Part of My Safe Florida Home program runs out of funding 2 weeks after applications open
TAMPA, Fla. - Funding for the ‘My Safe Florida Home’ program has dried up less than two weeks after opening for new applications and inspections.
The federal program helping Floridians harden up their homes and lower their property insurance premiums will now be put on pause after running out of money.
Despite Governor Ron DeSantis setting $200 million aside for the popular program, it only took 10 days for funding to run out, partially due to the fact that there was already a previous backlog of applicants from last year after funding ran out then too.
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The program reimburses homeowners up to $10,000 for completing home hardening projects and offers free home inspections to Florida residents.
The program breaks applications down into five grant groups, and it looks like the only grant groups that were able to submit their new applications with hopes of them being processed through were low-income homeowners ages 60 and up.
The window opened on July 1 and closed on the 15th. The announcement that funding dried up came on July 12.
A message posted on the My Safe Florida Home website last week made it clear that the program's popularity exceeded the federal funding set aside for it this year, and there's simply nothing left for new applicants for new inspections.
Some homeowners who missed out on grant money last year are still hitting a dead end this year. A Bay Area homeowner, Annette Ross, said she and her husband applied for a My Safe Florida Home grant last year to help replace their windows and roof.
"We did everything perfect, and it even chose it on our applications," Annette Ross said. "Got the green check marks by everything."
The couple had already begun the application process and had a wind mitigation report completed. They were in the first group of eligible homeowners this year, and were hopeful they’d get through the process this time.
The window for group one is now closed, and Ross said their account still shows a "pending prioritization message."
"We were calling saying, ‘Why is it still saying pending when we completed it? It shows all the little green boxes are checked off. But nothing is happening,’" Ross said.
While $200 million sounds like a lot, when it comes down to the number of homeowners the program serves, apparently that only scratches the surface. Insurance experts aren’t surprised that the funding went so quickly.
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"It was only granted $200 million, so that's about 15,000 or 20,000 Floridians that will take advantage. We had 7.5 million property insurance policies," Insurance advisor and disaster recovery expert Lisa Miller said.
Experts said people who may have already gotten their free inspections can still gain useful information from it.
"In those inspections are little pearls of things that are in your home that maybe you didn't know, and your insurance company doesn't know, and you'll get a credit automatically once you tell your insurance company," Miller said.
Insurance experts encourage people to contact their insurance companies about getting a wind inspection, because it can alert you to problems you might not even know about, and that you can start repairing on your own if you can.
Ross said a caseworker told them that the system is backed up, so they’ll be processed in whichever group is open at the time their application is reviewed. She now has to decide whether to continue trying and potentially come back next year if and when funding is reallocated.
"We just have to decide, if we've got funds, are we going to, what are we going to put any money towards?" she said. "You know. What do we repair a window here and a window there."
You can check back with the My Safe Florida Home website for updates on funding next year. Applications are still being accepted for Group 2 on the site for qualifying low-income homeowners, and that window is open through July 30. For more information on applying, click here.
The My Safe Florida Home Condo Pilot program was appropriated $30 million is expected to open in the fall.