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Frequently Asked Questions ON the Contractor Program |
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What is
the My Safe Florida Home Program?
This
program was established by the Legislature to help
Floridians identify how they can strengthen their
homes against hurricanes and to reduce hurricane
damage exposure in our state. The program offers
free wind inspections by qualified hurricane
mitigation inspectors to eligible homeowners and
offer matching grants up to $5,000 for specific home
improvements identified in the wind inspection
reports. Matching grants are available to eligible
homeowners and homeowners who are approved for a
grant must use the contractors pre-approved and
listed on the
My Safe
Florida Home
Web site to perform inspection-identified
retrofit work.
What
types of hurricane retrofit improvements will the
grant funds pay for?
Matching grant funds are
available only for wind-resistance improvements in
the following categories if the home was inspected
on or after May 1, 2007.
1. Bracing
gable-ends in your roof framing.
This is usually done inside the
attic, to decrease chances that positive or negative
wind pressure will push the gable end wall segment
in or out, partially separating it from the wall
underneath it, thus allowing water intrusion and
possibly leading to collapse of the roof.
2.
Upgrading
exterior wall opening protections.
For example, installing
hurricane-rated window shutters.
3. Upgrading
exterior doors.
For example, replacing a
standard garage door with a hurricane-rated garage
door.
Under
law, only homeowners who received a wind
inspection before May 1, 2007, will be
eligible for a grant under the previous
program rules.
Who is
“DFS” and why are they involved?
The My
Safe Florida Home program falls under the
purview of the Florida Department of Financial
Services, or DFS.
Why
would I want to become a Participating Contractor?
The matching grant
program requires Florida homeowners to use a
contractor that is listed on the
My Safe Florida Home
Web site for any hurricane retrofit work noted in
the wind inspection, before the work can be
considered eligible for reimbursement. Hurricane
retrofit work performed by contractors not listed is
not eligible for the matching grant.
How do I
apply to become a Participating Contractor?
An online application
is available. Once the application
is submitted it will be reviewed for accuracy and
certain information verified with your appropriate
state or local construction licensing board. If
your application is approved, you will be added to
the Web site listing of approved contractors.
Consumers approved for a grant under this program
will be able to select from the list of approved
participating contractors in their area. Call
800-363-5852 for more
information.
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.
Is there any type of
written agreement to which I must consent to be a
Participating Contractor?
Yes. The agreement is called a "Participation
Agreement." You can
click here
to
view a copy of the agreement.
Do the
improvements have to be completed by a licensed
contractor?
All
retrofit construction work must be performed by a
contractor who is licensed with the appropriate
state, county or local authorities for the type of
improvements being completed and who is a
Participating Contractor with the My Safe Florida
Home program. Participating
Contractors may not exceed the scope of their
license.
What is
“DBPR”?
The Florida
Department of
Business &
Professional
Regulation
What is
“FCILB”?
Florida
Construction
Industry
Licensing
Board
I am a
licensed contractor. Why do I need to become a
Participating Contractor and be listed on the
Web site?
The state
law creating this program requires that homeowners
use the licensed contractors listed on the My Safe
Florida Home Web site.
What is the qualified business license requirement
for a Participating Contractor?
If you are a contractor licensed under Chapter 489,
Florida Statutes, and you are operating as a
business organization, including a partnership,
corporation or other legal entity, you must apply
for a qualified business license (also known as a
certificate of authority) with the Construction
Industry Licensing Board. This requirement is
contained in Section 489.119(2), Florida Statutes.
The requirement does not include contractors
operating as sole proprietorships. Failure to obtain
this license means you are violating Florida law. You could be subject to possible
disciplinary action including a fine of $500 to
$1,000 along with possible suspension or revocation
of your license for a repeat violation.
Information, including applications to apply for a
qualified business license, can also be found on the
Internet at
www.MyFlorida.com
under
Business and Professional Regulation. The qualified
business license costs $59.
Can I
still do hurricane retrofit work if I am not a
Participating Contractor?
Yes, but
the homeowner will not be approved to receive a
matching reimbursement of up to 50% of the repair
cost, to a maximum of $5,000.
Can I as
a contractor complete the free wind inspection?
No. Only approved
wind inspectors can complete the wind inspection in order
for the inspection report to be valid.
Can I be
an approved inspector and a Participating
Contractor?
Yes, as
long as you meet the requirements to be a
Participating Contractor and an Inspector. However,
a Participating Contractor may not contract with a
homeowner to perform retrofit construction work
under the My Safe Florida Home program if the
contractor conducted the free wind inspection.
Can
unlicensed contractors become Participating
Contractors under this program?
No.
If my
competitor is not listed, does that mean he/she is
not properly licensed?
No. It
could mean any number of things, including that your
competitor did not apply for this program.
What happens if I make a mistake on my
application?
You can email us at
ContractorInfo@FLDFS.com and ask for a
correction to be made. Any request needs to
include your Contractor File number. All
requests will be verified before any information
is altered on the Web site.
Is there
any special training required?
Yes. Prior to being listed as a Participating
Contractor, the Contractor must complete, or already
have completed, a four-hour review course concerning
residential wind-resistance retrofit work to be done
under grant funds. Some contractors may have already
taken a Continuing Education (CE) course that
satisfies this requirement. 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.
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.
How can
I get this training?
Federal Alliance for Safe Home's (FLASH) Blueprint
for Safety Retrofit Course for Contractors will be
offered around the
state over the next few months. This course is approved by Department of
Business and Professional Regulation for four
continuing education units. FLASH will report
participation to DBPR for continuing education
credit. You will be mailed a certificate of
participation from FLASH.
TRAINING CALENDAR
If you have questions or need additional information
please contact FLASH at 877-221-7233 or by email at
flash@flash.org
Are
there any courses I can take now that will satisfy
this requirement?
If you have
completed the following course at any time in the
past, you have satisfied the training requirement:
Blueprint for Safety
Retrofit - an Introduction
DBPR/FCILB course number
0005849
Provider: Federal
Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)
Web site:
www.flash.org
What if
I had a problem in the past with my contractors
license, but it has been resolved?
Your
application may take longer to process, and we may
seek from you additional information regarding
current or prior disciplinary action. The
information you provide will be reviewed and
verified with the licensing authorities involved.
If there
is a problem with my license, can I correct it
through you?
No. You
must contact the authority that issued your
license. If the information provided by the
licensing authority does not agree with the
information you provide in your participating
contractor application you will not be listed as an
approved participating contractor.
What if
I don’t know there is a problem with my license and
I apply?
When
information from an application does not agree with
the information received from a licensing authority,
the contractor will be notified. Once that
contractor corrects the licensing problem with the
appropriate authority, the contractor can contact us
to reconsider the original application.
I don’t
have a license now. Can I get one through you?
No. You
must have a license before applying for this
program. You can contact DBPR at
Call.Center@dbpr.state.fl.us, or call them at
(850) 487-1395. You can also contact the local
construction licensing authority for your county.
I paid
my occupational license for this year. Can I use
that?
No. Your
occupational license is a local privilege tax. It
is not a contractor’s license.
How will
you know that I am properly licensed in my county?
Every
license will be verified. This may result in a
local license taking longer to approve, as not all
counties list their licensees on their Web site. In
these cases, we will need to contact the license
authority in that county and verify the license
before it is listed on the Web site.
Can I
advertise my Web site on the My Safe Florida Home
Web site?
No, but you
can direct potential customers to visit your Web site
for more information.
If I am
listed on the Web site, am I guaranteed I will get
work?
No. All we
will guarantee is that we will list any qualifying
contractor or contracting business for an interested
consumer to contact.
Is my
work limited to the $5,000 grant?
No.
The matching grant program is to help offset the
cost to certain property owners who retrofit their
properties to make them less vulnerable to hurricane
damage. The actual cost of the repairs is going to
be greater than the grant, because it is limited to
50% of the repair cost, up to a maximum
reimbursement of $5,000. It is possible the repairs
will exceed the limits of the program. These costs
will be borne solely by the property owner.
It is important to note that in
the case of window and roof replacements, the grant
will fund the expense of upgrading a standard roof
or window to a hurricane-resistant model. The grant
will not be available to pay for the full
replacement cost.
How do I
know if the homeowner is approved for the program?
The
homeowner will have had a wind inspection performed,
and a written report will be provided detailing the
work suggested to be performed. Once the
inspection is done, the homeowner will apply for the
matching grant. Once approved, they will have
paperwork from the Department of Financial Services
verifying
approval into the program and the repairs covered.
What if
the property needs more work than just that listed
on the inspection report?
You will need to discuss that with the homeowner.
The program will not subsidize any work other than
what is listed on the grant approval form that is
sent by the Department to the homeowner. However,
your participation in this program does not prevent
you from providing other services you are licensed
to perform.
What if
the property owner does not qualify for the grant?
You can
still perform the work, but the property owner will
pay 100% of the costs.
Can I
expect to get calls from homeowners who are not
eligible for an inspection or grant under this
program, but need hurricane retrofit work
performed?
It is
possible, although we cannot guarantee it.
Where
can I get more information about some of the work
expected to be performed?
http://www.mysafefloridahome.com/.TakeAction.asp
What if
I just want to be an inspector?
Please
visit the
My Safe Florida Home
Web site, and click on the
For Wind Inspectors link for
more information.
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