Florida residents can now apply to participate in a program called My Safe Florida Home, an initiative worth $150 million that is aimed at helping people reinforce their properties against natural disasters. In May, the state legislature adopted a large-scale bill on property insurance reform that reanimated the program.
All homeowners living in single-family houses can apply for a free home inspection aimed at checking property protection from the wind. Some will also be eligible for grants of up to $10,000 for various home improvement projects, such as upgrading doors, windows, and garage doors, installing water barriers on the roof, and reinforcing roof-to-wall connections.
The conditions of participating in the program are as follows:
- Homeowners must have homestead exemption
- The house must have an insured value of $500,000 or less
- The house must be located in a place classified as “wind-borne debris region” by the Florida Building Code
- The application for the initial house construction permit must have been submitted prior to July 1, 2008
- The homeowner must agree to submit their house for inspection
Applications will be reviewed and endorsed in the order of arrival, until the funds are exhausted.