A small city since 1925
Flagler Beach incorporated on April 16, 1925, and it still feels like the town it was: retro, laid back, and about 5,160 people at the 2020 census. It has roughly 3,700 housing units, and more than a quarter of them were counted as vacant, most of those seasonal homes. A seasonal home is a roof nobody looks at for months at a time, which is how a small leak turns into wet decking before anyone notices. If you are away part of the year, a roof inspection before you leave and again when you get back is time well spent, and it costs you nothing.
Thirty-five feet and no higher
The city charter caps buildings at 35 feet, and voters reaffirmed it in 2024. That cap is why the skyline here is cottages and two-story homes instead of condo towers. For a roofer it means two things. The roofs are reachable, which keeps staging simple. And nothing tall stands between the ocean and the next house back, so a roof three streets in can still take a direct hit of wind and salt.
The cottages
Much of Flagler Beach was built long before modern wind codes. Listings in Morningside show homes from 1930 onward, about 670 of them. George Moody’s homes start in 1932. Surfside Estates and Ocean Palm filled in from 1972, and Ocean Palm’s run ended in the mid-1980s. Older beach cottages tend to have been repaired by several different hands over the decades, so before we quote one we check the decking, the edges and how the roof is tied to the walls, not just the shingles on top. Some of these homes are on their last roof covering and need a full roof replacement; others have years left and only need the right roof repair. We tell you which.
Because almost all of these roofs predate 2007, Florida’s 25 percent rule applies to them: repair or replace a quarter or more of a pre-2007 roof within 12 months and the whole roof has to be brought up to current code. Knowing that before the storm is better than learning it from an adjuster after.
The storm record
Flagler Beach is where the ocean comes ashore first. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 washed out A1A through town. The pier closed in 2022 after Matthew, Ian and Nicole, and its concrete replacement is under way, with demolition of the old pier starting in January 2026 and an opening targeted for December 2026. The Army Corps of Engineers has been rebuilding the dune from Gamble Rogers north to N. 7th Street, the first reach in 2024 and the second starting in summer 2025.
The dunes protect the road and the houses behind them. The roofs are still on their own. After a storm, call us for emergency roof repair: we tarp and dry in what we can, photograph everything, and help you document the damage for an insurance claim.
Permits go through City Hall, not the county
Flagler Beach took building permits back from Flagler County in October 2011 and has run its own Building Department since, at 800 S. Daytona Ave (386-517-2000). We pull the permit there and meet the city’s inspectors. Not every Flagler Beach mailing address is inside city limits (parts of the barrier island north of town carry 32136 and are unincorporated county), so we confirm which office your parcel belongs to first.
Sugar Mill Plantation
In the Flagler Beach area, near the Bulow Plantation ruins, is Sugar Mill Plantation, where our family has a long history: a large share of the roofs in Sugar Mill Plantation are ours.
To book a free inspection anywhere in Flagler Beach, send us a note or call (386) 864-9600. We call back within one business day.