The short answer: If you see or smell mold, find and stop the water source, keep the area dry, and try not to disturb it. Then call a licensed mold inspector. A mold inspection finds out what is going on and puts it in writing. It does not remove the mold. Removal, called remediation, is a separate job done by a different company. Finding a dark spot on the ceiling, or catching a musty smell you cannot explain, is stressful. The good news is that you do not have to guess what

They called us about a flooded closet. A licensed Florida mold assessor walks through a real St. Johns County inspection step by step — the visual walkthrough, moisture mapping, taking the air handler apart, the lab results, and what the report actually concluded.

Is "toxic black mold" really deadly? A Florida mold assessor sorts myth from fact: why all mold matters, why you can't judge it by color, and why testing is the only way to know what you're dealing with.

Air testing is usually the first thing people ask for when they suspect mold, but on its own it rarely answers the question. Here's what testing can tell you, what a licensed assessment adds, and when each one is worth doing.