One broker, one application, your whole package shopped at once. Then fix the details that inflate the price: wrong job categories, stale payroll and revenue figures, and limits bigger than your contracts require. Who this is for: a Florida contractor with 1 to 30 employees whose renewal came in higher and who wants to know what can be cut without breaking a contract or the law.
The short version
- Shop the whole package with one application. Insurers price a package differently from four separate policies.
- Workers comp classification is the biggest lever in Florida, because every insurer uses the same approved rates.
- Buy the limits your contracts require and your license floor allows. Do not buy round numbers.
- Collect proof of coverage from every subcontractor so their payroll does not land on your audit.
- Never cut by skipping workers comp or paying crews on 1099s. Florida shuts those jobs down.
Where does the money go in a Florida contractor's insurance bill?
| Policy | What sets the price | The Florida lever |
|---|---|---|
| Workers comp | Payroll by job category, your claims history multiplier, credits | Same approved rates at every insurer, so fix the categories, apply for the Florida contractor wage credit, and exempt qualifying owners |
| General liability | Trade, revenue, residential versus commercial, limits, claims, subcontracted work | Accurate revenue and trade description, and certificates from every sub |
| Commercial auto | Vehicles, drivers, radius, limits, deductibles | Higher deductibles, a clean driver list, drop physical damage on old trucks |
| Umbrella | Trade, limit, what sits under it | Buy from the insurer that writes your liability where possible |
National version: how to find cheaper contractor insurance. The rest is what changes in Florida.
What does Florida require, and where can I not cut?
Florida's legal floors are low. Your contracts set the real minimums.
| Coverage | Florida floor | What contracts usually require |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | Your license floor is $300,000 or $100,000 of liability, depending on your license type (Rule 61G4-15.003). Far below what any contract asks for. | $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate (the yearly total) |
| Workers comp | Required in construction with one employee, including a non-exempt owner | Required, plus a waiver of subrogation (your insurer agrees not to chase your customer for what it paid) |
| Auto | $10,000 personal injury protection and $10,000 property damage liability to register a standard truck | $1,000,000 combined single limit |
| Umbrella | None | $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 |
You can cut a limit that exceeds every contract you hold. You cannot cut below a contract you signed, and never below what your Florida contractor license requires.
Which savings are real?
- Shop the package. One application to many insurers, including specialty markets you cannot reach online. A package with one insurer often prices lower than four policies from four.
- Apply for the Florida contractor wage credit. Contractors who pay above average hourly wages can earn a premium credit. Many never apply.
- Exempt qualifying owners. Up to three officers or LLC members who each own at least 10 percent, $50 each, good for two years.
- Report payroll and revenue accurately. An inflated estimate is a loan to the insurer until audit.
- Collect sub certificates. Florida makes you responsible for an uninsured sub's injured workers (F.S. 440.10). If a sub turns up uninsured anyway, the charge is rated in that sub's own trade class, not yours, and if you cannot document what the sub paid its workers the insurer charges a percentage of the contract price instead. Keeping the certificate, or the payroll records, is what keeps that bill down.
Which "savings" cost more later?
| Shortcut | What it costs you |
|---|---|
| Skipping workers comp or paying crews on 1099s | Florida construction has no independent contractor status. The state issues a stop-work order, charges $1,000 a day for working through it, and a penalty of twice the premium you should have paid (F.S. 440.107) |
| Letting the products and completed operations part of the policy be excluded, or skipping the additional insured wording that keeps going after the job is finished | Most construction claims arrive after the work is done. That after completion wording is a separate endorsement from the ordinary blanket one, and it is the item general contractors reject certificates over. |
| Going without an umbrella your contract requires | A rejected certificate and an idle crew |
| Understating payroll | A large audit bill, and in Florida hiding payroll to cut premium is a felony (F.S. 440.105) |
What should I send a broker to get accurate Florida quotes?
- Declarations pages (the front pages showing limits and dates) for every current policy.
- Five years of loss runs, your claims history report from each insurer.
- Payroll by job category, revenue, and the share of work you subcontract, with sub certificates.
- Vehicle and driver lists, and the insurance sections of your biggest contracts.
Expect quotes in a few days for general liability and workers comp, and up to two weeks for an umbrella. Specialty market quotes in Florida carry about 5 percent in state tax and fees on top of the premium.
What this looks like in real life
Illustrative example. It is typical of what we see and is not a promise of how any specific situation would be handled.
The setup: A remodeling contractor in Cape Coral with eight employees pays about $38,000 a year across four policies: $11,000 general liability, $16,000 workers comp, $3,900 for a $2,000,000 umbrella from a stand-alone insurer, and $7,100 for four trucks. All figures illustrative.
What went wrong: The workers comp policy rates the office manager in the carpentry category, the company has never applied for the Florida contractor wage credit, and the umbrella sits with an insurer that writes nothing else for it.
What it cost: After one application shopped to several insurers: general liability $8,600, workers comp $13,200 with the office manager reclassified and the wage credit applied, the umbrella packaged with the new liability insurer at $2,700, and auto unchanged. About $31,600, an illustrative saving of roughly $6,400.
The fix: None of the coverage got worse. The savings came from describing the business correctly and buying the package from insurers that wanted it.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How can I find cheaper contractor insurance in Florida?
Have one broker shop your whole package to many insurers at once, then fix the details: correct workers comp categories, accurate payroll and revenue, sub certificates on file, and limits that match your contracts rather than round numbers.
Q: Is contractor insurance more expensive in Florida than other states?
It depends on the policy. Florida workers comp rates have fallen for nine straight years as of 2026. National construction market reports single out roofing and coastal residential work as the classes insurers watch hardest, and Florida has a lot of both, so those trades have fewer insurers to choose from and shopping matters most for them.
Q: What does a package quote actually include, and how long does it take?
One application produces quotes for general liability, workers comp, auto, and usually an umbrella, priced together. General liability and workers comp normally come back in a few days. An umbrella can take two weeks, so send everything at once.
Q: Will a broker cost me more than buying direct?
No. The insurer pays the broker out of the same premium you would pay direct. A broker adds the ability to shop many insurers, including specialty markets you cannot apply to yourself.
Q: Can I save money by paying my crew on 1099s in Florida?
No. In Florida construction a worker is your employee unless they are a covered subcontractor or an exempt officer. The state issues stop-work orders and charges twice the premium you avoided, with a $1,000 minimum.
Q: How often should I shop my Florida contractor insurance?
Every two or three years is healthy, and any year your payroll, trade mix, or contracts change. Ask your broker to show you what was shopped.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Shopping a Florida contractor's whole insurance package with one application and cleaning up the classifications is what we do most.
- Free contract review. Send us the contract or bid documents and we mark up the insurance section in plain English, whether or not you buy anything from us.
- Free, instant certificates. Clients issue their own certificates of insurance online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge.
- Markets you cannot reach online. One application, shopped across many insurance companies for general liability, workers comp, auto, umbrella, and pollution coverage.
One more thing. This article is general information and is not legal advice or a statement of coverage. Your contract and your policy wording control in every case. Requirements vary by customer, by state, and by insurance company, so have a licensed advisor review your own contract and your own policy before relying on any of it.
Last updated: Reviewed by the Morrow commercial lines team. Last updated September 2026.