Hey, Florida Homeowners!

The FL Legislature voted to provide the MSFH program with $176,170,000 to fund existing grant applications already in the queue.  The Governor signed it on 11/13/23.

This funding is intended only for the completed grant applications that have been submitted and are in the Queue.

Existing applications will now continue to be reviewed in the order they were received.  If approved, you will receive an email with further instructions on how to proceed. If your application cannot be approved, you will receive a notification of what is wrong and be given an opportunity to correct the information.

Your current portal status will change to “Grant Application in Queue for Review” until your application review is complete. There are no additional actions for you at this time.

PLEASE NOTE:  The MSFH Program will not accept any new grant applications until additional funding is made available.

The MSFH Program will continue to:

• Review and process already submitted grant applications.
• Process final inspection and grant reimbursement requests.
• Accept and approve new requests for initial FREE wind mitigation inspections based on available inspection funding.

• Applicants whose grant status indicates “Submitted” will remain in que until additional funding is appropriated by the Florida Legislature. If additional funding is provided, the Program will resume approving grant applications in the order in which they were received.
• Applicants who completed their initial home inspection but had not yet submitted their grant application will be required to hold until the grant application portal is re-opened.
• Applicants who have scheduled an initial inspection will proceed with their inspection as planned.
• Applicants who are in the process of either apply for or awaiting approval for a home inspection will continue to be processed.
• Any homeowner wishing to apply for a home inspection may continue to do so until further notice.

Your application will remain in the submitted status until additional grant funding is appropriated by the Legislature.

As of 9/22/23, the grant application has been temporarily suspended until additional funds become available. If the Program is appropriated additional grant funds, the grant application will be re-opened.

At this time, the Program can only authorize grant payments to homeowners who were approved for the grant prior to construction commencing.

The Program cannot guarantee that additional grant funds will be available. The Florida Legislature may provide more grant funds during the coming Legislative session in January of 2024.

No, there is no guarantee. The MSFH Program is optimistic that the overwhelmingly positive response to the program will be an incentive for new funds to be made available.

• Applicants whose homes are insured for $700,000 or less and applicants outside of the Wind-Borne Debris region will become eligible to receive grant funds
• Low-income grants will increase from $5,000 to $10,000
• Townhouses will be eligible to receive free wind mitigation inspections and grant funds for Opening Protection upgrades only. (Townhouse: A single-family unit constructed in a series or group of attached units separated by property lines. Each townhouse shall be considered a separate building and shall not exceed three stories in height (§ 481.203, F.S.).)

All of the following criteria will be used to approve grant applicants:

• You must have received a free home hurricane inspection through the My Safe Florida Home Program.
• You must provide proof of homestead exemption. If you need assistance obtaining a copy of your homestead exemption information, please confer with your local Property Appraiser or Tax Collectors’ Office.
• You must provide documentation that your home is insured for less than $700,000 and provide a copy of your current property insurance declarations page. If you do not have a copy, contact your home insurance company.
• The initial building construction permit for the home must have been issued prior to January 1, 2008. If you do not know when your home was built, please contact your local officials. This information is frequently available through the website or office of your Property Appraiser.
• Homeowners must allow the home to be re-inspected after construction work has been completed. This re-inspection is provided at no cost by the Department of Financial Services through the My Safe Florida Home Program.
• Low-income applicants must be below the 80% household median income percentile in their county of residence to qualify. FOR REFERENCE: Per Capita Personal Income by County, Annual: Florida | FRED | St. Louis Fed (stlouisfed.org)

All of the above criteria are necessary to qualify for, and receive, a grant, unless otherwise noted.

The My Safe Florida Home Program was re-enacted during the most recent Special Session of the Florida Legislature. The program consists of two primary components:

1. Wind Mitigation Home Inspections (DFS anticipates between 140,000 and 145,000 initial home inspections.)  All owners of site-built, single-family, residential homes or townhouses are eligible to make application for a wind mitigation home inspection. This inspection will identify those elements of your home’s construction which could be improved to mitigate your home against future wind damages. All inspections will be provided to eligible homeowners free of charge by the State. Applications will be reviewed and approved in the order in which they are received until current funding is exhausted.
2. Wind Mitigation Grant awards for home construction (DFS anticipates awarding between 11,000 and 12,000 grants based on current funding.)

An owner of a site-built, single-family, residential house or townhouse may apply for and receive an inspection without any further obligation to apply for a grant.

You may apply for your free wind mitigation inspection by clicking here.

The Legislature has authorized DFS to provide a matching grant to eligible homeowners up to $10,000 for the actual cost of qualifying home hurricane mitigation projects. The program will provide $2 in grant funds for every $1 the homeowner provides.  Low income grants have been increased from $5,000 to $10,000.

When recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, grants may be used for the following improvements:

ROOFS AND STRUCTURES

• Improve Strength of Roof Deck Attachments
• Reinforce Roof-to-Wall Connections
• Install Secondary Water Barrier for the Roof
• Townhouses are now eligible of opening protections (doors and windows) but are not eligible for roof repairs

OPENINGS

• Exterior Door Upgrades
• Garage Door Upgrades
• Window Upgrades

Yes, the Legislature has also provided tax exemptions for home-hardening initiatives. Please click here for additional information on tax breaks. Beginning July 1, 2022, until June 30, 2024, sales tax is exempt on purchases of impact-resistant doors, impact-resistant garage doors, and impact-resistant windows.

No. Once you have applied and been approved for your free wind-mitigation inspection, a licensed inspector will be assigned to you to complete the inspection of your home.

The Department of Financial Services will provide a list of contractors that have agreed to participate in the program. Applicants will be provided with that list of approved contractors to select from after they have been approved for their Grant.

Your inspection report is uploaded in the system.  Once reviewed and processed, you receive an email notification that you can now go back to your inspection account to open and submit your grant application if you choose.

According to Florida Statute 215.5586, 2(b), “All grants must be matched on the basis of $1 provided by the applicant for $2 provided by the state up to a maximum state contribution of $10,000 toward the actual cost of the mitigation project.” In other words, the homeowner must contribute funds equal to 1/3 of the cost of the project toward the project to be reimbursed for the remaining 2/3’s up to a maximum state contribution of $10,000.

For example, if an applicant were to pay $15,000 for new impact-rated windows, their required contribution would be $5,000, and the state’s contribution would be equal to the maximum grant amount of $10,000. If the windows cost $9,000, the applicant would pay $3,000 and would receive a state-matched Reimbursement of $6,000. If the windows cost more than $15,000, the applicant would still only receive $10,000, as that is the maximum reimbursement amount.