Cape Coral concrete contractors: workers' comp rates and a real payroll example
Lee County has 96 concrete contractor businesses. Class 5213 is $5.184 per $100 of payroll in 2026; a 4-person Cape Coral crew runs about $9,279 a year.
Concrete businesses in Lee County
According to County Business Patterns, 1,137 people worked at 96 poured concrete foundation and structure contractors (NAICS 238110) establishments in Lee County in 2023.
That is 5.3% of the 1,804 such establishments statewide, and the fifth highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Divide their reported annual payroll by headcount and the average is about $44,807 per employee, the base your premium is calculated on.
Narrowing to ZIP codes with a Cape Coral postal address, the same Census program lists 15 concrete contractor establishments in 2023.
Concrete firms make up 2.5% of the 3,887 construction establishments in Lee County.
For concrete contractor firms, Lee County's average pay of $44,807 sits below Leon County ($46,767).
Cement masons and concrete finishers in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area earned a median $22.16 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 900 employed; the Florida median was $22.34.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $46,090 a year, which adds roughly $2,389 of class 5213 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5213 | CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION NOC. | $5.184 | $2,900 |
| 5221 | CONCRETE OR CEMENT WORK | $3.873 | $2,900 |
Rates are the 2026 Florida manual rates published by the FWCJUA, matching the standard filing approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation for policies effective on or after January 1, 2026.
Worked example for a Cape Coral crew
Take a 4-person Cape Coral crew paid the county average: $179,000 of annual payroll in class 5213.
At $5.184 per $100, the manual premium is about $9,279 a year, or about $2,320 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
A Cape Coral business that ends up in the FWCJUA, Florida's market of last resort, pays a 93% surcharge in Tier 1 or 183% in Tiers 2 and 3, about $17,909 or $26,261 on that payroll.
The same crew doing only flatwork in 5221 at $3.873 would be about $6,933.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Cape Coral crew would pay about $7,887, and at a 1.25 mod about $11,599.
These Cape Coral figures are an illustration from public data; a real quote uses your own payroll and loss history.
Class 5213 manual premium by headcount at Lee County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | $2,333 |
| 3 | $134,000 | $6,947 |
| 4 | $179,000 | $9,279 |
| 10 | $448,000 | $23,224 |
| 20 | $896,000 | $46,449 |
How concrete contractors are classified
Concrete payroll usually sits in two classes. Structural work, such as foundations, tilt-wall, columns and elevated slabs, is 5213 at $5.184 per $100. Flatwork, such as driveways, sidewalks, patios and slab-on-grade floors, is 5221 at $3.873. The difference is meaningful, so a contractor doing both should track each job by type. Pump-truck operation and ready-mix delivery have their own codes.
Usually included
- Foundations, footings and columns (5213)
- Elevated slabs and decks (5213)
- Driveways, sidewalks and slab-on-grade floors (5221)
- Forming and finishing crews
Rated separately
- Concrete pumping operators
- Ready-mix delivery drivers
- Clerical staff (8810)
At audit
- Track structural pours (5213) separately from flatwork (5221) job by job; the rate gap is large enough to matter at audit.
- Pump operators and ready-mix drivers are classified apart from the finishing crew.
Permits and licensing in Cape Coral
In Cape Coral, the City of Cape Coral Permitting Services Division handles building and right-of-way permits for foundations, slabs and driveways. Under section 440.103 of Florida law, a concrete business has to show proof of workers' comp or an exemption to receive a building permit.
Every building permit in Cape Coral is submitted through the city's EnerGov self-service portal, and the Permitting Services Division registers contractors with the city before they can pull a permit. Cape Coral is laced with canals, so docks, seawalls and boat lifts are a regular part of local construction alongside new single-family homes. Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County on September 28, 2022, and the rebuild that followed reshaped the local labor market for roofers, framers and drywall crews for years.
Cape Coral's construction is dominated by single-family homes on a grid of canals and dry lots, with pools, docks, seawalls and boat lifts built alongside many of them. After Hurricane Ian, roof replacement and full rebuilds created a long backlog, and the city's contractor registration and permit portal became the gatekeeper for out-of-area crews. A contractor working here benefits from having certificates on file with the city and the builders it subs for before each job starts. Much of the city still relies on septic systems, and Cape Coral's long-running Utilities Extension Project brings water and sewer lines to those neighborhoods, which keeps underground and plumbing crews busy. Large areas in the northern part of the city remain vacant lots, so new-home construction continues to spread north.
- Canal-front and seawall work adds drowning and marine-construction exposures that can call for USL&H coverage on top of state workers' comp.
- Single-family residential construction dominates, so framing and roofing payroll here tends to land in the residential carpentry and roofing codes.
Common claims for concrete contractors in Cape Coral
Cape Coral concrete crews pour slabs, pool decks and driveways for new homes, and seawall caps on canal lots. Coastal concrete work includes seawall caps and elevated slabs, adding work near water and at height.
- Back and knee injuries from screeding and finishing
- Chemical burns from wet cement on skin
- Struck-by injuries from pump booms and formwork
- Falls from elevated forms and decks
- Heat illness during early-morning pours that run into midday
What to have ready for a Cape Coral concrete quote
- Payroll for your Cape Coral concrete work, split by class (5213, 5221) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Cape Coral jobs, checked in the Proof of Coverage database
- Three years of loss runs for the concrete business, plus your current experience modifier if you have one
- Recent permits pulled with the City of Cape Coral Permitting Services Division, which show the volume and type of Cape Coral work
- Any jobs planned outside Lee County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your Cape Coral concrete business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing concrete contractors in Lee County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Cape Coral concrete contractors
What does workers' comp cost concrete contractors in Cape Coral, FL?
Florida rates are set statewide, so a Cape Coral business pays the same $5.184 per $100 of payroll for class 5213 as anywhere else in the state. What changes is payroll: at Lee County's 2023 average of about $44,807 per employee, each worker adds roughly $2,320 of manual premium a year before your experience modifier and credits.
How many concrete contractor businesses operate in Cape Coral?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 15 concrete contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Cape Coral postal address, out of 96 across Lee County and 1,804 statewide. Every one of them with employees has to carry Florida workers' comp, so certificates are routine in Cape Coral bids.
Where do concrete contractors in Cape Coral get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Cape Coral come from the City of Cape Coral Permitting Services Division. Concrete contractors in Cape Coral work under a state certified or registered license from the Florida DBPR. Construction employers in Cape Coral need workers' comp from their first hire; the policy or exemption shows up in the state's Proof of Coverage records that permit offices check.
What is the difference between 5213 and 5221?
5213 is structural concrete such as foundations, columns and elevated decks. 5221 is flatwork such as driveways, sidewalks and slab-on-grade floors. In 2026 the Florida rates are $5.184 and $3.873 per $100 of payroll.
Does seawall or dock work in Cape Coral need more than state workers' comp?
It can. Work on or over navigable water may fall under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, which state workers' comp does not cover unless the policy carries a USL&H endorsement. Ask for that endorsement if your crews build or repair seawalls, docks or boat lifts.
Does hurricane season change workers' comp costs for concrete contractors in Cape Coral?
Not the rate itself. Workers' comp is billed on actual payroll, so a busy post-storm season in Cape Coral shows up at audit as additional premium. Reporting the higher payroll during the year spreads that cost out instead of leaving one large bill at the end.
Sources
- Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 (metropolitan areas and Florida)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 (establishments by size class, ZIPs grouped by postal city)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.103 — Building permits; proof of workers' compensation coverage
- Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriting Association, 2026 rates and minimum premiums by class
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Commissioner approves 6.9% workers' compensation rate decrease effective January 1, 2026
- FWCJUA, Bulletin 25-9: 2026 Tier 1, 2 and 3 surcharges
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (establishments, employment and annual payroll by county and NAICS)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.02 — Definitions (employer, construction industry, corporate officers)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.05 — Election of exemption
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.10 — Liability for compensation (contractors and subcontractors)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.107 — Compliance, stop-work orders and penalties
- Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage database
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census population, QuickFacts
- City of Cape Coral, Permitting Services Division
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical cyclone climatology (Atlantic season June 1 – November 30)
Reviewed 2026-10-13. Rates and figures are for illustration; a quote depends on your payroll, classifications, experience modifier and carrier.