Verify your seawall contractor.
Check before you sign.

Check the license category, not just the name

Florida certifies marine specialty contractors under board rule 61G4-15.100. The general marine category covers docks, boathouses, seawalls, bulkheads, piers, boatlifts, ramps and revetments. Narrower categories cover only marine seawall work, marine bulkhead work, marine docks or marine pile driving. A general contractor’s license is unlimited as to type of work.

Search the business and the qualifying contractor’s own name on the state license lookup. DBPR explains that each construction business must be qualified by a licensed individual, so repeat the search with that person’s name.

The City of Jacksonville’s Construction Trades Qualifying Board licenses local trades such as general building, residential, roofing and pools; its list does not include a marine category, so the state license is the one to check for seawall work.

Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G4-15.100, Certified Specialty Contractors · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 489.105 · Construction Industry: business information and license verification · Construction Trades Qualifying Board

Verify insurance directly with the insurer

Certified specialty contractors must carry workers’ compensation and general liability insurance, and the rule cites the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act for marine work. Ask for certificates naming you as certificate holder and call the insurer to confirm they are current. Florida DFS lets you verify workers’ compensation coverage at 1-800-742-2214 or its proof-of-coverage portal.

Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G4-15.100(4) · Disaster Assistance and Insurance Helpline guide

Check complaints and report unlicensed work

DBPR takes complaint and license questions at 850-487-1395 and unlicensed-activity reports at 1-866-532-1440. The Florida Attorney General’s consumer line is 1-866-9-NO-SCAM.

Florida law makes contracts entered into by an unlicensed contractor unenforceable by that contractor, but that does not undo damage to your wall. Check first.

Disaster Assistance and Insurance Helpline guide · How to Protect Yourself: Contractors · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 489.128

Verify the engineer too

Florida does not license professional engineers by discipline, so the state directory will not show whether an engineer practices structural or coastal work. Ask about recent seawall and bulkhead designs in similar water, and confirm the license itself through the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (850-521-0500).

Engineering Directory

What Florida law requires in your contract

• The contractor’s license number must appear on every proposal, bid, contract and advertisement.
• Residential contracts over $2,500 must include the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund notice and the Construction Lien Law notice.
• If a contractor takes more than 10% of the price up front, Florida law requires them to apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after permits issue, unless you agreed otherwise in writing.
• For jobs over $5,000, a recorded notice of commencement must be filed with the permit office before the first inspection. It is void if work does not start within 90 days of recording.
• Before each payment, ask for written lien releases from anyone who has served you a Notice to Owner.

The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 489.119 · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 489.1425 · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 713.015 · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 489.126 · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 713.135 · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 713.13

Compare written, itemized bids

The Attorney General advises getting at least three written, itemized bids, verifying the license for the type of work, confirming insurance with the insurer, reading the entire contract, avoiding full payment up front and collecting subcontractor lien releases before final payment.

Put every bid on the same scope: wall length and height, material and design, removal of the old wall, permits, drainage, backfill, dock and utility work, restoration and cleanup. The scope checklist lists what to compare.

How to Protect Yourself: Contractors

Red flags after a storm

• Door-to-door offers with pressure to sign the same day.
• A request to sign an assignment of your insurance benefits (invalid for policies issued since 2023).
• An offer to “handle your claim” from someone who is not a licensed public adjuster.
• A large cash deposit with no permit application or start date in writing.

Disaster Assistance and Insurance Helpline guide · The 2026 Florida Statutes, section 489.126