My water heater’s nineteen years old, and my insurer keeps asking about it by name. That’s Florida — I came down US-1 from New Jersey in 2001 and I’m still learning what worries the underwriters down here. As of mid-September 2026, storm season’s still open and my four-point inspection is due for renewal, so pipes and tanks are on my mind.
Every year about now somebody in the neighborhood group posts a photo of water pooling under a heater and asks who to call. So I read what’s on record for the five names that keep coming up.
Standard disclosure, and I mean it: no one on this list paid to be here, and I have no business relationship with any of them. I set the floor at fifty-plus Google reviews, a 4.5 rating or better, and a review within the last year, then read Google, BBB, Thumbtack, Angi, and the state contractor board’s record where one exists — three of the five here have that. All five work Port St. Lucie.
1. First Choice Plus Plumbing & Air Port St Lucie
A sprinkler line splits, water’s running down the driveway, and there’s a truck in the yard within the hour — that’s the story neighbors tell about this one. Google puts them at 4.9 out of 5 across better than a thousand reviews, and the BBB’s given them an A+ for nineteen years. More than one review mentions a tech explaining the water heater decision before he ever touched a wrench. Same-day is the word that shows up again and again. Ask upfront whether their estimate holds up if this turns into an insurance claim.
2. The Plumbing Works Inc
David’s crew is who property managers call when a slab leak needs tracing fast, and reviews mention them working with the city to find the right shutoff valve. Eighty-five reviews at 4.8, an A+ from the BBB, fifteen years in, and one of the few here with a CFC license on file with the state board. Their water heater warranty runs six years to lifetime, written right on the site. My question: does a repair here mean redoing my wind mitigation paperwork too? Warranty is the word worth pinning down before the truck leaves.
3. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Port St Lucie
Nearly three thousand people have rated this outfit on Google and they’re still at 4.9 — enough to make you wonder if the whole county’s used them once. One reviewer’s tech went in through drywall on the far side of a shower wall instead of cutting tile. Another says the tech checked a suspected sink leak and told them flatly there wasn’t one to fix. That’s the kind of note that helps if this ever meets an adjuster. Honest is the word that keeps turning up. Ask whether the invoice separates drywall access from the repair itself.
4. I Need The Plumber & Air Conditioning
If your water heater’s failing and you want the real numbers before anyone touches it, this name surfaces fast. Google has them at 4.9 from 381 reviews, BBB accredited fifteen years, and their page insists there’s no hourly fee sprung on you later — more than one review calls the pricing on a new heater fair. They hold both the CAC and CFC certifications, useful when a job straddles plumbing and HVAC. Ask for the repair option and the replacement option side by side, in writing, and whether the labor warranty length lands on the invoice. Straightforward is the word they use about themselves, and the reviews agree.
5. Miranda Plumbing & Air Conditioning
Miranda’s been on the Treasure Coast since 1981, which around here counts as ancient, and 4.9 out of 5 across nearly fifteen hundred reviews says the years added up. Their plumbing license, CFC1427227, is posted on the site, alongside a ninety-day labor warranty on service work. One reviewer had an old heater swapped out in a few hours flat; another’s used them nine years running. After-hours is where they earn their keep — if a pipe lets go during the next named storm, this is the number worth having saved. Ask if the crew answering at 2 a.m. is the same one who shows up.
Who do you actually call
Water on the floor at nine tonight? First Choice Plus or Miranda, whoever calls back first. Water heater older than your car? I Need The Plumber, for the fix-versus-replace math. Worried a repair means redoing your wind mitigation form? The Plumbing Works, in writing. Need a pipe reached without tearing up a wall? Ben Franklin…