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
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