My Safe Florida Home Program

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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to My Safe Florida Home Program; 2
amending s. 215.5586, F.S.; defining the term "class A 3
opening protection"; providing additional requirements 4
for inspections provided through the program; 5
providing additional requirements to receive a grant 6
through a specified program; revising what such grants 7
may be used for; revising requirements of a certain 8
report; requiring the Department of Financial Services 9
to maintain a website that includes certain 10
information; requiring the department to establish 11
performance standards and audit protocols for certain 12
inspectors; providing an effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Subsections (1) through (10) of section 17
215.5586, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (2) 18
through (11), respectively, present subsections (1), (2), and 19
(10) are amended, and a new subsection (1) is added to that 20
section, to read: 21
215.5586 My Safe Florida Home Program.—There is 22
established within the Department of Financial Services the My 23
Safe Florida Home Program. The department shall provide fiscal 24
accountability, contract management, and strategic leadership 25

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for the program, consistent with this section. This section does 26
not create an entitlement for property owners or obligate the 27
state in any way to fund the inspection or retrofitting of 28
residential property in this state. Implementation of this 29
program is subject to annual legislative appropriations. It is 30
the intent of the Legislature that, subject to the availability 31
of funds, the My Safe Florida Home Program provide licensed 32
inspectors to perform hurricane mitigation inspections of 33
eligible homes and grants to fund hurricane mitigation projects 34
on those homes. The department shall implement the program in 35
such a manner that the total amount of funding requested by 36
accepted applications, whether for inspections, grants, or other 37
services or assistance, does not exceed the total amount of 38
available funds. If, after applications are processed and 39
approved, funds remain available, the department may accept 40
applications up to the available amount. The program shall 41
develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach 42
for hurricane damage mitigation pursuant to the requirements 43
provided in this section. 44
(1) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term "class A 45
opening protection" means: 46
(a) Glazed openings that are large missile impact-rated, 47
or protected by products that qualify as such. 48
(b) All openings that are protected at the highest 49
applicable wind-borne debris region standard. 50

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(c) Solid entry doors and garage doors that are verified 51
to be wind and pressure rated, unless such wind and pressure 52
ratings are unable to be identified. 53
(2)(1) HURRICANE MITIGATION INSPECTIONS.— 54
(a) To be eligible for a hurricane mitigation inspection 55
under the program: 56
1. A home must be a single-family, detached residential 57
property or a townhouse as defined in s. 481.203; 58
2. A home must be site-built and owner-occupied; and 59
3. The homeowner must have been granted a homestead 60
exemption on the home under chapter 196. 61
(b)1. An application for a hurricane mitigation inspection 62
must contain a signed or electronically verified statement made 63
under penalty of perjury that the applicant has submitted only 64
one inspection application on the home or that the application 65
is allowed under subparagraph 2., and the application must have 66
documents attached which demonstrate that the applicant meets 67
the requirements of paragraph (a). 68
2. An applicant may submit a subsequent hurricane 69
mitigation inspection application for the same home only if: 70
a. The original hurricane mitigation inspection 71
application has been denied or withdrawn because of errors or 72
omissions in the application; 73
b. The original hurricane mitigation inspection 74
application was denied or withdrawn because the home did not 75

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meet the eligibility criteria for an inspection at the time of 76
the previous application, and the homeowner reasonably believes 77
the home now is eligible for an inspection; or 78
c. The program's eligibility requirements for an 79
inspection have changed since the original application date, and 80
the applicant reasonably believes the home is eligible under the 81
new requirements. 82
(c) An applicant meeting the requirements of paragraph (a) 83
may receive an inspection of a home under the program without 84
being eligible for a grant under subsection (3)(2) or applying 85
for such grant. 86
(d) Licensed inspectors are to provide home inspections of 87
eligible homes to determine what mitigation measures are needed, 88
what insurance premium discounts may be available, and what 89
improvements to existing residential properties are needed to 90
reduce the property's vulnerability to hurricane damage. An 91
inspector may inspect a townhouse as defined in s. 481.203 to 92
determine if opening protection mitigation as listed in 93
subparagraph (3)(e)1. or 3. (2)(e)1. would provide improvements 94
to mitigate hurricane damage. 95
(e) The department shall contract with wind certification 96
entities to provide hurricane mitigation inspections and verify 97
all current mitigation features. The inspections provided to 98
homeowners, at a minimum, must include: 99
1. A home inspection and report that: 100

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a. Summarizes the results and identifies recommended 101
improvements a homeowner may take to mitigate hurricane damage. 102
b. Includes a completed uniform mitigation verification 103
inspection form. 104
c. Certifies, under penalty of perjury, that the 105
improvements submitted on a uniform mitigation verification 106
inspection form are present and properly installed. 107
2. A range of cost estimates regarding the recommended 108
mitigation improvements. 109
3. Information regarding estimated premium discounts, 110
correlated to the current mitigation features and the 111
recommended mitigation improvements identified by the 112
inspection. 113
(f) To qualify for selection by the department as a wind 114
certification entity to provide hurricane mitigation 115
inspections, the entity must, at a minimum, meet the following 116
requirements: 117
1. Use hurricane mitigation inspectors who are licensed or 118
certified as: 119
a. A building inspector under s. 468.607; 120
b. A general, building, or residential contractor under s. 121
489.111; 122
c. A professional engineer under s. 471.015; 123
d. A professional architect under s. 481.213; or 124
e. A home inspector under s. 468.8314 and who have 125

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completed at least 3 hours of hurricane mitigation training 126
approved by the Construction Industry Licensing Board, which 127
training must include hurricane mitigation techniques, 128
compliance with the uniform mitigation verification form, and 129
completion of a proficiency exam. 130
2. Use hurricane mitigation inspectors who also have 131
undergone drug testing and a background screening. The 132
department may conduct criminal record checks of inspectors used 133
by wind certification entities. Inspectors must submit a set of 134
fingerprints to the department for state and national criminal 135
history checks and must pay the fingerprint processing fee set 136
forth in s. 624.501. The fingerprints must be sent by the 137
department to the Department of Law Enforcement and forwarded to 138
the Federal Bureau of Investigation for processing. The results 139
must be returned to the department for screening. The 140
fingerprints must be taken by a law enforcement agency, 141
designated examination center, or other department-approved 142
entity. 143
3. Provide a quality assurance program including a 144
reinspection component. 145
(3)(2) HURRICANE MITIGATION GRANTS.—Financial grants shall 146
be used by homeowners to make improvements recommended by an 147
inspection which increase resistance to hurricane damage. 148
(a) A homeowner is eligible for a hurricane mitigation 149
grant if all of the following criteria are met: 150

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1. The home must be eligible for an inspection under 151
subsection (2) (1). 152
2. The home must be a dwelling with an insured value of 153
$700,000 or less. Homeowners who are low-income persons, as 154
defined in s. 420.0004(11), are exempt from this requirement. 155
3. The home must undergo an acceptable hurricane 156
mitigation inspection as provided in subsection (2) (1). 157
4. The grant will not be used to replace any currently 158
installed class A opening protections. 159
4. The building permit application for initial 160
construction of the home must have been made before January 1, 161
2008. 162
5. The homeowner must agree to make his or her home 163
available for inspection once a mitigation project is completed. 164
6. The homeowner must agree to provide to the department 165
information received from the homeowner's insurer identifying 166
the discounts realized by the homeowner because of the 167
mitigation improvements funded through the program. 168
7.a. The homeowner must be a low-income person or 169
moderate-income person as defined in s. 420.0004. 170
b. The hurricane mitigation inspection must have occurred 171
within the previous 24 months from the date of application. 172
c. Notwithstanding subparagraph 2., homeowners who are 173
low-income persons, as defined in s. 420.0004(11), are not 174
exempt from the requirement that the home must be a dwelling 175

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with an insured value of $700,000 or less. 176
d. This subparagraph expires July 1, 2026. 177
8. After completion of the grant funded project, all new 178
and existing exterior openings and roof-to-wall connections must 179
meet the highest applicable wind-borne debris region standards. 180
Homes located in Monroe County, Miami-Dade County, or Broward 181
County must have impact ratings on all solid exterior doors 182
without glass. 183
(b)1. An application for a grant must contain a signed or 184
electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury 185
that the applicant has submitted only one grant application or 186
that the application is allowed under subparagraph 2., and the 187
application must have documents attached demonstrating that the 188
applicant meets the requirements of paragraph (a). 189
2. An applicant may submit a subsequent grant application 190
if: 191
a. The original grant application was denied or withdrawn 192
because the application contained errors or omissions; 193
b. The original grant application was denied or withdrawn 194
because the home did not meet the eligibility criteria for a 195
grant at the time of the previous application, and the homeowner 196
reasonably believes that the home now is eligible for a grant; 197
or 198
c. The program's eligibility requirements for a grant have 199
changed since the original application date, and the applicant 200

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reasonably believes that he or she is an eligible homeowner 201
under the new requirements. 202
3. A grant application must include a statement from the 203
homeowner which contains the name and state license number of 204
the contractor that the homeowner acknowledges as the intended 205
contractor for the mitigation work. The program must 206
electronically verify that the contractor's state license number 207
is accurate and up to date before grant approval. 208
(c) All grants must be matched on the basis of $1 provided 209
by the applicant for $2 provided by the state up to a maximum 210
state contribution of $10,000 toward the actual cost of the 211
mitigation project, except as provided in paragraph (g) (h). 212
(d) All hurricane mitigation performed under the program 213
must be based upon the securing of all required local permits 214
and inspections and must be performed by properly licensed 215
contractors. 216
(e) When recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, 217
grants for eligible homes may be used for the following 218
improvements: 219
1. Opening protection, including exterior doors, garage 220
doors, and impact-rated windows, and skylights. 221
2. Approved Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections. 222
3. Hurricane shutters that meet Florida Building Code 223
Standards 224
3. Improving the strength of roof-deck attachments. 225

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4. Roof replacement, if the current Secondary water 226
resistance for roof does not, at minimum, meet: 227
a. The 2002 standards of the Florida Building Code for 228
homes located in a county other than Miami-Dade County; or 229
b. The 1995 standards of the Florida Building Code for 230
homes located in Miami-Dade County. 231
(f) When recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, 232
grants for townhouses, as defined in s. 481.203, may only be 233
used for opening protection. 234
(f)(g) The department may require that improvements be 235
made to all openings, including exterior doors, garage doors, 236
windows, and skylights, as a condition of reimbursing a 237
homeowner approved for a grant. The department may adopt, by 238
rule, the maximum grant allowances for any improvement allowable 239
under paragraph (e) or paragraph (f). 240
(g)(h) Low-income homeowners, as defined in s. 241
420.0004(11), who otherwise meet the applicable requirements of 242
this subsection are eligible for a grant of up to $10,000 and 243
are not required to provide a matching amount to receive the 244
grant. 245
(h)(i)1. The department shall develop a process that 246
ensures the most efficient means to collect and verify 247
inspection applications and grant applications to determine 248
eligibility. The department may direct hurricane mitigation 249
inspectors to collect and verify grant application information 250

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or use the Internet or other electronic means to collect 251
information and determine eligibility. 252
2. The department shall prioritize the review and approval 253
of such inspection applications and grant applications in the 254
following order: 255
a. First, applications from low-income persons, as defined 256
in s. 420.0004, who are at least 60 years old; 257
b. Second, applications from all other low-income persons, 258
as defined in s. 420.0004; 259
c. Third, applications from moderate-income persons, as 260
defined in s. 420.0004, who are at least 60 years old; 261
d. Fourth, applications from all other moderate-income 262
persons, as defined in s. 420.0004; and 263
e. Last, all other applications. 264
3. The department shall start accepting inspection 265
applications and grant applications no earlier than the 266
effective date of a legislative appropriation funding 267
inspections and grants, as follows: 268
a. Initially, from applicants prioritized under sub-269
subparagraph 2.a.; 270
b. From applicants prioritized under sub-subparagraph 271
2.b., beginning 15 days after the program initially starts 272
accepting applications; 273
c. From applicants prioritized under sub-subparagraph 274
2.c., beginning 30 days after the program initially starts 275

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accepting applications; 276
d. From applicants described in sub-subparagraph 2.d., 277
beginning 45 days after the program initially starts accepting 278
applications; and 279
e. From all other applicants, beginning 60 days after the 280
program initially starts accepting applications. 281
4. The program may accept a certification directly from a 282
low-income homeowner or moderate-income homeowner who meets the 283
requirements of s. 420.0004(11) or (12), respectively, if the 284
homeowner provides such certification in a signed or 285
electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury. 286
(i)(j) A homeowner who receives a grant shall finalize 287
construction and request a final inspection, or request an 288
extension for an additional 6 months, within 1 year after grant 289
approval. If a homeowner fails to comply with this paragraph, 290
his or her application is deemed abandoned and the grant money 291
reverts to the department. 292
(11)(10) REPORTS AND ACCOUNTABILITY.— 293
(a) The department shall make an annual report on the 294
activities of the program that shall account for the use of 295
state funds and indicate the number of inspections requested, 296
the number of inspections performed, the number of grant 297
applications received, the number and value of grants approved, 298
and the estimated average annual amount of insurance premium 299
discounts and total estimated annual amount of insurance premium 300

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discounts homeowners received from insurers as a result of 301
mitigation funded through the program. The report must detail 302
what percentage of grants were used toward each type of 303
improvement listed under paragraph (2)(e) and the corresponding 304
average premium reduction from such improvements. The report 305
must be delivered to the President of the Senate and the Speaker 306
of the House of Representatives by February 1 of each year. 307
(b) The department shall maintain a publicly accessible 308
online dashboard that shows the total funds awarded by the 309
program categorized by the type of improvement the funds were 310
used toward and the percentage of homes achieving reductions in 311
insurance premiums. 312
(c) The department shall establish performance standards 313
and audit protocols for inspectors under paragraph (2)(d) which 314
ensure accuracy and compliance with this section. 315
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 316