Hurricane Roof Damage in Tampa Bay: What To Do First

If the roof is open, get a licensed contractor or a reputable tarp crew to dry it in. Do not climb a wet roof in the wind. Photos from the ground and from a drone are enough to start an insurance file.

Document everything before debris is hauled off: missing tabs, lifted flashing, creased shingles, punctures from flying stuff, water stains inside. Date-stamped photos. A drone flight is the cleanest record we can give an adjuster.

Call your carrier and open a claim if you have one. Then call us. We will tell you whether this is a repair or a replacement. Creased shingles (folded over and reseated) are damaged even if they still look attached. That distinction matters on the estimate.

Storm-chaser trucks show up after every named storm. They are not from Wesley Chapel. They often push a full replacement because that’s the commission, and they are gone before the punch list. If someone offers to “handle insurance” and waive your deductible, hang up. That’s fraud, and it becomes your problem.

Florida has a roof-claim statute of limitations that has been getting shorter, and matching laws that vary. Don’t sit on obvious damage for a year. Get it documented while the storm is still the storm of record.

We meet adjusters. We don’t invent hail. If your roof was due anyway, we’ll say that too — a 20-year shingle that lost a few tabs is not the same as a 8-year roof that got peeled.