NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY (NOFA)
MY SAFE FLORIDA HOME PROGRAM
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES LOCAL GOVERNMENT GRANTS
(State FY 07 DFS Grant Funding Availability)

The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS), My Safe Florida Home program (MSFH), announces the release of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Local Governments within the State of Florida. The purpose of this NOFA is to enable Florida citizens, through their local governments, to receive wind mitigation services including free wind inspections and mitigation assistance with their homes. The MSFH program is partnering with local governments to meet the program’s goal(s), which are delineated as follows: Section 215.5586, Florida Statutes, mandates that the Department will complete up to 400,000 free home inspections and provide grants to 35,000 qualified homeowners by June 2009. The partnership with local governments will help residents living in single family site built owner-occupied residences that are homesteaded, have an insured value of less than $300,000 (unless the homeowner qualifies as low-income), were permitted to be built prior to March 1, 2002 and have undergone a wind inspection (which will be provided free to the homeowner).

This NOFA will be available effective September 10, 2007 and expire October 26, 2007. Eligible applicants include all political sub-divisions of the State of Florida.

A. The total funds available for grants under this NOFA are $20,000,000 and eligible applicants may submit a grant proposal for up to $1,000,000.

B. The priority focus of the grant funds shall be to provide free home wind inspections and/or grant funds for mitigation improvements to qualified homeowners within the local jurisdiction.

A. Wind Inspections:
• Wind inspections must be performed by qualified inspectors who have passed the MSFH inspection course provided through the University of Florida. This may be accomplished either through training of local government personnel or through contracting with a department-approved wind inspection firm doing business within the region in which the local government is located.
• Grant funds are to be used to assist homeowners within the local jurisdiction in hardening their homes as documented in the wind inspection report with priority given to protecting openings (windows, doors and garage doors) and to the bracing of gable ends in the roof.

B. MSFH Program:
• Grant amount is limited to up to $5,000 per homeowner residence, either for direct grants to qualifying low-income homeowners whose income is less than 80% of AMI (Area Medium Income) or matching grants to homeowners above this income threshold, with no jurisdiction receiving more than $1,000,000 in grant funds. Actual grants awarded may be less than $1,000,000.
• Cost effectiveness of past program performance will be considered in the scoring and ranking for existing programs.

• At a minimum, each grant proposal must include the following:

The Department seeks proposal from Local Governments to become grant recipients to accomplish the mission of MSFH in the Local Government’s jurisdiction. The proposal must include:
1. A description of how the proposer intends to implement the required inspection element of the program.
2. A description of the focus of hardening homes, such as a shutter only program or a roof strengthening program with detail on all improvements the proposer plans to accomplish.
3. A description of households to be served, whether low-income, non low-income or some combination.
4. A description of funds being used as match for MSFH grant funds, unless serving low-income households where no match is required. Preference will be given to local governments that can commit to match resources with MSFH in order to expand capacity.
5. Preference will be given to those proposals which demonstrate a grant administration capacity and previous experience with housing re-hab grants.
6. Preference will be given to those local governments which demonstrate effective current programs.

Grant Proposals must be received at the following location no later than 4:30 p.m. EST on October 26, 2007. It is the proposer’s responsibility to ensure receipt of Grant Proposals via mail, overnight delivery, hand delivery, or other means at the address and room number listed below by the time and date stated above:

My Safe Florida Home Program Office
Larson Building, 5th Floor
Department of Financial Services
200 East Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0321

LABEL EACH GRANT PROPOSAL PACKAGE ON THE OUTSIDE AS FOLLOWS:
ATTN: My Safe Florida Home
Application Enclosed

Proposers are asked to prepare all Grant Proposals in conformance with the respective My Safe Florida Home Program grant proposer package instructions and Program Guidelines found at the following Internet address: www.mysafefloridahome.com/ForLocalGov.asp .

Additional instructions will be provided beginning September 10, 2007: www.mysafefloridahome.com/NOFA2007.asp.

Requests for a hard copy of the My Safe Florida Home grant proposal package or other inquiries should be directed to Mr. Steven Massey, Grant Administrator, by email at the following address: steven.massey@fldfs.com , or in writing to:

My Safe Florida Home Program Office
Attn: Steven Massey, Grant Administrator
Larson Bldg., 5th Floor
200 E. Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0321

Please Note: Site of benefiting grantees for consideration of these funds must be located entirely within the state.