Contractors interested in participating in the My Safe Florida Home Program can fill out an application online.

To be considered to do retrofit improvements allowed under the program, contractors must complete or already have completed a seven-hour course on residential wind-resistance retrofit improvements. The natural person holding the contractor's license is the one who must take or have taken the FLASH Blueprint for Safety course since 1-1-04. It is not sufficient that one of the contractor's employees or a co-worker of the contractor has taken or will take the course. For a construction business that has a single primary qualifying contractor licensee, that primary qualifying licensee is the one who must take or have taken the course since 1-1-04. For an entity that has multiple primary qualifying agent contractor licensees, it is sufficient for any one of those primary qualifying licensees to take or have taken the course since 1-1-04.

Note:  Attendance in the Blueprint for Safety course alone does NOT automatically result in becoming a My Safe Florida Home participating contractor.  To become a participating contractor you MUST submit an application.

The Federal Alliance for Safe Home's (FLASH) Blueprint for Safety Retrofit Course for Contractors will be offered around the state.  This course is approved by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) for four continuing education units. FLASH will report your completed participation to DBPR for the continuing education credit. You will also be mailed a certificate of participation from FLASH after completing the program.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact FLASH at 877-221-7233 or by email at flash@flash.org. 

The four-hour course on residential wind-resistance retrofit improvements includes:

Improving the strength of your roof deck attachment. For example, if your roof consists of shingles nailed to plywood sheets, the inspection may reveal that the plywood sheets are not adequately nailed to your roof trusses, and that additional nails and/or longer nails need to be added to prevent the plywood from being blown off in a hurricane.

Creating a secondary water barrier to prevent water intrusion. For example, using strips of “peel and stick-on” material that cover the joints between the plywood sheets on your roof to reduce leakage until repairs can be made if a hurricane blows off your roof shingles.

Improving the survivability of your roof covering. For example, upgrading to thicker and stronger hurricane-resistant roof shingles, attached with properly sized and properly applied roofing nails, to reduce the susceptibility of your roof shingles blowing off in a hurricane.

Bracing gable-ends in your roof framing. This is usually done inside your attic to decrease chances that your roof will collapse under hurricane wind loads.

Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections. For example, installing metal tie-down straps that attach roof rafters to wall studs to decrease chances that all or a portion of your roof will simply lift your house during a hurricane.

Upgrading exterior wall opening protections. For example, installing hurricane-rated window shutters.

Upgrading exterior doors. For example, replacing a standard garage door with a hurricane-rated garage door.

If you have completed this course at any time in the past, you have satisfied the training requirement:

Blueprint for Safety Retrofit - An Introduction
DBPR/FCILB Course Number 0009586
Provider: Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

If you took the Blueprint for Safety course prior to the 2004 hurricane season, we would encourage you to re-take the course to obtain the most up-to-date information on effective building practices to better safeguard structures against hurricanes.

Even if you don’t have the training requirement satisfied, we recommend that you sign up and complete the application and participation agreement.

The Department of Financial Services through FLASH will provide training at facilities around the state. The Department of Financial Services anticipates that the course will count for Continuing Education credit with the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board.

Once you have completed the training with the Federal Alliance of Safe Homes (FLASH), the education provider, FLASH, will submit your name and the date you completed the training to the Department of Financial Services.  Upon receipt of this information, we will then post your name and contact information to our Registry of Participating Contractors. Call 800-363-5852 for more information.