July 6, 2007
CFO SINK DELIVERS
NEARLY $5,000 CHECK FROM THE MY SAFE FLORIDA
HOME PROGRAM TO PENSACOLA RESIDENT FRIDAY
Sink
urging more Panhandle Floridians to sign up
at
www.MySafeFloridaHome.com
PENSACOLA –
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink
today personally delivered a matching grant
reimbursement for $4,942.57 to a Pensacola
homeowner who hardened his home through the
state’s My Safe Florida Home (MSFH)
program.
“Hardening your
home is the best way to protect your family,
reduce the state’s exposure to hurricane
damage and potentially result in savings on
homeowners’ wind premiums,” said CFO Sink
who oversees the Department of Financial
Services. “I encourage more Floridians to
follow Mr. Dill’s lead and sign up for their
free
wind inspections
through the My Safe Florida Home program.”
John Dill, a
67-year-old military retiree of Pensacola,
received a grant reimbursement Friday after
hardening his home’s opening protections.
After having his home inspected by a MSFH
program-approved inspector in February, Dill
received an inspection report indicating
that adding accordion style shutters to six
of his doorways would help harden his home
to hurricanes. After making the
improvements through a program approved
contractor for nearly $10,000, Dill was
reimbursed by the state for half the cost of
improvements, a total of $ $4,942.57.
The MSFH program
resumed offering wind inspections and
expanded statewide after conducting a pilot
program during the previous year. Since
April 2007, the MSFH program has performed
nearly 46,000 free wind inspections. From
the 14,289 homes inspected during the
program’s original pilot phase, 5,839
homeowners are eligible for matching grants
and are working with the MSFH program to
harden their homes. Statewide, the program
has issued a grand total of $1,032,180 to
362 homeowners who have completed the
improvements recommended in their inspection
reports.
Currently, 133
homeowners in Escambia County, 64 homeowners
in Santa Rosa County and 8 homeowners in
Walton County are hardening their homes
through the MSFH program. These homeowners
are being reimbursed for half the cost, up
to $5,000, on a variety of home
improvements, including hurricane shutters,
reinforced garage doors and roof
enhancements.
MSFH also
partners with the Volunteer Florida
Foundation (VFF) to provide mitigation, at
no cost, to the homes of lower-income
Floridians (those earning 80 percent or less
than the Annual Median Income- $42,000 for a
family of four in Escambia County). To
date, VFF has completed work on 303 homes,
and 175 of those homes are located in
Escambia County. Another 611 low-income
homeowners are currently working on
hardening their homes through this program,
and of those homeowners, 77 are from
Escambia County.
Any Floridian
who lives in a single-family, site-built
home is eligible for a free wind inspection
through the program. Floridians can apply
on-line at
www.MySafeFloridaHome.com or by calling
the program toll-free at 1-866-513-6734.
Homeowners who receive free wind inspections
through the MSFH program will receive a
detailed inspection report, complete with
additional eligibility information on
matching grants and estimated insurance
premium discounts, if the homeowner is
eligible.
In order to be
eligible for the program’s matching grant
reimbursements of up to $5,000, the
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
built 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.
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