The challenges after Hurricane Irma abound: Downed trees, power outages — and a competitive construction climate awaiting South Floridians rebuilding or repairing their homes and businesses.

“Everybody is in competition if you are in the construction industry right now. The competition for labor and materials had already started and predated these storms,” said Conrad Lazo, construction attorney and shareholder at Becker & Poliakoff in Tampa, referring to the tolls taken by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

The burden would be on labor and materials, and supplies of both had tightened in recent months, he said. A departure from construction jobs because of the Great Recession — by some estimates 20 percent of the workforce left the trades — and a robust demand for building materials have created a competitive construction industry, Lazo said.