Meet Charles Leland, Master Plumber
Charles Leland has been involved in the plumbing trade for more than 65 years. He began helping his Father at Leland Plumbing on weekends and during summers in 1958 before joining the St. Petersburg company full-time in 1971.
Charles recalls earning his first master plumber’s license around 1975, before Florida introduced statewide plumbing licenses and during the early years of Pinellas County licensing. The exact date has not been independently documented.
FL Water Heater Pros is the registered DBA of Pop Leland Plumbing and operates under Florida State Certified Plumbing Contractor license CFC1432953. The name printed on the license and Charles Leland’s official relationship to it are pending client confirmation.
Our techs hold manufacturer certifications from A.O. Smith and State, with certifications from additional water heater manufacturers in progress. Every water heater he installs meets the Florida Plumbing Code and the manufacturer's written installation instructions. A standard water heater replacement takes him about 3 hours on site, including removal and disposal of the old unit.
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Why We Do Water Heaters
FL Water Heater Pros focuses primarily on water heaters because concentrating on one fixture produces faster diagnosis, stocked equipment, and cleaner installations. Three practical results come from that focus:
Stocked equipment: We keep common residential water heater sizes on hand, including multiple 30-, 40-, and 50-gallon options, helping reduce delays caused by equipment availability.
Faster diagnosis: Our experience with water heaters allows us to identify many common problems over the phone before scheduling a visit.
Cleaner installations: Frequent water heater installations help our plumbers deliver neat connections, proper pan and drain placement, and code-compliant work prepared for inspection.
This list shows how FL Water Heater Pros turns hands-on water heater experience into faster service and consistent workmanship on every St. Petersburg job. Our licensed master plumbers also handle general plumbing needs, including drain cleaning, repiping, and fixture repairs. If the issue extends beyond your water heater, we will explain the available options and recommend the appropriate service. Phone estimates are free.
Code-Compliant, Manufacturer-Certified Work
Every water heater installation we perform is permitted, inspected, and completed to the manufacturer's installation specifications. Pulling the permit is part of the job, never an add-on: permits, the inspection, a pressure test, and old-unit disposal are included with every water heater we install in Pinellas County. What do those permit requirements involve for your home? The water heater permit rules in Florida guide explains what gets permitted, what the inspector checks, and why it matters.
Manufacturer specifications matter for the same reason the permit does. An unpermitted or out-of-spec installation can void a water heater's warranty coverage, so our A.O. Smith and State certifications protect the paperwork behind your tank, not just the tank itself.
Licensed, Insured, and Local
FL Water Heater Pros is licensed and insured, operating under Florida State Certified Plumbing license CFC1432953 (FL Water Heater Pros is the registered DBA of Pop Leland Plumbing). The company is fully insured. It is based in St. Petersburg and serves homeowners here, not through a call center or a subcontractor network.
Where We Work
FL Water Heater Pros works throughout Pinellas County, with St. Petersburg as its home base. St. Petersburg is where the company is rooted and where most of its water heater calls originate. The Pinellas County service area also covers Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Dunedin, Gulfport, and the beach communities along the Gulf. Tampa sits just across the bay from our base, and callers in Tampa and elsewhere in the Bay area can phone to confirm availability.
Every community in that area gets the same scope of work: replacement, installation, repair, and maintenance for every common water heater type. Want the details on what an installation includes? Our water heater replacement and installation services page lists the process, the brands, and the pricing approach.
We have a master plumber on our team who personally works on your water heater, along with our team of competent technicians.