The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1. NOAA’s pre-season outlook arrives in late May, and Florida general contractors who use the weeks before then to audit pavement on active job sites – and on owner-managed facilities – consistently spend less on emergency repairs after the first storm of the season.
This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a scheduling reality. Once a named system enters the Gulf, asphalt plants throttle production, crews shift to emergency call-outs, and any non-critical pavement work gets pushed weeks out. The window for preventive work is now through late June.
Here’s what we recommend reviewing before June 1.
1. Drainage at low spots
Standing water is the single largest accelerator of pavement deterioration after a storm. Walk every parking lot, access road, and project staging area you’re responsible for. Mark any spot where water still sits 24 hours after rain. These are the locations most likely to develop potholes, alligator cracking, or full pavement failure in the first big system of the season.
A 30-minute walkthrough now is a fraction of the cost of emergency mobilization later.
2. Sealcoat condition on owner-managed facilities
For property managers and facility owners with VLJ as your hauling or paving partner: if your last sealcoat was 3+ years ago, you’re due. Sealcoating is a sub-$1/SF spend that, applied before hurricane season, helps asphalt shed moisture and resist UV degradation through the worst of the wet months.
If you’re not sure when your last application was, we can pull our records or walk the site with you.
3. Stockpile staging on active projects
Owner contracts increasingly include weather-event clauses that require contractors to pre-stage emergency repair materials before named storms. Confirm with your prime that aggregate, cold patch, and base material stockpiles are positioned where they’ll be accessible – not in low-elevation laydown yards.
4. Project schedule contingencies
Review your Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule. Identify any paving, milling, or striping activity scheduled June through October. Build float into the schedule for at least one named storm. FDOT contracts on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts now standardly include hurricane day clauses; private contracts often don’t, and you can negotiate them in if your owner is reasonable.
What VLJ does during hurricane season
Our crews stay on standby for emergency pavement repair on FDOT IDIQ work and for owner clients with existing contracts. We pre-position equipment and material stockpiles in advance of named storms when forecasts warrant. If you want to be on our priority call list for the 2026 season, reach out before June 1.
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Related Resources
- Our Services – Paving, milling, hauling, sealcoating, striping, and concrete recycling across Florida.
- Weather and the Worksite – Planning for the Unpredictable
- Why Your Roads and Pavement Need Sealcoating
