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Stop-work orders in Naples and Collier County

The Division's database lists 1,022 stop-work orders on Collier County employers from November 2004 through November 5, 2026, which ranks the county 13th in Florida. Naples accounts for 904 of them, far more than Immokalee or Marco Island. Hurricane Ian's storm surge hit the Naples coast in 2022, and repair work after a storm like that can bring new crews and new subcontractors onto local jobs.

By Adrian Middleton, Sword & Shield, PLLC · Updated Friday, October 9, 2026

What Naples investigators see most

In the Division's records, 89% of Collier County orders were issued for failure to obtain coverage. The county had 68 orders in all of 2025 and 43 in 2026 through November 5.

What happens after service

  1. 1

    The order is posted and all operations stop.

    At the Naples site and, once served on the employer, at every Florida worksite. $1,000 per day for working in violation (s. 440.107(7)(c)).

  2. 2

    The Request for Production of Business Records follows.

    Payroll, tax, bank, contract, coverage and exemption records for the preceding 12 months (24 for understated payroll or a prior order). Due within 21 days, which also controls the premium credit and the 25% first-time reduction.

  3. 3

    The penalty is calculated.

    Two times the premium on the uninsured payroll, or imputed at $2,036.93 per worker per week if records are not produced. Served as an Order of Penalty Assessment with its own 21-day petition deadline.

  4. 4

    Conditional release.

    Coverage in place, $1,000 down and a payment agreement get the crew back to work while the amount is finalized or contested.

Deadlines for Collier County employers

ClockLengthStarts
Petition to contest the order21 daysReceipt of the stop-work order
Produce records; premium credit; 25% reduction21 daysReceipt of the records request
Pay or sign payment agreement (keeps conditional release)21 daysService of the first penalty calculation
Replace an imputed penalty with records20 business daysFirst penalty assessment calculation (Rule 69L-6.028)

Why a Tallahassee firm for a Naples order

Every stop-work order case, wherever it starts, is decided in Tallahassee: the Division, the Division of Administrative Hearings and DBPR are headquartered there, and so is Sword & Shield, PLLC. We represent Naples employers by phone and video and appear in Tallahassee in person.

Also serving

  • Marco Island
  • Immokalee
  • Golden Gate
  • Bonita Springs

Before you do anything else

Do not hand the investigator any records, do not give a statement, and do not keep working. Read the do's and don'ts, run the free penalty calculator, and call or text the cell. The consultation is free and answered 24 hours a day.

The steps that apply anywhere in Florida

The process and the deadlines are the same statewide. These pages go deeper on each stage.

Questions

Which Division office handles Naples stop-work orders?+

Collier County job sites are generally worked by the Bureau of Compliance district office for Collier County. The investigator's name and district appear on the order itself. Your attorney deals with that district office; you should not.

Do I have to come to Tallahassee?+

No. The consultation, the records review and nearly all of the case are handled by phone and video. If a formal hearing is needed it is held at the Division of Administrative Hearings in Tallahassee or by video, and we appear for you.

Can a Naples stop-work order affect my jobs elsewhere in Florida?+

Yes. Once served on the employer, the order applies to every worksite in the state where the employer is not in compliance, and it follows the principals into any successor company in the same trade.

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  • · Do not hand over records until you know what is in them.
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