Bathroom Remodeling Across Florida

What is different about bathrooms in Florida?

Florida bathrooms live in concrete block houses on slabs, in humidity that never lets the house dry out. The exhaust fan is the single highest-value line in any Florida estimate: sized for the room, ducted outside, on a humidity sensor. Mold-resistant backer board and no paper-faced drywall in wet zones are the baseline.

Under the slab, homes built before the mid-1970s across Tampa, St. Petersburg, Miami and Jacksonville commonly have cast-iron drains that have corroded through. Slow drains, a sewer smell and a damp spot on the floor are the signs, and a camera inspection before the estimate is what separates a Florida pro from a visitor.

Supply lines from the late 1970s to mid-1990s may be gray polybutylene, which fails without warning; replacing the bathroom runs with PEX while the walls are open is inexpensive insurance. Water from the Floridan and Biscayne aquifers is hard, and salt air near either coast pits plated fixtures within a few years.

Flood zones add a rulebook. After the 2024 storms, the 50 percent rule governs waterfront remodels in St. Petersburg and Tampa: improvements above half the structure's value over the tracking period trigger elevation. A bathroom rarely crosses the line alone, but it adds to the running total. Ground-floor bathrooms in any flood zone should be built with cement board, porcelain and removable vanities below the flood line.

Typical estimates: $11,000 to $32,000 for a mid-range full remodel and $5,000 to $16,000 for a tub-to-shower conversion, with Jacksonville at the low end and Miami at the high end. Permits come from each city or county building department; Miami-Dade alone has four.

Bathroom remodel guides for Florida cities

Each guide covers the housing stock, climate, water, permits, typical costs and timelines, and the neighborhoods participating pros hear from most.

• Tampa, FL

  Block houses on slabs, cast iron corroding under 1950s ranches, polybutylene in Westchase and garden tubs to remove.

• St. Petersburg, FL

  The 50 percent rule after the 2024 surge, flood-resilient rebuilds in Shore Acres and cast iron under Disston Heights slabs.

• Miami, FL

  Condo renovation packets, salt air that pits plated fixtures, terrazzo worth protecting in the Gables and cast iron under Westchester slabs.

• Jacksonville, FL

  Pier-and-beam bungalows in Riverside, cast iron under Arlington slabs, sulfur-scented aquifer water and flood rebuilds along the St. Johns.