Labor challenges in the Floridian market

By Emma Peterson. 

This expert panel of roofing professionals from Florida dived into the labor challenges that contractors have faced so far in 2025.  

At the beginning of June, The Coffee Shops™ crew got the chance to enjoy some of the Florida sunshine as they attended the 2025 Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Association (FRSA) trade show! While there, we hosted a special Coffee Conversations, sponsored by QXO and hosted live by Heidi J. Ellsworth. The expert panel of contractors and professionals working in the Florida market share their insights into what’s happening with the labor force.  

Our panel included Anissa Westfall, the director of marketing & growth at Westfall Roofing out of Tampa, Florida; Tracey Donnels from Service First Solutions; Michael Black, the VP of service and maintenance for Sutter Roofing Company in Florida and West Virginia; and Johnny Walker, who is a national technical manager for roofing waterproofing at ICP Group. 

Anissa started the conversation by sharing a bit about what she’s seen happening in the Florida market at the moment. “Construction is definitely being hit hard by immigration right now. And then of course the laborers that are staying are charging more per square. I think the New York Times predicted a 20% increase in construction labor. And then to top that off, we are experiencing material increases as well,” she shared. This challenge is one that is not only affecting the construction professionals, but Anissa also estimated that if it continues, we’re going to see consumers having to pay 20-40% more for a roof than they would have a couple years ago. 

Tracey echoed Anissa’s thoughts, adding, “A lot of the challenges are in the labor market and in training. I find a lot of contractors still aren't necessarily competing for jobs, they're competing for labor...We’ve actually seen a lot of contractors simply taking the word roofing out of the job posts.” This helps them reach a wider pool of professionals from different construction fields that can be then trained to work on the roof.  

Michael shared his thoughts about why widening your labor search is so key right now. He explained, “It’s hard to find labor, let alone skilled labor right now. Our industry is getting older and we're losing a lot of the roofers that have spent their whole life in the industry.” As that older generation leaves, there are not enough of the next generation coming in to replace them. And the newcomers are needing a lot of training in order to reach the same level as the average veteran roofer.  

While the recent challenges that Anissa mentioned are certainly exacerbating this labor issue, it is not a wholly new situation. Johnny explained, “We've been talking about the labor shortage in Florida for a decade. And a big problem is the lack of training. We’ve seen a couple places that have tried to get trade schools going, but on a national or larger societal level we’re seeing people get pushed towards higher education and away from things like trade school.” A lot of this shift comes from the lack of understanding that working in the trades is more than just a job; it is a career path that offers plenty of opportunity for growth. 

But even with all of these challenges facing contractors and professionals in Florida and beyond, the industry is coming together to try and find solutions. Just last year, Tim Weber from Carlisle Architectural Metals took some Florida students to SkillsUSA for roofing. There are apprenticeship programs in different cities that organizations like FRSA are working to organize certification training for. Tracey summed it up, “We need more, but there are some programs out there. Really, it boils down to contractors who are looking at the industry and deciding to go after their future employees as hard as they go after future sales.”  

Read the transcript, Listen to the episode or Watch the recording for more insights on both Florida and the larger roofing market from this incredible panel!