My Safe Florida Home Program was renewed

DORAL, FL – My Safe Florida Home Program was revamped this year with another $200 million approved, as announced by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday. Now condo homeowners will be able to apply, and older, low-income Floridians will be prioritized. 

The program, designed to harden homes, saving homeowners (and insurance companies) from costly repairs after hurricanes and storms, will start to receive applications on July 1 at mysafeflhome.com, staggering in 15-day increments, beginning with low-income homeowners ages 60 and older and not under a “first-come, first served” policy as it used to be. 

Per law, “low-income” households refer to families that make less than 80% of the median household income, federal data shows it would be about $70,800 across the state. Low-income homeowners of any age can apply between July 16 and 30.

In addition, moderate-income homeowners 60 and older can apply between July 31 and Aug. 14; moderate-income homeowners of any age, between Aug. 15 and 29; and all other eligible Florida homeowners in Aug. 31. Once the money runs out, the portal will be closed until more funding is assigned.

Since it’s still unclear how the age and income restrictions will be enforced by the state, homeowners should be getting an answer from the program about those requirements within the next 30 days after completing an inspection and are waiting for the grant portal to reopen, according to a spokesperson. 

And how does it work? My Safe Florida Home Program awards up to $10,000 to upgrade windows, exterior and garage doors, and strengthen roofs. (Townhomes are not eligible for roof upgrades.) For every $1 spent on qualifying upgrades by a homeowner, the state will provide $2, up to $10,000. It applies to homes valued up to $700,000 with homestead exemptions.

For coastal condo owners, included for the first time in the legislation approved due to a pilot program, the rules will vary. First, to apply, condos must be within 15 miles of the coastline, and the condo association or board will have to vote to apply instead of individual owners applying.

Condo grants will be given for upgrading exterior doors, garage doors, windows and skylights, and strengthening roofs. Similar to the home program, this one matches $2 in state money for every $1 owners spend. The total grant award is up to $175,000 per association.

Since 2022, the state has conducted more than 104,000 home inspections and approved more than 38,000 grant applications, according to the Department of Financial Services, administering the program.

For more information, check the legislation HB 1029.

Photo for reference by: Unsplash.com