Proposed changes to a state grant program that provides up to $10,000 for home-hardening improvements would delay, for 60 days after the program resumes taking applications on July 1, consideration of grants for thousands of homeowners already in the system.
The My Safe Florida Home program has been an unexpected boon for 30,809 homeowners previously approved for funding to help them replace their roofs or harden exterior windows and doors with impact-resistant materials.
The program’s matching grant was particularly generous, offering $2 for every $1 spent up to $10,000.
As of Monday, 8,112 grant applicants from 2023 were still awaiting word that they are approved and can commence with their upgrades, according to Devin Galetta, spokesman for the Department of Financial Services, which oversees the program.
By the first week of March, those applicants should receive grant approval notifications, Galetta said this week.
Meanwhile, 59,547 homeowners have had required windstorm mitigation inspections completed but did not or could not submit a grant application before the program stopped accepting them last September, Galetta said.
They won’t have to start over when the program reopens to applicants on July 1, Galetta said.
“Those homeowners who have already completed the initial inspection will be able to move to the grant application stage as soon as the funding is available on July 1,” he said.
However, many of those 59,547 homeowners will have to wait at least 60 days after July 1 to find out whether their grant applications are approved, he said.
That’s because lawmakers are poised to approve additional funding with a major program change: Applications will only be considered from low- and moderate-income homeowners for the first 60 days after resumes accepting grant applications. If proposed language is approved by the Legislature, homeowners who don’t fall into one of those categories would have to hope some of the new funding remains available after 60 days.
Program officials will be able to tell applicants whether they qualify under “low” and “moderate” income classifications used by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for assistance programs, Galetta said.
Previous applicants who are waiting in limbo say they were confused to learn that the program rules could change before they would be allowed to get in line for a grant.
Steven Rosenthal, a Parkland resident, said that after his inspection was completed last year, he received notification that his grant application was “paused.”
“While the ‘new’ applications after July 1 will be governed by the ‘low- to moderate-income’ criteria, it is not clear as to the status of the ‘old’ applications like mine,” Rosenthal wrote in an email this week.
Matthew Hirko, a Tallahassee resident, said by email that his grant application has been in the review stage since September.
“I can’t tell what’s happening,” Hirko said. “In the meantime, I really need a new roof on my house. Are they still trying to allocate money? Are they actively reviewing applications, or are we all still in limbo?”
Making matters more confusing, funding for the program’s upcoming year remains undetermined.
So far, $391.2 million has been approved for program grants.
Adding to the previously approved $215 million in grant funding, lawmakers last November approved $176.2 million more. But that money was only enough to cover 17,620 grant applications that remained in the queue, and not enough to approve grants for new applicants.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, in his budget recommendation released last December, requested $100 million for program grants during the upcoming 2024-25 budget year. DeSantis proposed the money to automatically recur each year.
That would be enough to fund 10,000 new grants next year, and for as long as the $100 million recurs.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis requested $200 million — enough to fund 20,000 grants next year — in the state’s 2024-25 General Appropriations Act bill.
The actual amount available for the program won’t be known until the Legislative session ends and DeSantis signs the final bill.
Between the unknown number of low- and moderate-income homeowners who will sign up during the first 60 days, the 59,547 program applicants who haven’t yet had grant applications considered, and a rule in the current bill barring the program from creating a waiting list after funds are depleted, there would seem to be little opportunity for new applicants who take in more than a “moderate income” to secure grants next year — unless another special legislative session results in another large outlay.
Questions and answers about the My Safe Florida Home program
Q: How many applicants have so far been approved for grants of up to $10,000?
A: 30,809.
Q: How many applicants submitted grant requests but have not yet been notified that they’ve been approved?
A: 8,112.
Q: How many homeowners had their homes inspected but were unable to apply for a grant before the program stopped accepting them in September?
A: 59,547.
Q: When will they be able to apply for grants?
A: When the program resumes accepting grant applications on July 1.
Q: How long will it take after that to find out if their grant application is approved?
A: Unless they fit into a “low” or “moderate” income category, they must wait at least 60 days after July 1 to hear back.
Q: Really? Why?
A: Legislative bills to reauthorize the program for the coming year require that low- and moderate-income applicants must be prioritized across four stages: For the first 15 days, low-income homeowners who are at least 60 years old. For the next 15 days, all low-income homeowners. For the next 15 days, moderate-income homeowners who are at least 60 years old. For the next 15 days, all moderate-income homeowners. Finally, after 60 days, applications of all other homeowners will be considered.
Q: What storm-hardening upgrades will qualify for the grant?
A: Here’s the list:
- Opening protection (impact-resistant windows and skylights).
- Upgrading exterior doors, including garage doors.
- Bracing gable ends.
- Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections.
- Improving the strength of roof-deck attachments.
- Upgrading roof coverings from code to code plus.
- Installing secondary water barrier for roofs.
The final five improvements on the above list deal with roofs, their coverings, and their connections to the home. Department officials are approving funding for new roofs to address any of the roof-related deficiencies.
Q. Can I still apply to get a free windstorm mitigation inspection even if I can’t submit an application?
A: Yes.
Q: How can I find out whether my status is “low- or moderate-income”?
A: The program will let you know, either on its website — mysafeflhome.com — or by calling 866-513-6734 after the program reopens on July 1. Generally, low-income means earning up to 80% of the median income of the state, metropolitan statistical area or county (whichever is higher). Moderate-income means earning up to 120% of the median family income.
Q: If I am approved as low-income, will I have to pay a match to get the grant?
A: No, low-income applicants won’t have to pay anything to be eligible for up to $10,000 in improvements.
Q: What are the other requirements to be eligible for an inspection or grant?
A: Your home has to be homesteaded (not a second home or investment property), permitted for construction before Jan. 1, 2008, and have an insured value of $700,000 or less. Only site-built, single-family homes and townhomes qualify for grants to strengthen windows and doors. Grants for new roofs are available only for single-family homes.
Q: I don’t believe I will fall into a low-income or moderate-income category and I haven’t yet applied for an inspection. What are my chances of getting a grant this year?
A: With the maximum possible budget of $200 million able to fund grants for just 20,000 applicants this year, chances that new applicants will get grants are not great.
However, there’s always a chance that a sizable number of homeowners approved for grants last year won’t complete their home-hardening projects. If that happens, the $10,000 allocated for their grant would revert back to the program and be available for future applicants.
Q: This sounds complicated and I can’t wait that long. I should have applied earlier, right?
A: Yes.
Q: Why is the state making so much money available for stormproofing homes?
A: The idea to restart the 2006-2009 program came about after a sharp rise in property insurance premiums for most Florida residents, and while the Legislature passed laws in 2022 to shore up the insurance industry. Resuming the program was justified as a way to reduce insurance premiums by increasing the number of wind mitigation discounts that homeowners could claim.
Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.