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PRESS RELEASE |
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November
30, 2006
GALLAGHER ANNOUNCES PROGRESS OF
FORTIFYING FLORIDA AGAINST
HURRICANES
Goal to Provide Free Home
Inspections to 12,000 Homeowners Met
and Exceeded
TALLAHASSEE—Tom Gallagher, Florida’s
chief financial officer, announced
that the pilot phase of the My Safe
Florida Home program ended today and
his goal of completing 12,000 free
home inspections by the end of this
hurricane season was met and
exceeded by nearly 1,000
inspections. In addition, Gallagher
said that an estimated 560
inspectors and 800 contractors have
been specifically trained for the
program during the pilot phase.
“When we launched the My Safe
Florida Home program in August, my
goal was to provide 12,000 free home
inspections by the end of this
hurricane season, and we have served
nearly 13,000 homeowners,” said
Gallagher, who oversees the
Department of Financial Services
which administers the My Safe
Florida Home program. “Fortifying
homes in Florida is our top priority
and we were able to exceed our
service goal thanks to the hard work
and dedication of every person
involved in this program. I’m proud
of what they’ve been able to
achieve.”
The program, funded with $250
million by the Florida Legislature,
was created to better protect
Floridians by strengthening their
homes against hurricanes and to
reduce the state’s exposure to
hurricane damage.
Since the program launched in
August, the Department of Financial
Services has received more than
58,000 applications statewide for
free home inspections from
homeowners. The free home inspection
will help tell homeowners:
• The current rating of their homes
against hurricane damage on a 0-100
scale.
• Up to seven ways they can improve
the strength of their homes against
hurricanes.
• The estimated costs to make
recommended improvements.
• What their potential insurance
premium savings could be if they
were to make those improvements.
Inspections have been done in
Broward, Charlotte, Collier,
Escambia, Hillsborough, Indian
River, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Lee,
Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe,
Santa Rosa, Sarasota, St. Lucie and
Walton counties over the last eight
weeks. The number of completed
inspections is detailed in the
attached progress report.
Thanks to a partnership with the
Federal Alliance for Safe Homes
(FLASH), the My Safe Florida Home
program has held six training
sessions for inspectors and 12
training sessions for contractors
interested in doing mitigation
improvements. The program currently
has an estimated 560 specifically
trained, qualified inspectors who
have also undergone drug tests and
background checks to conduct free
home inspections for the program.
Over 600 contractors who have
applied to participate in the My
Safe Florida Home program are
currently being reviewed to verify
licensure and that current workers’
compensation insurance coverage is
in place.
"Florida leads the nation in its
commitment to better protecting
residents from disasters and
building safer communities," said
Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president/ceo
of the Federal Alliance for Safe
Homes. "We won't get there
overnight, but our accomplishments
in the last 12 weeks are evidence
that we are well on our way.”
To leverage resources through local
programs, the My Safe Florida Home
program has partnered with 12
non-profit entities to serve as many
as 4,000 low-income homeowners in 10
counties. To achieve this, the
program has partnered with Volunteer
Florida Foundation.
“We are on track to provide free
home inspections to another 40,000
Floridians in the coming months, and
are excited to proactively help
homeowners strengthen their homes
and better protect their families
against catastrophic storms,”
Gallagher said.
Applying and obtaining a free home
inspection is just the first step of
the program. Homeowners who undergo
a My Safe Florida Home inspection
may also qualify for matching grants
of up to $5,000 to fortify their
homes. As directed by the new law to
reduce hurricane exposure and
property losses in Florida, grants
will be prioritized and awarded to
homeowners who live in high-risk,
hurricane-vulnerable areas of the
state.
Floridians eligible for a free home
inspection must live in a
single-family, site-built home with
an insured value of $500,000 or less
and have a valid homestead
exemption. Documents verifying this
information must be submitted with a
completed application. Floridians
can apply on-line at
www.mysafefloridahome.com or by
calling 1-800-342-2762 to get an
application packet.
Gallagher said that the public
response to this program and support
for strengthening their homes has
been tremendous. Nearly 100,000
Floridians have gone on-line or
called to learn more about the My
Safe Florida Home program. Nearly
58,000 eligible Floridians have
submitted completed applications for
free home inspections.
|
My Safe Florida Home
Program Progress Report |
|
Inspections |
|
County |
Inspections
Completed (as of
11/29/06) |
|
Broward |
2,654 |
|
Charlotte |
223 |
|
Collier |
125 |
|
Escambia |
218 |
|
Hillsborough |
1,316 |
|
Indian River |
208 |
|
Lee |
710 |
|
Manatee |
361 |
|
Martin |
241 |
|
Miami-Dade |
2,867 |
|
Monroe |
70 |
|
Palm Beach |
1,623 |
|
Pinellas |
1,028 |
|
Santa Rosa |
102 |
|
Sarasota |
485 |
|
St. Lucie |
365 |
|
Walton |
9 |
|
Total |
12,605 |
|
|
Trainings Held by Date
and Location |
|
Course |
Date |
City |
|
Inspector |
8/21/06 |
Miami |
|
Inspector |
8/28/06 |
Dunedin |
|
Contractor |
8/29/06 |
St. Petersburg |
|
Contractor |
9/20/06 |
Ft. Lauderdale |
|
Contractor |
9/21/06 |
Miami |
|
Contractor |
9/25/06 |
Pensacola |
|
Contractor |
9/26/06 |
Jacksonville |
|
Inspector |
9/27/06 |
Jacksonville |
|
Inspector |
10/3/06 |
Ft. Lauderdale |
|
Contractor |
10/10/06 |
Orlando |
|
Inspector |
10/11/06 |
Orlando |
|
Contractor |
10/17/06 |
Tampa |
|
Contractor |
10/18/06 |
Fort Myers |
|
Contractor |
10/19/06 |
Naples |
|
Contractor |
10/20/06 |
Miami |
|
Contractor |
11/17/06 |
Orlando |
|
Contractor |
11/17/06 |
Orlando |
|
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