Storm hit. Tree came down. Tile cracked. Water coming in through the ceiling. You don't need a sales pitch right now. You need a licensed roofer on the property today with a real tarp and a real plan.
Emergency tarping is the bridge between a damaged roof and a real repair or replacement. Done right, it stops water intrusion, protects your interior, gives the carrier a documented date-of-loss timestamp, and buys you the time to make smart decisions instead of panic decisions.
Done wrong - and that's most of what storm-chaser crews do - it makes things worse. Nails driven into sound shingles to anchor a flapping tarp. Tarps that whip loose in the next gust. Receipts you can't produce when the carrier asks for them. Pictures that don't exist.
After every Florida named storm, out-of-state crews show up in unmarked trucks knocking on doors. Here's what to watch for so you don't end up with a worse problem on top of the original damage:
The Assignment of Benefits gives them control of your carrier claim. Florida law restricted AOBs in 2019 and 2022 for a reason - homeowners were getting locked into contractors they couldn't fire. Never sign an AOB during a storm visit. Period.
This is a felony in Florida under F.S. 489.147. Any roofer who tells you this is committing insurance fraud and dragging you into it. Run them off the property.
Legitimate Florida roofers carry licenses, accept normal payment, and don't pressure you in the first ten minutes. If they need a check before they leave the driveway, they're not coming back for the real work.
Look at the truck. Look at the license. Look up the contractor on myfloridalicense.com before you sign anything. Sarge is CCC1334499 and CRC1335172. Verifiable in 30 seconds.
If you call your carrier before tarping, they will almost always tell you to mitigate further damage. That means tarp it. They want you to. The cost of a professional tarp is almost always covered under your loss-mitigation provisions, but you need:
Sarge provides all four every time. That's the paperwork that gets your tarp cost reimbursed under your mitigation coverage and that protects your eventual claim.
Sarge documents. You decide. That's the whole relationship.
Once water is stopped and photos are documented, you have time to breathe and think. Three paths typically open up:
Repair only. If the damage is localized, a section repair gets you back to weatherproof without a full replacement. You can absolutely use another contractor for the repair - we're not married to the tarp.
Recertification path. If the roof is older but the damage is minor, a recertification inspection may keep your coverage in place. Read the recertification page for how that works.
Full replacement. If the storm took the roof past useful life, replacement is the right call. We'll give you a written, no-pressure proposal. Take it home. Compare it. Decide on your timeline.
Same-day or next-morning during normal weather. After a named storm we triage by severity and call you with an honest ETA. Active water intrusion gets priority.
Almost always yes under your policy's loss-mitigation provisions, but you need an itemized invoice from a licensed Florida roofer, date-stamped photos, and a written description of the damage. Sarge provides all of that on every emergency call.
No. Never sign an AOB during a storm visit. Florida restricted AOBs in 2019 and 2022 specifically because homeowners were getting trapped in contracts they couldn't get out of. A legitimate Florida roofer does not require an AOB to tarp your roof.
Even better. Document what the adjuster saw. Get a copy of their report. Sarge can review it with you and tell you in plain English whether what they're offering makes sense for the actual damage.
Sarge documents damage, provides written estimates, and gives you the paperwork your carrier needs. We do not file claims for you. That is your relationship with your carrier under Florida law.
No call center. No high-pressure pitch. Veteran-owned, dual-licensed, Florida-based since 1990.
(352) 696-8989Fill this out. Sarge calls you back personally — same day, no call center.
What Happens After You Send It
Got neighbors asking the same question? When Sarge is already on your street, the truck's already there — tell him who else on the block wants a walk and he'll work it into the same trip.
