Orlando concrete contractors: workers' comp rates and a real payroll example

Concrete businesses in Orange County

According to County Business Patterns, 1,953 people worked at 128 poured concrete foundation and structure contractors (NAICS 238110) establishments in Orange County in 2023.

That is 7.1% of the 1,804 such establishments statewide, and the fourth 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 $58,587 per employee, the base your premium is calculated on.

Narrowing to ZIP codes with an Orlando postal address, the same Census program lists 42 concrete contractor establishments in 2023.

Concrete firms make up 2.8% of the 4,536 construction establishments in Orange County.

For concrete contractor firms, Orange County's average pay of $58,587 sits above Alachua County ($56,932) and below Miami-Dade County ($63,367).

Cement masons and concrete finishers in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area earned a median $21.95 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 1,910 employed; the Florida median was $22.34.

At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $45,660 a year, which adds roughly $2,367 of class 5213 premium.

2026 Florida class codes and rates

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.

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.

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 Orlando

In Orlando, the City of Orlando Permitting Services 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.

Building permits inside Orlando city limits run through the City of Orlando Permitting Services office, and the contractor of record on each permit has to be properly licensed and insured. Work in unincorporated Orange County goes through the county instead, so a crew that works on both sides of the city line deals with two permit desks. Orlando is inland, but hurricane season still reaches it: Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Milton in 2024 both crossed Central Florida.

Most Orlando construction payroll comes from three streams: hospitality and attraction work around International Drive and the parks, the steady build-out of housing on the city's east side near Lake Nona, and medical and research campuses. Commercial owners in that mix routinely ask subcontractors for a certificate naming them as certificate holder, and many require a waiver of subrogation. A policy that cannot produce those quickly costs bids. Where crews work in Spanish, bilingual safety training and claim reporting are practical needs here. Orlando Utilities Commission, owned by the city, provides electric and water service inside much of Orlando, so service connections run through a municipal utility. In the southeast, Lake Nona's medical and research campus has grown into a district of hospitals, labs and housing, adding steady institutional and residential work far from downtown.

• Central Florida's frequent summer lightning means outdoor crews lose afternoons to storms and work longer shifts on clear days.
• Hospitality, theme-park and convention construction keeps commercial jobs running year-round, which favors contractors that can document a steady payroll.

Common claims for concrete contractors in Orlando

Orlando concrete crews pour slabs for subdivisions and warehouse floors for the distribution centers that cluster near the airport and the turnpike. Inland concrete crews pour mostly slabs and foundations for new homes and warehouses, with heat and back strain as the main risks.

• 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 an Orlando concrete quote

• Payroll for your Orlando concrete work, split by class (5213, 5221) and with office staff listed separately
• Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Orlando 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 Orlando Permitting Services, which show the volume and type of Orlando work
• Any jobs planned outside Orange County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them

Questions from Orlando concrete contractors