Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
SB 1148
By
Senator Bracy Davis
15-00383E-26 20261148__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to My Safe Florida Home Program;
3 amending s. 215.5586, F.S.; requiring the Department
4 of Financial Services to notify applicants in
5 specified circumstances; authorizing applicants to
6 submit subsequent applications in certain
7 circumstances; prohibiting an application from being
8 deemed withdrawn if an applicant responds to notice
9 and makes certain demonstrations and corrections;
10 providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Paragraph (j) of subsection (2) and subsection
15 (3) of section 215.5586, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
16 215.5586 My Safe Florida Home Program.—There is established
17 within the Department of Financial Services the My Safe Florida
18 Home Program. The department shall provide fiscal
19 accountability, contract management, and strategic leadership
20 for the program, consistent with this section. This section does
21 not create an entitlement for property owners or obligate the
22 state in any way to fund the inspection or retrofitting of
23 residential property in this state. Implementation of this
24 program is subject to annual legislative appropriations. It is
25 the intent of the Legislature that, subject to the availability
26 of funds, the My Safe Florida Home Program provide licensed
27 inspectors to perform hurricane mitigation inspections of
28 eligible homes and grants to fund hurricane mitigation projects
29 on those homes. The department shall implement the program in
30 such a manner that the total amount of funding requested by
31 accepted applications, whether for inspections, grants, or other
32 services or assistance, does not exceed the total amount of
33 available funds. If, after applications are processed and
34 approved, funds remain available, the department may accept
35 applications up to the available amount. The program shall
36 develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach
37 for hurricane damage mitigation pursuant to the requirements
38 provided in this section.
39 (2) HURRICANE MITIGATION GRANTS.—Financial grants shall be
40 used by homeowners to make improvements recommended by an
41 inspection which increase resistance to hurricane damage.
42 (j) A homeowner who receives a grant shall finalize
43 construction and request a final inspection, or request an
44 extension for an additional 6 months, within 1 year after grant
45 approval. If a homeowner fails to comply with this paragraph,
46 his or her application is deemed abandoned and the grant money
47 reverts to the department.
The department must notify the
48
applicant if an application is deemed abandoned. If the
49
applicant responds to such notification within 5 business days
50
and demonstrates good cause for the failure to comply with this
51
paragraph, the applicant may submit a subsequent grant
52
application.
53 (3) REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION.—The department may request
54 that an applicant provide additional information. An application
55 is deemed withdrawn by the applicant if the department does not
56 receive a response to its request for additional information
57 within 60 days after the notification of any apparent error or
58 omission.
The department must notify the applicant if an
59
application has been deemed withdrawn. If the applicant responds
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to such notification within 5 business days, demonstrates good
61
cause for any error or omission, and corrects the error or
62
omission in that time period, the application may not be deemed
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withdrawn.
64 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.