AM I ELIGIBLE?

If your home was inspected after May 1:
The 2007 Legislature changed the eligibility requirements for grants under the My Safe Florida Home program. You are eligible for a matching grant up to $5,000 if you live in a single-family detached, site-built home that meets the following criteria:

• has a building permit application for initial construction made before March 1, 2002;
• has an insured value of $300,000 or less;
• has a valid homestead exemption;
• is located in the wind-borne debris region;
• has undergone a hurricane mitigation inspection.

The 2007 Legislature also changed how grant funds could be used under the My Safe Florida Home program. Grant funds must be used for:

• Protecting openings (windows, gable vents and skylights)
• Protecting exterior doors
• Replacing your garage door with an impact-resistant garage door
• Bracing gable ends in your roof

NOTE: You do not have to do all of the above improvements recommended in your inspection report to qualify for a grant. However, if you choose to protect your windows you must protect all windows without hurricane-rated protection to get reimbursed. If you choose to protect your exterior doors, you must protect all doors, including sliding glass doors, to get reimbursed.

Windows: If you are eligible for a grant and you choose to protect your windows, you must protect all windows and gable vents identified by your wind inspection report as needing hurricane protection.

Exterior Doors: If you are eligible for a grant and you choose to protect your doors, you must protect all exterior doors, including sliding glass doors, identified by your wind inspection report as needing hurricane protection.

Garage Door: If you choose to protect your garage door and it is a recommended improvement in your inspection report, you will be eligible for grant funds to make this improvement. You must replace your garage door with an impact-rated garage door or you can add additional bracing to an already hurricane-rated garage door.

Skylights: If you choose to replace your skylights with an impact-rated skylight and it is a recommended improvement in your inspection report, you will be eligible for grant funds to make this improvement.

Gable Ends: If you choose to brace your gable ends and it is a recommended improvement in your inspection report, you will be eligible for grant funds to make this improvement. If bracing of gable ends is not identified by the Department’s wind inspection, but is identified as necessary by a participating contractor, the Department will disburse funds for bracing gable ends with physical proof, such as photographs or video, a copy of the building permit when applicable to do this improvement and upon re-inspection by the Department.

If your home was inspected on or before May 1:
If you received a free wind inspection through the My Safe Florida Home program before May 1, 2007, you are eligible for a matching grant of up to $5,000 to make the following improvements:

• Protecting openings (windows, gable vents and skylights)
• Protecting exterior doors
• Replacing your garage door with an impact-resistant garage door
• Bracing gable ends in your roof

NOTE: You do not have to do all of the above improvements recommended in your inspection report to qualify for a grant. However, if you choose to protect your windows you must protect all windows without hurricane-rated protection to get reimbursed. If you choose to protect your exterior doors, you must protect all doors, including sliding glass doors, to get reimbursed.

You are eligible for a matching grant up to $5,000 if you live in a single-family detached, site-built home that meets the following criteria:

• has an insured value of $500,000 or less;
• has a valid homestead exemption;
• has undergone a hurricane mitigation inspection.

GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINES

Am I required to match if I am a low-income homeowner?
Homeowners with an annual adjusted household income of less than 80% of Annual Median Income are eligible for a grant up to $5,000 with no match required. However, you must meet all other criteria outlined above with the exception of insurance. Low-income homeowners who apply directly with the My Safe Florida Home program for a non-matching grant will have to pay the contractor before being reimbursed.
Click here to see if you are eligible.

WHAT DO I NEED TO APPLY FOR A GRANT?

Homeowners who have undergone a wind inspection and meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the “Am I eligible?” section of this website are eligible to apply for a grant through the My Safe Florida Home program.

For inspections completed after May 1, 2007:
Before you begin the grant application process, you will need several key pieces of information on hand, including:

1. Your inspection report. Grant funds are limited to certain improvements – opening and door protections and bracing of gable ends. Section 2 or page 4 of your inspection report will detail if these improvements are recommended.

2. Your MSFH number. This number was provided to you when you applied for a free wind inspection. It is located in the upper, left corner of your inspection report.

3. Your homestead exemption number. To obtain a copy of your homestead exemption, which also has information on the year your home was built, you may use the following link to find your local property appraiser’s website:

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/appraisers.html

Depending on your county, your homestead exemption number can be called any of the following: parcel ID number, folio number, property number or real estate number.

(NOTE: If you were in your home on January 1, 2007 but did not apply for homestead until after March 1, 2007, or if you moved into your home after March 1, 2007, you will not be granted a homestead exemption until 2008. You can apply for a grant in 2008 after you have been granted the homestead exemption.)

4. Your insurance information. Unless you qualify as a low-income homeowner, you will need to provide us with the current insured value of your home.

The declarations page(s) of your insurance policy will provide this information and will display your name and property address. If you are unable to locate your insurance policy information, contact your insurance agent or company for this information. A flood insurance policy is not an acceptable form of proof of insured value for your home.

5. The year your home was built. In addition to your homestead exemption, your insurance and mortgage documents may include the year your home was built.

NOTE: IF YOUR HOME WAS BUILT IN 2002, WE WILL NEED THE EXACT DATE THE PERMIT APPLICATION WAS MADE TO BUILD YOUR HOME.
Only homes with a building permit application for initial construction made before March 1, 2002 will qualify for a grant. You can find this information through your local building official. We will need a copy of the permit.

Wind-borne Debris Region: The Department’s application system automatically identifies if you are located in the wind-borne debris region. If you are unable to apply as a result of the application system showing that you are not located in the wind-borne debris region and believe our information is inaccurate, contact your local building official.

HOW DO I APPLY FOR A GRANT?
There are two ways to apply for a grant under the My Safe Florida Home program. Before you apply, make sure you have all the documents you need by reading the “What do I need to apply for a grant?” section of this website.

1. You can apply online. In addition to receiving the necessary information, we will ask you a series of questions to ensure we are serving you in the most efficient and effective way.

Once you have viewed your completed online application for accuracy, you will submit your grant application electronically. Since proof of homestead and insurance is required, you will have the option to submit these documents either electronically or by mailing them in. If you are a low-income homeowner, proof of insurance is not required, but you will need to provide proof of your household’s adjusted gross income.

If you choose to submit everything electronically:
Attach proof of homestead and insurance at the time you submit your grant application in any of the following file formats: MS Word, PDF, JPG or GIF.

If you choose to submit your grant application electronically but need to mail the proof of homestead and insurance:
Electronically submit your application, print out a copy of your grant application summary and mail it in with proof of homestead and insurance to:

My Safe Florida Home
Grant Application
P.O. Box 7300
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-7300

Once you have successfully submitted your application, we recommend that you print out a copy of your grant application summary and proof of homestead and insurance for your records.

OR

2. You can apply over the phone. Call us at 1-866-513-6734 and we will take your application over the phone. Remember, we will still need to receive proof of homestead exemption and insurance. We will mail you a copy of your grant application summary for your records. Proof of homestead and insurance should be mailed to:

My Safe Florida Home
Grant Application
P.O. Box 7300
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-7300

Please include your MSFH# on all documents.

WHEN WILL I BE APPROVED FOR A GRANT? 

Please allow up to 30 days to receive notification regarding the status of your grant application. We will respond to your grant application in one of three ways:

1. Congratulations, you are eligible! If all eligibility requirements are met upon review of your grant application including proof of homestead and insurance, you will receive a grant award letter and reimbursement request forms. You will then be required to make the approved improvements using one of our participating contractors. To contact one of the participating contractors approved to work in your area, click here. Once improvements have been made, you will be reimbursed for half of the actual costs to make the improvements up to a maximum of $5,000.

2. You may be eligible but we don’t have a complete grant application. In this case, either your application is incomplete or proof of homestead and/or insurance was not included with the application. You will receive a letter or email explaining the information we need before we can approve your application. You will need to submit the required information or documentation outlined in this letter before we can proceed with processing and approving your grant application.

3. You are ineligible. If eligibility requirements are not met, you will receive a letter or email notifying you that you are ineligible for a grant under the My Safe Florida Home program and the reasons why.

WHEN WILL I BE REIMBURSED?

• You will be reimbursed when improvements have been completed. Grant funds may only be used for:
• Protecting openings (windows, gable vents and skylights)
• Protecting exterior doors
• Replacing your garage door with an impact-resistant garage door
• Bracing gable ends in your roof

• You must use a participating contractor to make improvements. For a list of approved contractors, click here. You can also call us at 1-866-513-6734.

• Improvements must be made within 12 months of the grant award date on your letter.

• Reimbursement forms must be completed and signed by the homeowner and participating contractor.

• The maximum amount of grant funds you will receive for completing any and/or all recommended improvements is $5,000.

• Once all documentation has been received and approved, you will receive a reimbursement check made payable to you (the homeowner) within 6-8 weeks.