How do I check a Florida contractor's license?

Go to myfloridalicense.com and use the DBPR License Search (Verify a License). Search by license number, name, or business. The result shows license status (must be Active/Current), license type (Certified or Registered), the trade category, and any disciplinary or complaint history. The DBPR lookup is free and authoritative — verify directly rather than trusting a contractor's claim or a platform badge.

What is the difference between a certified and registered contractor in Florida?

A Certified contractor passed a state exam and can work anywhere in Florida. A Registered contractor is licensed only in a specific local jurisdiction (county or city) after meeting local requirements, and can work only there. For senior projects, prefer Certified contractors — the state-exam standard is higher and the license is portable. If you hire a Registered contractor, confirm their registration covers the county where your home is located.

What is the post-hurricane AOB scam that targets Florida seniors?

After a hurricane, contractors push homeowners to sign an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) form that transfers the insurance claim to the contractor. The contractor then bills the insurer at inflated rates and may do shoddy or incomplete work. Florida saw such widespread AOB abuse that the legislature restricted it for property insurance in 2019 and further in 2022-2023. Never sign an AOB after a storm. File your own claim, then hire a DBPR-licensed contractor with three written quotes.

Does Florida require contractors to be insured?

To hold a DBPR license, contractors must show general liability and (if they have employees) workers compensation insurance, plus meet financial-responsibility requirements. But license-issuance insurance is not the same as currently-active insurance. Always request a current Certificate of Insurance and verify it with the carrier directly. Florida's licensing financial requirements are a floor, not a guarantee the policy is active today.

How do I report a bad contractor in Florida?

File a complaint with the DBPR at myfloridalicense.com — it can investigate, discipline, or revoke the license. For unlicensed activity (common after hurricanes), report to the DBPR Unlicensed Activity (ULA) program and your county. Florida also has enhanced penalties for fraud against seniors and for unlicensed contracting during a declared state of emergency — a second-degree felony in some post-storm cases. The DBPR complaint is free and is your primary recourse.

Florida Contractor License Lookup (DBPR) 2026

The short version: Verify any Florida contractor at myfloridalicense.com → Verify a License. Confirm status is Active, note whether the license is Certified (statewide) or Registered (local only), and match the trade category to your work. Florida’s biggest senior risk is the post-hurricane AOB scam — never sign an Assignment of Benefits form; file your own claim and hire DBPR-licensed with three quotes. Unlicensed contracting is a crime in Florida, a felony during a declared state of emergency.

Florida’s DBPR lookup, step by step

Florida has the country’s largest population of senior homeowners and, because of hurricanes, one of its most active contractor-fraud environments. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licenses contractors, and verifying a license is a five-minute step that prevents the most common post-storm scams.

This is the Florida-specific companion to our national state contractor license lookup guide. For the full workflow, see How to Find a Senior-Friendly Contractor.

To verify: go to myfloridalicense.com → “Verify a License” → search by license number, name, or business.¹

Certified vs Registered — the Florida distinction

This is the field unique to Florida that trips up homeowners:

Type	Scope	What it means
Certified	Statewide	Passed a state exam; can work anywhere in Florida
Registered	Local only	Licensed in a specific county/city; can work only there

For senior projects, prefer Certified contractors — the state-exam bar is higher and the license is portable.² If you hire a Registered contractor, confirm their registration covers the county where your home sits.

The four fields to check

Status — Active/Current (not expired, suspended, revoked)
Type — Certified (statewide) or Registered (local)
Trade category — general, building, residential, roofing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical (HVAC) — must cover your work
Disciplinary history — read recent complaints and actions

The post-hurricane AOB scam — Florida’s #1 senior risk

After a hurricane, contractors descend on storm-damaged senior neighborhoods and push the Assignment of Benefits (AOB) form. Signing it transfers your insurance claim to the contractor, who then bills the insurer at inflated rates and may do shoddy or incomplete work.³

Florida saw AOB abuse so widespread that the legislature restricted it for property insurance in 2019 and tightened it further in 2022-2023. The rule for seniors is simple:

Never sign an AOB form after a storm. Instead:

Call your insurance company first and file your own claim
Get three written quotes from DBPR-licensed contractors
Verify each license at myfloridalicense.com
Pay nothing until insurance proceeds arrive and the contract is signed with safeguards

For the broader storm-chaser pattern, see Contractor Red Flags That Cost Seniors $50,000.

Unlicensed contracting is a crime in Florida

Florida treats unlicensed contracting as a criminal offense — and during a declared state of emergency (after a hurricane), it is elevated to a felony.⁴ The DBPR runs an Unlicensed Activity (ULA) program with sting operations in storm-affected areas.

Hiring unlicensed leaves you with no DBPR recourse, likely no valid insurance, and exposure to liens. For any senior project, hire DBPR-licensed only.

If something goes wrong

File a complaint with the DBPR at myfloridalicense.com — it can investigate, discipline, or revoke the license. For unlicensed activity, report to the DBPR ULA program and your county. Florida has enhanced penalties for fraud against seniors. The complaint is free and is your primary recourse.

Florida verification in 30 seconds:

Verify at myfloridalicense.com → Verify a License
Status Active · Certified (statewide) vs Registered (local) · trade matches work
Never sign an AOB form after a storm — file your own claim first
Unlicensed contracting is a crime, a felony during a state of emergency
Problems → free DBPR complaint; enhanced penalties for senior fraud

State Contractor License Lookup: All 50 States — the national hub
California Contractor License Lookup (CSLB) — the other big-population state
How to Find a Senior-Friendly Contractor — master pillar
Contractor Red Flags That Cost Seniors $50,000 — storm-chaser + AOB patterns
Contractor Insurance & Bonding: What to Verify
Florida senior home programs — Florida Medicaid + SMMC modification benefits

Citations

Verify a License (DBPR License Search). Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), retrieved May 26, 2026. myfloridalicense.com.

Construction Industry Licensing Board Information. Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), retrieved May 26, 2026. myfloridalicense.com/construction.

Assignment of Benefits Reform. National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, retrieved May 26, 2026. namic.org/issues/aob.

Home Improvement Scams Targeting Older Adults. AARP Fraud Watch Network, June 2024. aarp.org/fraud-watch.