{"id":181182,"date":"2026-03-06T20:15:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181182\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T20:15:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:15:28","slug":"jacksonville-lawyers-warn-homeowners-after-state-sues-roofing-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181182\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville lawyers warn homeowners after state sues roofing company"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  \u2013 Local legal advocates are warning homeowners to protect themselves after the Florida Attorney General\u2019s Office sued a Jacksonville roofing company, accusing it of deceptive business practices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">State officials filed a civil lawsuit late last year against Florida Roof Specialists, a company owned by Jeremy Rogero, alleging violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">According to the complaint, investigators say the company used misleading door-to-door and home solicitation sales tactics. Authorities allege the company promised roofing work that would be covered by homeowners\u2019 insurance, with no additional costs beyond the deductible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Investigators say that in many cases, homeowners were later billed for thousands of dollars in extra charges. The lawsuit also alleges the company filed fraudulent property liens against customers to force payment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The Attorney General\u2019s Office said it has received about 137 complaints from Florida consumers. Officials said at least 75 homeowners had liens placed on their residential properties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Annie Rodriguez, an attorney with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, said the situation can be frightening for homeowners \u2014 particularly seniors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cPeople are going about living their lives and all of a sudden there\u2019s this huge stress of someone saying they owe thousands of dollars,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cIf they don\u2019t pay those thousands of dollars or win in a lawsuit, they could lose their home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Rodriguez said her organization has helped some customers dealing with liens or legal action related to roofing work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">She said many homeowners are initially told the roof replacement will only require them to pay their insurance deductible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThen the promise is it\u2019s not going to cost you anything \u2014 just pay your deductible,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cBut what actually happens is upgrades or additional charges arise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Rodriguez said some homeowners report they were never told about extra work until they received a large bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cPeople are getting surprised,\u201d she said. \u201cThe roofer says they installed decking or wood without informing the homeowner, and they don\u2019t find out until they get a bill for thousands of dollars. Often it\u2019s the lien or a foreclosure lawsuit that follows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Rodriguez said she suspects additional customers may be affected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">A recent motion filed by the Attorney General\u2019s Office is seeking to pause some of the company\u2019s actions while the case moves forward.<\/p>\n<p>Tips for homeowners<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Legal experts say homeowners should take several steps to protect themselves when hiring a roofing contractor:<\/p>\n<p>Demand a detailed, itemized estimate of costs and materials before signing a contract.<\/p>\n<p>Be cautious if a contractor cannot provide a written estimate, which is required under Florida law.<\/p>\n<p>Stay involved in the insurance claim process rather than relying solely on a contractor.<\/p>\n<p>Require contractors to disclose any additional charges in advance before work is performed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The owner of Florida Roof Specialists declined to comment when contacted. Attorneys representing the company have filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the attorney general\u2019s lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Local legal advocates are warning homeowners to protect themselves after the Florida Attorney General\u2019s Office&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1039,116,118,117],"class_list":["post-181182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-duval-county","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}