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PENSACOLA - Residents with roof damage caused by Hurricane Ivan may have to wait as long as two years before someone can start work on their property, an Escambia County building official said.
Many out-of-state roofers who arrived after Ivan struck Sept. 16 are finding they can't operate in Florida because of the cost of the state's workers' compensation insurance. A shortage of shingles is also a problem.
"It's just my personal point of view, but, as it stands now, it could be a couple of years," Escambia County chief building inspector Danny Weeden said.
David Peaden, executive director of the Home Builders Association of West Florida, says many insurance underwriters won't cover out-of-state roofers because of the hazardous nature of the job. Also, many roofers can't afford the insurance. The standard workers' compensation rate for roofers in Florida is 46 cents on the dollar. Some out-of-state contractors could pay 70 cents on the dollar, Peaden said.
That's $700 in workers' compensation costs for every $1,000 dollars of payroll.
"If you're a mom-and-pop operation trying to come in here and work, it is going to be difficult," Peaden said.