|
PRESS RELEASE |
 |
July 13, 2007
MY SAFE FLORIDA HOME
PROGRAM TO SIGN UP HOMEOWNERS FOR FREE WIND
INSPECTIONS AT FAIA HURRICANE EXPOS
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Chief Financial
Officer Alex Sink announced that over the
next two weekends the My Safe Florida Home (MSFH)
program will be signing up eligible
homeowners for free wind inspections at the
Florida Association of Insurance Agents' (FAIA)
Hardening Your Home Against Hurricanes: A
Trusted Choice Safe Living Expos.
The Hardening Your
Home Against Hurricanes Expos will be held in
nine Florida cities over the next two weekends
(July 14 and July 21) from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00
noon. The MSFH program will be joining
representatives from FAIA, FLASH, the National
Weather Service and County Emergency Management
at local Home Depot stores to promote the
importance of mitigation and hurricane safety.
On Saturday, July
14, 2007, homeowners can sign up for their free
wind inspection at select Home Depot stores in
Tallahassee, Pensacola, Miami, Daytona, and
Winter Park. The following Saturday, July 21,
2007, select Home Depot stores in St.
Petersburg, Bradenton, Boynton Beach, and Davie
will be sponsoring the hurricane expos.
As CFO, Sink
oversees the state’s MSFH program, which helps
Floridians identify how they can strengthen
their homes and reduces the overall potential
for hurricane damage in our state. The MSFH
program offers eligible homeowners a free wind
inspection by trained and qualified hurricane
mitigation inspectors. Homeowners who have
received these inspections and meet additional
criteria set by the Legislature may also have
the opportunity to apply for a matching grant of
up to $5,000 to make recommended improvements.
In order to be
eligible for the program’s matching grant
reimbursements of up to $5,000, the 2007
Legislature requires that homeowners meet the
following requirements: have received a
completed wind inspection after May 1, 2007;
live in a single-family, site-built home with a
building permit issued before March 1, 2002;
have a valid homestead exemption; have an
insured value of $300,000 or less; and be
located in the wind-borne debris region.
Additionally, while
the free wind inspections will still cover seven
potential wind-resistance improvements, matching
grants may only be used for opening protections,
including windows, exterior doors and garage
doors, as well as the bracing of gable ends.
The MSFH program
expanded statewide this spring after a pilot
program the previous year and has performed more
than 55,000 free wind inspections since April
23, 2007. More than 5,800 homeowners statewide
are currently working with the MSFH program to
harden their homes and will receive their
matching grants upon the completion of their
recommended improvements.
Statewide, the
program has issued nearly $1.2 million in grants
to 413 homeowners who have completed the
improvements recommended in their inspection
reports.
MSFH will be signing
up homeowners for free wind inspections at
select Home Depots for the following FAIA Expos:
DATE &
TIME: Saturday, July 14, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. to
12:00 p.m.
LOCATIONS:
Tallahassee Home
Depot #254
3200 Capitol Circle
Pensacola Home Depot
#6852
309 N. Davis Highway
N Miami Beach Home
Depot #251
1245 NE 163 Street
Daytona Beach Home
Depot #233
2455 Int’L Speedway Boulevard
Winter Park Home
Depot #6349
5351 Diplomat Circle
DATE &
TIME: Saturday, July 21, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. to
12:00 p.m.
LOCATIONS:
St. Petersburg Home
Depot #257
2300 22nd Ave North
E. Bradenton Home
Depot #6319
5475 University Parkway
Boynton Beach Home
Depot #224
1500 SW 8th Street
Davie Home Depot #222
2300 S University Drive
|
