How to Qualify for a $10,000 Rebate with the My Safe Florida Home Program

New Program Changes Effective July 1, 2024

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.

Grant Group 1 – Low-income homeowners age 60+ – July 1 – July 15th

Grant Group 2 – Low-income homeowners of any age – July 16th – 30th

Grant Group 3 – Moderate-income homeowners age 60+ – July 31st – August 14th

Grant Group 4 – Moderate-income homeowners of any age – August 15th – 30th

Grant Group 5 – All other eligible Florida homeowners – August 31st

Once all funds are awarded, the portal will close and will not accept any additional applications until additional funding is provided.

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 1^st are prioritized as follows:

• 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

On July 1st, the portal will be re-opened with new prioritization criteria, see question above, “Upcoming law changes July 1, 2024.”`

No.  Do not begin any reimbursable construction PRIOR to receiving your official grant approval notice.

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.  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 Grants for home retrofitting construction for improvements identified on the free wind mitigation inspection.

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. The grants are not considered taxable income. 

The Legislature has authorized DFS to provide a matching grants 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. identified in their wind mitigation inspection report. Only weaknesses identified in that report are eligible for reimbursement using the grant funds.

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

Yes. As of July 1, 2024, the My Safe Florida Home Program is allowing homeowners to choose any Certified Florida State contractor to make reimbursable upgrades to their homes.

To be eligible to make any recommended home-hardening improvements for reimbursement, designated Contractors must:

1. Be licensed and certified with the state of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation as:
   • General Contractor
   • Building Contractor
   • Residential Contractor
   • Specialty Contractor
   • Roofing Contractor

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 portal 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.

When you and your contractor agree your project is completed and they have all their local permits closed, you need to go into your portal account and request you final inspection from the program.  Our inspector will contact you to confirm a time.  They will complete a FINAL INSPECTION REPORT.  You submit this report is submitted to your insurance company and request your insurance discount.  You need to do this to complete your reimbursement process.  This step DOES NOT apply to low income grants.

Please note that the program assumes no responsibility for the performance of the contractor you select and work with. It will now be up to every MSFH Grantee/homeowner to find and manage their own eligible contractor and relationship. The program and FL Dept. of Financial Services is not responsible for or involved in any way with the grantee’s contractor selection and/or the grantee construction and payment process.

Homeowners can find all licensed Florida Contractors at the Florida Department of Business Professional Regulation website here.

The My Safe Florida Home Program (DFS) is not responsible for work performed by the certified independent Florida contractors selected by the grantee/homeowner. My Safe Florida Home Program does not provide any warranties or guarantees, express or implied, regarding the work performed by grantee selected contractors. Any disputes regarding work performed by contractors must be resolved between the homeowner/client and the contractor. By participating in the My Safe Florida Home Program, the homeowner/grant recipient agrees to hold My Safe Florida Home Program (DFS) harmless and release the program from any and all liability related to the work of the contractors they select for work.