Due to an overwhelming response, the MSFH Program has generated a large number of applicants. Funds for home inspections are still available; however, grant funding is quickly being obligated. All grants are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and are subject to appropriation by the Legislature. If you want to apply for a grant, you should submit your grant application after your inspection is complete.
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.
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.
At this time, the Program can only authorize grant payments to homeowners who were pre-approved for the grant prior to construction commencing.
As of July 20, 2023, over $40 million in reimbursement grants have been distributed.
The contractor’s list is available with the portal to all approved grantees.
All new applicants need to follow the MSFH Program steps.
Right now, this process would take approximately 90 days.
Your inspection is free of charge. Any expenses beyond your grant amount up to $10,000 is your expense.
Matching grants work through Reimbursement. 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.
Visit www.MySafeFLHome.com and click the access account tab in the upper right corner.
This will take you to the applicant portal so you can log into your account.
ANY Floridian whose primary residence is a site-built, single-family, detached home is eligible to apply. Please review our Homeowner’s Guide for further information regarding eligibility.
Upon approval of your inspection application, the Program will notify you via email (or an alternative if necessary) and provide you with the name and contact information of the inspection firm assigned to inspect your home. An inspector will contact you within one week to schedule a free inspection.
Review the information on the Home Hardening Upgrades page of your inspection report (page 6); these are the improvements recommended for your home that are eligible for reimbursement.
Requesting a Final Inspection through the program is the first step in the Reimbursement process. This Final Inspection is a wind mitigation inspection provided at no cost by the My Safe Florida Home Program. After you have completed this Final inspection, you will be able to submit a Reimbursement Draw Request through the system that includes all the required documents. For a full list of required documents, please review the Reimbursement Guide here.
Your Reimbursement Draw Request will be returned to you in the Neighborly system for resubmission. Please keep an eye out for an email from “Neighborly Software.” If you receive a return, you may return to the Applicant Portal to resubmit your Draw Request with any missing information. The return email you receive from “Neighborly Software” will include details as to what might be missing.
The approved MSFH contractor list will be available in a grant approval email.
No, grants are not taxable income. Please follow this link to learn more about tax information: https://floridarevenue.com/Pages/SalesTaxHolidays.aspx
The key element of your report is the summary grid that identifies your home’s current strengths and weaknesses. It is your map to your options when creating your home retrofitting plan.
If you are approved for a grant, only improvements suggested on page 6 of your initial inspection report are “recommended improvements.” If you have any questions about your report, please contact the inspection company from your original approval email.
No. Do not begin any work that you plan to be reimbursed by the program. You must wait until you receive your official grant approval email from the MSFH program.
When work on your home is complete, you must initiate the Reimbursement or Disbursement process for BOTH types of grants by having your home inspected again. There is no other way to initiate the Reimbursement/Disbursement process without requesting a Final Inspection from the My Safe Florida Home program via the Applicant Portal.
After you have requested your Final Inspection, you will receive a notification similar to the Initial Inspection Approval email. Once your Final Inspection has been completed, the inspector will submit the Final Inspection Report to the MSFH portal. After your status has changed to “Pending Reimbursement Request,” if you are a Matching Grant recipient, you are ready to provide additional information through the Applicant Portal for Reimbursement.
If you are a Low-Income Grant recipient, you will need to return to the portal to upload an email, letter, or new quote from your insurance agent that outlines what, if any, discount is available, but it is the contractor’s responsibility to request payment from the Program portal and provide all relevant documents.
If you received a Matching grant, The homeowner will be responsible for uploading the following information into the system.
1. Invoice Cover Sheet.
2. Original Contractor Invoice(s).
3. Proof of Payment (Cancelled check, receipts, paid invoice.
4. Insurance proof of premium discounts (email, letter, a new quote from an insurance agent that outlines what, if any, discount is available
If your inspection report contains a recommendation to add a Secondary Water-Resistant Barrier (SWR), then you may use program funds to replace your roof. Work with your contractor and local building officials to determine the best SWR product for your home, and that the selected product will pass local building code inspections.
You do not need to do all of the listed improvments on your inspection report. We suggest performing the least-costly improvement that will give your home the most protection. However, you should perform what you can afford. We recommend discussing your options with local contractors.
Yes, so long as the Inspection Report recommends Opening Protection as an eligible improvement. Please review our Opening Protection Guide here.
When you sign back into the Participant Portal (you can return to the portal at any time by using the “Apply Now” button on the website), your case “status” will be displayed in the righthand column.
Only recommended improvements identified in your Inspection Report are eligible for a grant under the My Safe Florida Home Program. Unfortunately, improvements that were completed prior to the Inspection Report’s recommendations are not eligible for reimbursement because prior improvements should not be recommended on the Inspection Report.
All labor costs and materials purchases must be made after grant approval to be eligible for reimbursement.
If the Inspection Report you received does not list any suggested upgrades, then you will not be eligible for a grant on any proposed home improvement. The My Safe Florida Home Program can only provide grants to help pay for recommended improvements.