A public adjuster and a contractor do two different jobs. A public adjuster is licensed to evaluate your policy, document your loss, and negotiate your claim with the insurance company on your behalf. A contractor is licensed to repair or rebuild the property. In Florida, a contractor who has not passed the public adjuster exam and is not appointed by the state is not allowed to negotiate your claim for you, only to bid the repair. If your loss is significant, call the public adjuster first, then bring in the contractor once the scope of covered damage is settled.
Two Different Licenses, Two Different Jobs
People confuse these two roles because they often show up at the same property in the same week. But Florida treats them as separate professions with separate licenses, and for good reason.
A public adjuster works for you, the policyholder. Under Florida Statute 626.854, a public adjuster is the only non-attorney allowed to prepare, file, or negotiate an insurance claim for you in exchange for compensation. That means reading your policy, measuring the full scope of covered damage, building the estimate, and handling the back and forth with the insurance company's adjuster.
A contractor works on the building. Their license covers construction, repair, and rebuilding. A good contractor can tell you what it will cost to fix your roof or your HVAC system. What a contractor cannot legally do, unless they also hold a public adjuster license, is negotiate your claim, interpret your coverage, or act as your representative with the insurance company.
Why Florida Law Draws This Line
This is not a technicality. Florida Statute 626.854(16) is explicit that a licensed contractor, or a subcontractor of one, may not advertise, solicit, or perform public adjusting services unless they are separately licensed and appointed as a public adjuster. A contractor can still explain their own repair bid to you or point out that you might have a covered loss worth mentioning to your insurer. What they cannot do is step into the adjuster's chair and start negotiating your settlement.
The reason this matters to you as a property owner: if a contractor is quietly running your claim negotiation instead of a licensed adjuster, you have lost the one advocate the law specifically created to represent your interests, and you may not even realize it happened. Ask who you are actually working with. If it is a public adjuster, ask for their license number. The Florida Department of Financial Services will confirm it.
When a Contractor Should Be Your First Call
Not every loss needs a public adjuster. A small, straightforward claim, a cracked window, a minor roof leak with an obvious cause and a quick insurer response, can often move fine with just you and a contractor. If the damage is limited, the cause is not in dispute, and the insurance company's first offer looks reasonable and matches what a licensed contractor would actually charge to fix it, you may not need to add another party to the file.
When a Public Adjuster Should Be Your First Call
The calculus changes once the loss gets bigger or more complicated. Commercial buildings, multi-unit residential structures, and any claim involving structural damage, business interruption, or multiple systems (roof, interior, mechanical, electrical) all benefit from having someone who understands the policy language build the claim from day one.
Here is the practical reason order matters: once you sign off on a scope of damage with your insurer, that number tends to anchor the rest of the negotiation. If a contractor's initial bid missed hidden damage, code upgrade requirements, or loss of use and rents, it is much harder to go back and add those items later than it is to include them in the first, complete estimate. A public adjuster's job is to make sure that first number reflects everything the policy actually covers, not just the visible repair items.
For commercial property owners, condo associations, and HOA boards in particular, this is where the money is. Large losses have more moving parts: coinsurance clauses, ordinance or law coverage, business income and loss of rents, and multi-building scopes. Those are exactly the claims where a licensed public adjuster earns their place on the team before the contractor's bid becomes the ceiling of the conversation.
How This Plays Out for Property Owners in Seminole County
James Coyne built Coyne Commercial Group after years working the carrier side of claims, so he has seen this sequence go wrong from the inside. A contractor gets the first call, submits a repair estimate, the insurer pays that number, and the file closes before anyone checks it against the full policy. For commercial buildings and associations in Sanford and across Seminole County, that is money left on the table that cannot easily be recovered once the claim is settled.
The fix is simple: bring in a public adjuster before you finalize anything with the insurance company, not after. A good public adjuster and a good contractor are not competitors. They work in sequence, the adjuster establishes the full, covered scope and negotiates the number, and the contractor builds to that approved scope.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a contractor negotiate my insurance claim for me in Florida?
No, not unless they are also licensed as a public adjuster. Florida law reserves claim negotiation for the policyholder, a licensed attorney, or a licensed public adjuster. A contractor can bid the repair work and discuss their own estimate with you, but negotiating your settlement with the insurance company crosses into public adjusting, which requires a separate license.
Should I get a contractor's estimate before calling a public adjuster?
You can, but it is not required and it is not always the best order. A public adjuster can document the full scope of damage first, including anything a contractor's initial walk-through might miss, and then bring contractors in to bid against that complete scope. For larger commercial or association losses, starting with the adjuster usually produces a more accurate final number.
Does hiring a public adjuster slow down my repairs?
Not typically. A public adjuster's job is to document the loss and negotiate coverage, which usually happens on a similar timeline to getting repair bids. Emergency mitigation, like tarping a roof or extracting water, should still happen immediately regardless of who else is involved.
What if I already hired a contractor and the insurance company already made an offer?
You can still bring in a public adjuster. If the claim has not been fully settled, or if you believe items were missed or undervalued, a licensed public adjuster can review the file and, where the policy and Florida law allow, pursue a supplemental claim for the difference.
Who pays the public adjuster?
Public adjuster fees in Florida are set and capped by state law and are agreed to in writing with you before any work begins. We explain how that works in plain terms on our FAQ page. Nothing about the fee structure is hidden or negotiated after the fact.
If you are weighing whether to call a contractor or a public adjuster first for a commercial building, condo association, or HOA claim, we are happy to take a look and tell you honestly what we see. Reach out for a free claim review, no obligation, no pressure.
Learn more about how we work with property owners on our commercial claims page, how we support HOA and condo board members, and what claims representation with CCG actually looks like. If your property is in the Sanford area, visit our Sanford public adjuster page for local details. For more on the difference between the two sides of a claim, see our guide on public adjuster vs. insurance adjuster, and if you are still deciding whether to hire one at all, read is a public adjuster worth it.
Written by James Coyne, Florida Licensed Public Adjuster (License W482618), founder of Coyne Commercial Group (Firm License G350978).