The Florida State Legislature has allocated funds through the My Safe Florida Home Program to provide Homeowners a Hurricane Mitigation Grant (“Grant”). Eligible Homeowners who have received their free Initial Inspection through the Program and have decided to make Improvements that were recommended in their Initial Inspection Report can apply for a Grant.

PLEASE NOTE: Not all applicants who received an Inspection through the Program will be eligible for a Hurricane Mitigation Grant.

The Grant Application is divided into two stages: the Eligibility Confirmation and the Contractor Confirmation. Whenever the next stage is made available to the Homeowner, an email notification will be sent. To be eligible for disbursement, you must not perform any work, sign with a Contractor, or make any materials purchases prior to receiving an email informing you to proceed with work. Funding is set aside for applicants after a Grant Application has been approved. To receive Grant funds, the Homeowner must request a Final Inspection within one (1) year of Grant Application approval. If a Homeowner cannot complete their construction within one (1) year, they may request an extension on the MSFH website at this link Submit a ticket : Support Center.

If an extension request is not submitted within a year, the application is deemed abandoned and the grant money reverts to the Program. Each Homeowner may receive only one (1) Grant.

Approval of a Homeowner’s Grant Application does not guarantee a disbursement of Grant funds. Homeowners must follow all Program requirements to qualify for disbursement.

Eligibility Requirements

A Homeowner is eligible for a Grant if all the following criteria are met:

1. The home must be eligible for a Hurricane Mitigation Inspection and must have received an Initial Inspection through the Program.
2. The home must be a dwelling with an insured value of $700,000 or less. Low-Income Homeowners, as defined under section 420.0004 (11), F.S., are exempt from this requirement.
3. The building permit application for initial construction of the home must have been made before January 1, 2008.
4. The Homeowner must provide the name and license number of the Contractor selected to perform the Mitigation Project.
5. The Homeowner must agree to make the home available for a Final Inspection once the Project is complete; and
6. The Homeowner must agree to provide to the Program any and all information received from the Homeowner’s insurer identifying the discounts realized by the Homeowner because of the Improvements funded through the Program.

Proof of Insured Value

Homeowners must provide documentation that the home has an insured value of $700,000 or less; this could be a copy of their current insurance declarations page, a quote, or an application for insurance. Homeowners without a copy should contact their insurance company.

Low-Income Homeowners, as defined under section 420.0004(11), F.S., are exempt from this requirement. However, they will still need to indicate to the Program if they do not have insurance to meet requirement (6) listed previously.

Building Construction Permit

For a home to be eligible for a Hurricane Mitigation Grant, the home’s initial building construction permit must have been issued prior to January 1, 2008. A home’s building construction permit is available through the website or office of the Homeowner’s Property Appraiser.

No Recommended Improvements

If the Inspector does not recommend any Improvements, please send your report to your insurance company to obtain any potential premium discounts. If you have no recommended Improvements, you will not be able to proceed with a Grant Application.

How to Apply

Homeowners must receive an Initial Inspection Report for the home before they can apply for a Hurricane Mitigation grant. The application can be accessed at https://mysafeflhome.com/.

PLEASE NOTE: For the first sixty (60) days after theProgram starts accepting Grant Applications, Homeowner will be prioritized based on age and income criteria as outlined by the Legislature.

Contractor Confirmation

The Homeowner must provide the name and license number of the Contractor(s) selected to perform the Mitigation Project in the Contractor Confirmation stage of the Grant Application.

Homeowners can verify their Contractor’s license information by visiting the following website: https://www.myfloridalicense.com/.

The Contractor's license must be either certified or registered with the Florida Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), to be appropriate. Please confirm that the Contractor is authorized to perform the intended Mitigation Project within the scope of their license; for instance, a plumber is not licensed to install a roof. Homeowners must also select their intended Mitigation Project. They will have sixty (60) days from notification that the Contractor Confirmation stage has opened to complete the stage.

If you need to change your Contractor after your Grant Application has been approved, you will have an opportunity to do so at the Draw Request stage. It is the Homeowner’s responsibility to verify that the Contractor’s license is appropriate. Improvements must be recommended in the Initial Inspection Report and observed in the Final Inspection Report to be eligible for funding. If you do not use a properly licensed contractor or complete a recommended Improvement, YOU WILL NOT BE PAID.

Matching and Low-Income Grants

There are two types of Hurricane Mitigation Grants: Matching Grants and Low-Income Grants.

Matching Grants

The MSFH Program Matching Grant works on a reimbursement basis. Your Grant Application must be approved prior to proceeding with construction work. Payment requests are made at the end of the application process through a Draw Request. You must provide a paid-in-full invoice with your Draw Request. If your Draw Request is approved, you will be reimbursed for ⅔ of the total costs of the construction project up to a maximum state contribution of up to $10,000, subject to legislative appropriation.

Low-Income Grants

Low-Income Homeowners who meet all other Hurricane Mitigation Grant Requirements are eligible for a Low-Income Grant of up to $10,000, subject to legislative appropriation, and are not required to provide a matching amount to receive grant funds. Low-Income Homeowners do not need to provide a paid-in-full invoice and are exempt from the insured value requirement.

To determine if you are a Low-Income Homeowner, please click this link: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il.html.

PLEASE NOTE: Only Improvements recommended by an Inspector in an Initial Inspection Report and observed by an Inspector in a Final Inspection Report will be eligible for funding under the Program. No other construction is eligible for funding.

PLEASE NOTE: Townhouses are only eligible to receive funding for Improvement 1.0 – Opening Protection. Single-family homes that are attached to other units will be treated as Townhouses for the purposes of the MSFH Program.