SERVPRO of University, SE Orlando

About SERVPRO of University / SE Orlando

For more than 15 years, SERVPRO of University / SE Orlando has been the local restoration company that the UCF corridor, East Orlando, Southeast Orlando, Azalea Park, Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Alafaya, and the broader East Orlando area call when something goes wrong. Owned and operated by Susan and Vern Boatman, this is a locally rooted business built on real relationships, community ties, and a deep commitment to the neighborhoods that make this part of Central Florida unique. Susan and Vern aren't just business owners. They are part of this community, and that personal investment shows up in every job their team takes on.

A Service Area Unlike Any Other in Central Florida

The University and SE Orlando territory is one of the most diverse and dynamic regions in Central Florida. The footprint covers everything from the energy of the UCF campus to the medical campus development around Lake Nona, from the older established neighborhoods along Curry Ford Road to the newer master-planned communities of East Orlando, and out to the rural properties on the eastern edge of Orange County.

The UCF area anchors the northern portion of the territory. The campus itself, the surrounding student housing communities along Alafaya Trail, Rouse Road, and Pegasus Drive, the Research Park technology corridor near Quadrangle Boulevard, and the commercial mix that serves the university population create a constant stream of restoration work. Student rental properties have their own rhythm. Commercial buildings serving students have heavy use patterns that affect their failure modes. Research facilities have their own coordination requirements when water or fire damage threatens equipment or research materials.

Lake Nona and the surrounding Medical City development define the southern portion of the territory. The newer construction here means a different property profile than the older neighborhoods elsewhere in the service area, but the medical facilities, the residential communities built around the medical campus, and the commercial development supporting both create their own restoration scenarios. Healthcare facilities have specific protocols that affect how restoration work gets scheduled and documented.

The central and western portions of the territory include the established residential neighborhoods of Azalea Park, Colonialtown, Thornton Park, and the Curry Ford Road corridor. Many of these homes are mid-century construction with aging plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems that fail in predictable patterns. The commercial corridors along East Colonial Drive (SR 50), Curry Ford Road, and Goldenrod Road bring restaurants, retail, professional offices, and small businesses into the mix.

The eastern portion of the territory extends across Waterford Lakes, Waterford Lakes Town Center, Avalon Park, Alafaya, Union Park, Vista East, Vista Lakes, Lake Underhill, South Semoran, Chickasaw, Econlockhatchee, Stoneybrook, Stoneybrook East, Eastwood, and Tivoli Woods. These master-planned communities have their own characteristics, including HOA documentation requirements, newer construction patterns, and the kind of dense residential development where a single storm event can affect dozens of properties simultaneously. Dean Road and the surrounding commercial corridor connects much of this section.

Bithlo and the rural eastern edge of the territory near the Econlockhatchee River and Lake Pickett extend the footprint into properties on septic systems and well water. The cleanup protocols for sewage and water damage events differ from municipal-utility properties, and knowing those differences matters when claims are being documented and work is being performed.

Oviedo and the surrounding Seminole County neighborhoods extend the footprint to the north and northeast. The 408 expressway corridor connects the territory and serves as a major access route during emergency response.

Services for Every Property Type in Every Neighborhood

Our work covers water damage restoration, emergency water removal, fire damage restoration, mold remediation, mold testing, mold inspection, smoke damage cleanup, soot removal, sewage backup cleanup, biohazard cleanup, crime scene cleanup, hoarding cleanup, hurricane damage response, storm damage restoration, emergency board-up and roof tarping, HVAC duct cleaning, asbestos coordination, document and photograph restoration through freeze-drying, contents pack-out, contents cleaning and restoration, specialty cleaning services, and full-service reconstruction.

Water damage restoration covers everything from the small Category 1 supply-line failure that floods a single room to the multi-floor commercial Category 3 event that involves demolition, reconstruction, and contents handling. We respond to burst pipes, ceiling leaks, roof leaks, water heater leaks and failures, dishwasher overflows, sprinkler activations, and exterior flooding. Truck-mounted extraction handles standing water. Thermal imaging and moisture meters identify migration through walls, under flooring, and into spaces that aren't visible from a quick walk-through. Drying equipment runs continuously until materials test back to acceptable moisture content.

Fire damage restoration covers the full range from kitchen grease fires in residential homes to electrical fires in commercial buildings to large-loss institutional events. The work includes board-up and stabilization, suppression water removal, smoke and soot cleaning, contents pack-out, deodorization with hydroxyl generators or ozone treatment depending on building occupancy, and full reconstruction when needed.

Mold remediation work begins with finding the moisture source, since killing mold without fixing what's feeding it just guarantees a return visit. Containment isolates the affected area. Affected drywall and insulation come out. What stays gets treated with antimicrobials, and HEPA air filtration runs until post-remediation testing confirms acceptable spore counts.

Storm and hurricane damage response involves emergency board-up, roof tarping, water extraction, structural drying, and reconstruction across the full range of property types. As part of the SERVPRO Large Loss Orlando Division, we mobilize additional crews and equipment when named storms affect multiple properties simultaneously across East and Southeast Orlando.

We provide 24/7 emergency restoration services because water, fire, and storm emergencies do not wait for business hours, and neither do we. Our technicians are IICRC-certified in water damage restoration, applied structural drying, fire and smoke restoration, and mold remediation. We work with the full resources of the SERVPRO national brand combined with the personal accountability that comes with locally owned franchise ownership.

The UCF Job That Defined the Team

Some restoration jobs are routine. Others stay with you. One of the most memorable for our team was a large-scale water loss at the University of Central Florida, where flooding cascaded through four floors of a campus building. The kind of job where the call comes in and you know immediately that everything you have, every truck, every piece of drying equipment, every certified technician on the roster, is going to be involved in the response.

The work required rapid mobilization across multiple stories, extensive water extraction with truck-mounted equipment running continuously, coordination with university facilities staff on building access and operational requirements, sustained drying with industrial-grade equipment placed strategically across the affected floors, moisture monitoring across the entire structure to confirm drying progress, and a sustained effort to protect the building structure and contents while getting the space back into operation as fast as possible.

That kind of high-stakes, large-loss commercial work is exactly what separates an experienced restoration team from everyone else. It requires equipment capacity, certified personnel, project management capability, documentation discipline, and the relationships with the SERVPRO Large Loss Orlando Division and the national network that allow a single franchise to scale up when the situation demands it. SERVPRO of University / SE Orlando was built for that kind of work.

The same crew that handles those institutional jobs also handles the family pipe burst on a Saturday night in Avalon Park, the smoke damage in a Lake Nona condo, the mold remediation in a Waterford Lakes home, the sewage backup in an Azalea Park ranch home, the storm damage in a Bithlo property after hurricane season, and the commercial water damage at a Curry Ford Road business that needs to reopen by Monday morning. Same standards. Same documentation discipline. Same accountability.

Working with East Orlando's Property Mix

East and Southeast Orlando have a property mix that requires real local knowledge. UCF student housing properties have their own restoration rhythm, where high tenant turnover and academic calendars affect when work gets scheduled and how units are turned around for the next semester. Lake Nona's newer construction and the Medical City presence create commercial restoration scenarios that require coordination with healthcare facility protocols and the documentation that medical environments demand.

The older mid-century homes along Curry Ford Road and in Azalea Park have aging plumbing systems with original copper supply lines reaching the end of their serviceable life, cast iron drain lines that crack before fully failing, and electrical systems that have been updated piecemeal over decades. The failure modes are predictable, and the restoration approach has to account for original substrates that may include heritage materials worth saving.

Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Stoneybrook, and Eastwood master-planned communities have HOA considerations that affect documentation, permit processes, and aesthetic requirements during reconstruction. The newer construction era means different building materials and different failure patterns than the older neighborhoods, but the work is no less detailed.

Bithlo and the rural eastern edge of the territory near the Econlockhatchee River include properties on septic systems and well water that change the cleanup approach for sewage and water damage events. Properties farther from municipal infrastructure also tend to have larger lots, different drainage patterns, and access considerations that affect emergency response logistics.

Knowing how each neighborhood actually works is part of the job. Fifteen years of working in this territory means we know which sub-areas have what kinds of properties, which insurance carriers cover which neighborhoods most heavily, which property managers handle which complexes, and which contractors and trades work alongside us reliably for reconstruction.

Insurance Coordination Done Right

Most restoration jobs run through insurance carriers, and the documentation matters as much as the technical work. Adjusters need photos of damage before and during work, written scope of services, daily moisture readings logged with timestamps, material removal records, and clear cause-and-origin documentation. We coordinate directly with adjusters at State Farm, Allstate, Citizens, USAA, Progressive, Farmers, and the other Florida carriers active in our service area.

Property owners should not be coordinating documentation in the middle of a crisis. We handle that side of the job so they can focus on getting their lives or their business back to normal. When claims questions come up later, the documentation is in place to answer them. When carriers dispute scope or cause, the documentation supports the position.

For commercial clients with operational continuity concerns, the documentation and the restoration work happen in parallel with whatever scheduling and access constraints the business needs. For residential clients dealing with displacement, we coordinate with the carrier on additional living expenses documentation alongside the restoration work itself.

Why Local Ownership Matters

There is a difference between a restoration company owned by an investor group running multiple franchises across multiple states and a restoration company owned by people who actually live in the community they serve. Susan and Vern Boatman have been part of this East and Southeast Orlando community for fifteen years. The team they have built reflects that. The crews who answer the emergency calls are the same crews who see the customers at the grocery store, at the kids' sporting events, at the local restaurants, at the community gatherings.

That community presence creates a kind of accountability that doesn't exist in absentee ownership models. When a job goes wrong somewhere, the owners hear about it directly from neighbors and customers. When a job goes well, the same channels deliver the feedback. Over fifteen years, that consistent feedback loop has shaped how the company operates.

The team is built around long-tenure technicians who know the territory and know each other. The equipment is invested in based on what the actual job pipeline requires. The relationships with local property managers, insurance adjusters, and reconstruction contractors are built on years of working together and earning trust through performance, not through marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is water damage restoration? Water damage restoration is the process of removing water, drying affected materials, treating contamination, and restoring a property to pre-loss condition. It typically involves extraction, dehumidification, moisture monitoring, and any necessary demolition or reconstruction.

What does water damage restoration cost in East and Southeast Orlando? Cost depends on water category, square footage, and property type. Single-family residential Category 1 jobs can run a few hundred dollars. Commercial Category 3 jobs involving demolition can reach five figures or more. Most claims go through homeowner or commercial insurance.

Do you serve the entire East and Southeast Orlando area? Yes. Our service area covers the UCF corridor, Research Park, Azalea Park, Colonialtown, Thornton Park, Curry Ford Road area, Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Alafaya, Union Park, Vista East, Vista Lakes, Lake Underhill, South Semoran, Chickasaw, Econlockhatchee, Stoneybrook, Eastwood, Bithlo, Oviedo, and the surrounding Orange and Seminole County neighborhoods.

Do you handle commercial restoration for businesses near UCF and Lake Nona? Yes. Commercial water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, and mold remediation for office buildings, medical facilities, restaurants, retail centers, and university properties is a core part of our work. We coordinate around business hours and operational requirements when possible.

Do you handle restoration for medical facilities in Lake Nona? Yes. Healthcare facility restoration requires specific protocols for documentation, infection control, and operational continuity. Our team coordinates with facility managers on requirements that medical environments demand.

Do you handle UCF student housing restoration? Yes. Student housing properties have their own rhythm, and we coordinate with property managers on tenant communication, access scheduling, and turn timing around academic calendars so units can be re-rented as quickly as possible.

My property is on a septic system or well water. Does that change the restoration approach? Yes. Properties in Bithlo, the eastern edge of the territory, and other areas not on municipal sewer or water require different cleanup protocols for sewage and water damage events. We adapt the approach based on the property's actual systems.

How fast can you respond to an emergency? We answer the phone 24/7 and aim to be on site within an hour for emergency calls in our service area, including the UCF area, Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Azalea Park, and surrounding East Orlando neighborhoods.

Are your technicians certified? Yes. Our technicians hold IICRC certifications in water damage restoration, applied structural drying, fire and smoke restoration, and mold remediation. We maintain those certifications through ongoing training as standards and equipment evolve.

Do you handle large commercial losses? Yes. As part of the SERVPRO Large Loss Orlando Division, we mobilize additional crews and equipment for large-scale commercial events including multi-floor water losses, fire damage at major facilities, and named storm response. The UCF four-floor flooding job is one example of the kind of large-loss work our team is built to handle.

Do you work with my insurance carrier? Most likely yes. We coordinate documentation directly with adjusters at State Farm, Allstate, Citizens, USAA, Progressive, Farmers, and the other major Florida carriers.

Do you work with property managers and HOAs? Yes. Property manager coordination is a core part of our commercial and multi-family work, including communication during repairs, access scheduling, and HOA documentation requirements for master-planned communities like Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Stoneybrook, and Eastwood.

Do you handle reconstruction after the cleanup? Yes. Full-service reconstruction is part of our work, which means property owners don't have to coordinate between separate mitigation and reconstruction trades. One team handles the full project from emergency response through final reconstruction.

A Local Business with Real Roots

Susan and Vern Boatman have spent 15 years building SERVPRO of University / SE Orlando into a restoration company that East and Southeast Orlando can rely on. Their team responds when the call comes in, does the work the right way, documents everything for insurance, and stays accountable for the result. For homeowners and business owners across the UCF corridor, Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Alafaya, Azalea Park, Curry Ford Road, Bithlo, Oviedo, and the rest of the territory, that consistency over fifteen years is the reason the same families and the same property managers keep calling back when something goes wrong.