Article
Courtesy of The Tampa Bay Times
By Lawrence Mower
Published April 29, 2024
TALLAHASSEE — Good news for Florida homeowners: The
popular state program that awards up to $10,000 to harden your home is being
renewed this year, and it now includes condominiums.
But now, older and low-income homeowners are the
priority.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday approved another $200 million for the
My Safe
Florida Home program, which was revived by state lawmakers in
2022.
He also signed legislation creating a pilot program expanding My Safe
Florida Home to coastal condo owners.
In the last two years, the program has been so popular that funding has
dried up quickly. Here’s how the program is changing, and when to apply for
the money.
What’s My Safe Florida Home?
It’s a program designed to harden homes, saving homeowners
(and insurance companies) from costly repairs after
hurricanes and storms.
Applicants can get a free home inspection to identify ways
to harden their houses and townhomes. They can also apply
for a grant of up to $10,000 to upgrade windows, exterior
doors and garage doors and strengthen roofs. (Townhomes are
not eligible for roof upgrades.) |
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Bill Hemsley removes plywood from windows of his home
in Tampa on Aug. 31, 2023. Florida is renewing a program that helps
homeowners upgrade their windows, doors and roofs to make them
better withstand hurricanes.
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For every $1 a homeowner spends on qualifying upgrades,
the state will provide $2, up to $10,000. It applies to homes valued up to
$700,000 with homestead exemptions.
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, which administers the program.
DeSantis said the program has helped “stabilize and in some cases reduce
insurance rates as a result of those improvements.”
Homeowners can apply online at
https://www.mysafeflhome.com. The money often goes fast. The portal
is currently closed because of demand, and July 1 is the next chance to
apply.
Prioritizing older, low-income Floridians
Instead of a first-come, first-served program, lawmakers this year decided
to prioritize older and lower-income homeowners.
Beginning July 1, applications will be staggered in 15-day increments,
starting with low-income homeowners age 60 and older.
The law defines “low-income” as households making less than 80% of the
median household income. The state couldn’t immediately say how it plans to
calculate those income levels, but federal data shows it would be about
$70,800 across the state.
The next phase is for “moderate-income” homeowners, defined as 120% of the
median household income, or $106,300, according to federal data.
Here are the timelines for when to apply:
Low-income homeowners 60 and older: July 1–July 15
Low-income homeowners of any age: July 16–30
Moderate-income homeowners 60 and older: July 31–Aug. 14
Moderate-income homeowners of any age: Aug. 15–29
All other eligible Florida homeowners: Aug. 31
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It’s not immediately clear how the state plans to enforce the age and income
restrictions. Homeowners who have completed an inspection and are waiting
for the grant portal to reopen should be hearing from the program about
those requirements within the next 30 days, a spokesperson said.
Once the money runs out, the portal will be closed until more funding is
assigned.
What about condominiums?
For the first time, lawmakers and DeSantis are extending the program to
condo owners, who have struggled to afford new inspection and maintenance
costs required after the 2021 Surfside collapse.
The My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program will function differently than
the homeowner program.
Instead of individual owners applying for inspections and grants, the condo
association or board will have to vote to apply. The program only applies to
condos within 15 miles of the coastline.
The condo grants can apply to upgrading exterior doors, garage doors,
windows and skylights and strengthening roofs.
Like the home program, the condo program also matches $2 in state money for
every $1 owners spend. But it has more restrictions on how much money can go
to specific upgrades. The total grant award is up to $175,000 per
association.
More details can be found in the legislation,
HB 1029.
Since it’s a pilot program, funding is limited. Legislators have assigned
$27.6 million for grants, which should go fast. If successful, the program
could be expanded in future years.
“I think it is going to work, but we will see as we get into that,” DeSantis
said during a news conference in Redington Shores on Wednesday.
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