Countdown to 2023 Hurricane Season
HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR GRANT PRIORITIZATION SURVEY INFORMATION?
It is important that you log into your existing My Safe Florida Home Portal Account to answer a few questions. We recommend you submit your information by June 28, 2024.
At this time, the My Safe Florida Home Program has temporarily stopped accepting new applications for our free home wind mitigation inspections until the new funding becomes available July 1st. On July 1st, we anticipate re-opening the portal in compliance with the Program’s new requirements. For now, we will continue to process existing inspection applications and grant reimbursement requests.
Thank you, CFO Patronis, Governor DeSantis and Florida Legislature, for your continued support of the program, we look forward to implementing the new legislation and funding the Legislature provided for the coming fiscal year.
Beginning July 1, 2024, the MSFH program will re-open our portal for homeowners. New funding for the program will be tied to new prioritization requirements as enacted by the Legislature. Applications will be accepted and prioritized in 15-day increments.
Low-income homeowners age 60+ – July 1 – July 15th
Low-income homeowners of any age – July 16th – 30th
Moderate-income homeowners age 60+ – July 31st – August 14th
Moderate-income homeowners of any age – August 15th – 30th
All other eligible Florida homeowners – August 31st
Income Level Definitions:
Low income is defined as 80% or less of the median household income of your county.
Moderate income is defined as 120% or less of the median household income of your county.
Other changes beginning July 1, 2024:
Homeowners can now choose ANY Certified Florida State contractor to make important retrofit upgrades to their homes. (Contractors must be certified by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Local government licenses will not be accepted.) The current contractor list maintained by the Program will cease to exist on June 30, 2024. It will be up to each homeowner to find and manage their own contractor in the open marketplace, which should lead to increased competition and better pricing.
Simplification of the reimbursement process with one set of rules – all grant dollars will be paid directly to the Florida homeowner for them to distribute, including low-income grants.
Once all funds are awarded, the portal will close and will not accept any additional applications until additional funding is provided.
MSFH_Program-Changes-Flyer_Interactive_52224.pdf (mysafeflhome.com)
No, if you have received notification that your grant application was approved and you were directed to obtain a contractor, you may continue to proceed with your project.
Yes, all grant applications submitted after July 1st must be prioritized as outlined above in the FAQ entitled “Upcoming law changes July 1, 2024”.
On July 1st, the portal will be re-opened with new prioritization criteria, see question above, “Upcoming law changes July 1, 2024.”
At this time, the Program can only authorize grant payments to homeowners who were approved for the grant prior to construction commencing.
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 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:
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.
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
OPENINGS
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. NOT RENEWED, EXPIRES JUNE 30, 2024
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. THIS CHANGES JULY 1, 2024
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.