6-minute read
A year ago, Sarah Taylor was worried she might lose her home.
A roofing company had filed a lien against her property and was moving toward foreclosure over a bill she didn’t believe she owed.
Today, Taylor has won in court. The lien is gone. But the problem isn’t.
At least 10 more Polk County homeowners have been sued. And although the Florida attorney general has stepped in, the legal process is moving slowly — leaving homeowners to figure out, case by case, what to do next.
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Attorney general alleges widespread deception
In September, Attorney General James Uthmeier sued Florida Roof Specialists, accusing the company of misleading homeowners.
“Consumers were specifically misled to believe that they would not be responsible for paying defendants any amounts in excess of their insurance deductible for the repair or replacement of their roofs,” the complaint states.
“Through the actions and business practices set forth in this Complaint, Defendants have engaged in practices that are immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous or substantially injurious to consumers.”
The lawsuit goes further, alleging the company used threats to get people to pay.
“Defendants threatened many consumers … and told consumers that if they failed to pay, defendants would place liens on their residential properties,” Uthmeier’s complaint says, describing what it calls an effort to “extort additional funds.”
According to Uthmeier’s complaint and an affidavit from state Financial Investigator Rebecca Sowell:
- The state has received more than 2,100 complaints statewide
- The company has filed more than 250 lawsuits in recent years
- At least 104 liens tied to those complaints total about $1.9 million
It has been a little over six months since the lawsuit was filed — and about two months since the attorney general asked a judge to temporarily block the company from filing new liens and lawsuits while the case plays out.
That request is still pending. Jeremey Rogero, president of Florida Roof Specialists, could not immediately be reached for comment. He is named individually in the lawsuit, along with parent company Minorcan Construction Group, Inc.
Homeowners who fight — sometimes win
Some homeowners who push back in court are winning.
In one case, a Lakeland couple who have owned their home for nearly two decades hired an attorney and challenged the contract. A judge ruled it was unenforceable because it didn’t include a clear price and threw out the lien.
The homeowners are now asking the court to make the company pay more than $20,000 in their legal bills. A hearing in that case is scheduled for April 28.
In another case, a Lakeland widow who owned her home with her late husband for more than 40 years is fighting a lien filed on Dec. 16, 2025 — three months after the attorney general’s lawsuit. The case is still pending.
Her attorney, Gary De Pury, of Lutz, said Florida Roof Specialists deliberately targets vulnerable people like his client. “The actions of Florida Roof Specialists represent some of the most predatory conduct I have encountered in my practice,” he said. “They systematically target people they believe can’t fight back, homeowners who don’t understand the system or can’t afford to challenge it.”
Homeowners can settle — and keep paying
Other homeowners are choosing — or feeling pressured — to settle.
In one Lakeland case, a woman who bought her home in 2018 agreed to pay $3,261, down from an initial claim of more than $11,500. She gave Florida Roof Specialists $800 upfront and is making monthly payments of $137 for the next 18 months to cover the balance.
The agreement includes a catch: if she misses a payment, the company can ask a judge for a final judgment and potentially force the sale of her home.
A Winter Haven couple who represented themselves ultimately agreed to pay about $7,700 at the rate of $320 a month.
De Pury said pressure often builds during mediation, when homeowners are weighing risk against cost.
“A good mediator will look you square in the eyes and say, ‘Look, this is your last chance to be in control, because once you go into that courtroom, you’re not in control.’ And if they don’t have attorneys, they’re going to settle.”
Don’t respond — and risk losing more
In some cases, homeowners never respond to the lawsuit.
In one Polk County case, a couple did not respond after being sued. Court records show a default was entered, allowing the company to pursue more than $12,400, plus legal fees, and potentially force the sale of the home.
De Pury said that’s disheartening, because Florida Roof Specialists has already lost cases in Polk, Citrus, and Pinellas counties — often on basic contract issues.
“Anyone who doesn’t put up a fight is destined to lose immediately, but the simplest of defenses will likely win,” he said.
However, fighting can be costly. Even relatively small cases can involve thousands of dollars in legal work.
De Pury said some attorneys will take these types of cases on a contingency basis, or with a “contingency multiplier,” meaning homeowners may not have to pay anything out of pocket to challenge the claims.
A win that didn’t fix everything
Taylor’s case shows how even a clear legal win doesn’t always solve the underlying problem.
A Polk County judge declared the lien against her home void and dismissed the case with prejudice — meaning the company cannot refile the same claim. The contract she signed was ruled invalid.
But there’s a widening crack in her ceiling that she believes was caused during the roofing work. She can’t ask the company to repair it, and she can’t afford to hire someone else to fix it.
“It’s just gotten worse, and I’m worried about my fireplace folding into the house,” said Taylor, who lives on Social Security. She has to go through the living room to get to her bedroom. “Do you know how many times I looked up and said, ‘It’s not tipping, is it? It’s not falling in, is it?’”
The experience has also changed her outlook.
“It’s gone,” Taylor said of her trust in contractors. Even after winning her case, she said she’s uneasy, afraid to get an estimate and be subjected to high-pressure tactics. “I’m still worried about it… It’s scary.”
State case may help — but slowly
A Citrus County judge could rule on the attorney general’s request for a temporary injunction at any time — a decision that would block the company from filing new liens and lawsuits while the case plays out.
The lawsuit was filed as a statewide enforcement action, and the attorney general is asking the court to go further — to set aside all of the liens Florida Roof Specialists filed and force the company to repay homeowners across the state.
De Pury said that kind of relief could be far-reaching, but not immediate. Even in a best-case scenario, any money recovered would have to be divided among many homeowners, and there might not be enough to make everyone whole. And court timelines are slow.
“If I tried to set a trial today… it’d be December,” he said, noting that even a 10-minute hearing can take months to schedule.
For homeowners in Polk County, that means the wait continues.
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