Storm and hurricane roof damage in Tampa, FL

Milton gusted to 93 mph at Tampa International and 101 mph at Albert Whitted in St. Petersburg on October 9, 2024, and dropped 10 to 15 inches of rain across both counties, with pockets of 15 to 20 inches over southern Pinellas; Albert Whitted recorded 18.54 inches in a single day. Two years later, roofs around the bay are still being tarped, argued over with insurers, and replaced. This is the page for the night it happens and the week after: what to do, what a contractor does, and what the insurer expects.

Describe what you can see from the ground and where the water is coming in (do not get on the roof to look).

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The first 48 hours

Stop the water, document everything, and do not sign anything you have not read.

• Photograph the damage from the ground and from inside before anyone touches it: missing shingles, exposed underlayment, the ceiling stain, the wet insulation. Take dated photos to help document the damage; they support the claim you file.
• A tarp or an emergency dry-in (synthetic underlayment nailed over the exposed deck) is what a contractor can do quickly, often the same day after a storm when crews are available; it is a temporary repair and policies generally expect you to protect the property from further damage. Keep the receipt.
• Call your insurer to open the claim and get the claim number. Florida policies require prompt notice; temporary protection and documentation can happen before the adjuster's visit, and your insurer will tell you the order it expects.
• Do not sign an assignment of benefits. For policies issued since January 1, 2023, Florida law does not allow assignment-of-benefits agreements (Statute 627.7152), so on a current policy a contractor cannot take over your claim; on an older policy, read anything of the kind carefully before signing. Either way the contractor writes the scope and you own the claim.

What the contractor does

The first visit is a dry-in and a written scope: which slopes lost shingles, whether the underlayment and deck are exposed, where the water got in, and whether this is a repair or the roof is gone. Wind-lifted shingles that did not blow off have often broken their seal strip and will lift again; a good contractor tests them rather than counting only the ones on the lawn.

The scope, the photos, and the contractor's license number go to your adjuster. If the adjuster's estimate and the contractor's scope disagree, that is a normal conversation, and it happens before the work, not after.

When the storm turns into a replacement

Florida's 25% rule (Statute 553.844) says that when more than 25% of a roof section is repaired, replaced, or recovered within 12 months, the whole section is brought to current code. Storm damage across several slopes crosses that line quickly. The exception since 2022: if the roof or section was built, repaired, or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the repaired portion has to meet current code, so a roof that lost one slope can often be repaired to match; the permit history of the roof, not the age of the house, decides which side of the line it is on.

A replacement after a storm is a permitted job with a final inspection, whichever city or county you are in, and the permit history is what the next insurer and the next buyer will look up.