Roofing in Bloomingdale, Florida

The typical home in this town dates to 1989. About 80.9 percent of homes were built before 2000, and 16.4 percent were built before 1980. That suggests a large share of original or once-replaced roofs are at or past 25 years, the age where many shingle roofs need a closer look.

The community stayed small until the 1960s, when it became a bedroom community for Tampa. Only 6.6 percent of homes here were built in 2010 or later, while Riverview and Brandon added tens of thousands of residents in that decade. Many Bloomingdale roofs are likely older than the newest roofs nearby.

Insurers lean on roof age. Citizens Property Insurance wants documented evidence of at least five years of remaining useful life once a shingle roof passes 25 years. A tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal roof reaches that checkpoint at 50 years. Your own insurer or agent sets the terms for your policy.

Tampa International Airport averages about 49.48 inches of rain a year, and about 61 percent of that falls June through September. Plant City, in the east of the county, averages about 56.1 inches. Heavy summer rain is the normal pattern here.

In a 10-year storm, an hour of rain at this site falls at about 2.95 inches per hour, and a 24-hour total reaches 6.24 inches. In a 100-year storm the 24-hour total reaches 11 inches. Check that gutters, flashing and drains can move that much water off the roof.

Hurricane Eta in 2020 brought street flooding and road closures in coastal Hillsborough, and Hurricane Hermine in 2016 caused heavy freshwater flooding in Hillsborough County. Lightning is also common: the corridor from Tampa Bay to the Space Coast gets more lightning than anywhere else in the United States, mostly May through October.