hire them again? Honestly?
Cross-reference the references against the company's social media, online reviews (Google Business Profile, Houzz, BBB), and the Better Business Bureau database. A contractor with 50+ Google reviews averaging 4.8+ is doing something right. A contractor with no online presence at all is harder to evaluate.
Step 4: Understand the Pricing Structure
Reputable Brevard contractors use one of three pricing models, each with different trade-offs:
Fixed-price contract. A single number for a defined scope. Works well when scope is clear. Risk to homeowner: scope creep (change orders) inflates cost. Risk to contractor: hidden conditions discovered during demo create losses.
Tiered pricing (recommended for most homeowners). Three tiers (often called Essential, Signature, Luxury or similar) with clearly defined scopes and prices for each. You pick a tier; that's the price. ELSO uses this model. Provides transparency without locking you into an upgrade-or-downgrade decision at the start.
Cost-plus / time and materials. Contractor charges for actual cost of materials plus a markup (typically 10-20%) plus their labor. Works for high-complexity custom projects where scope is hard to define. Risk: total cost is unknown until project ends. Use only with a high-trust contractor.
Stay away from contractors who give you a "rough number" verbally and won't put it in writing before you sign. That's not a quote; that's a bait price.
Step 5: Read the Contract Carefully
Required contract elements for any Brevard remodel:
- Contractor's legal name, license number, address, and phone
- Detailed scope of work with line items
- Specific materials by brand, model, and quantity (NOT "or equal" substitutions without notice)
- Total contract price and payment schedule
- Start date and substantial completion date
- Penalty clauses for delays (if applicable)
- Change order process - typically requiring written approval before any change
- Warranty terms - what's covered, for how long
- Lien release schedule - you should get partial lien releases at each payment milestone
- Right to cancel - Florida law gives you 3 business days to cancel after signing
Red flags that should make you walk away:
- Demand for more than 25% deposit upfront (Florida law caps it at 10% on contracts over $2,500, or 25% in certain circumstances)
- No written contract, just a handshake
- "Cash discount" pressure (suggests they're hiding from tax authorities)
- Insistence on starting work today, before drawings or permit
- Refusal to provide license number, insurance certificate, or references
- Door-knocking after a hurricane (storm-chaser scam pattern)
- Vehicle without company name on the side or out-of-state plates with no Florida registration