Can asphalt be laid in the rain?

Not during placement and compaction. Rain on an uncompacted mat cools it prematurely and washes fines out of the surface, and it never achieves proper density. Once compacted and cooled the surface handles water fine — the vulnerable window is short but real.

What is the best time of year to pave in Florida?

The dry season, roughly November through April, is the most predictable and easiest to schedule. Summer work is entirely possible with early starts to beat the afternoon storms — it just needs flexibility on the date and a crew willing to stop for weather.

Scheduling Paving Around Florida's Storm Season

People assume the constraint on paving in Florida is heat. It is not — heat is largely workable. The constraint is water, and specifically the afternoon convective storms that run from roughly June through September.

Why rain on fresh asphalt is a problem

Asphalt is placed hot and compacted while it is hot. A downpour on a mat that has not been compacted cools it prematurely and washes fines out of the surface, and the result is a surface that never achieves proper density.

Once compacted and cooled, rain is not a problem — a finished surface handles water fine. The vulnerable window is short but it is genuinely vulnerable, which is why a crew will stop rather than push through an approaching storm. That is the right call even when it is inconvenient.

The base is the bigger issue

A saturated base cannot be properly compacted, and paving over one produces a failure that shows up in a year or two. After sustained rain the ground needs time to drain before base work can proceed, and no amount of scheduling pressure changes that.

A crew that will pave over a saturated base to keep a date is a crew that has already decided your driveway is not their problem.

Practical scheduling

Dry season, roughly November through April, is the most predictable window and the easiest to schedule.
Summer work is entirely possible — it just needs early starts to get placement and compaction done before the afternoon pattern develops.
Build flexibility into the date. A crew that will not move for weather is a crew you do not want.
Sealcoating needs a longer dry window than paving does — generally a full day of dry weather and no rain overnight for it to cure.
Book ahead for dry-season work. Everyone wants the same months.

Heat is workable

Summer heat means asphalt stays workable longer, which is helpful for placement and compaction. It also means longer curing before you can drive on it — five days rather than three during a genuine heat wave. Plan for that rather than being surprised by it.