JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A state program that helps homeowners lower their insurance premiums is expanding.
The My Safe Florida Home Program offers matching grants of up to $10,000 for repairs to help homes better withstand storms.
Now, it includes condo associations. The program is also changing to prioritize low-income and senior applicants first.
Homeowner Gary Pecorino said his home insurance has doubled since moving from New York.
“I was looking around for different ways to make it a little cheaper but it didn’t really seem like there were many good options,” Pecorino said.
Starting July 1, home and condo owners like Pecorino may soon be able to tap into state dollars to help.
That’s when the My Safe Florida Home Program is reopening its portal to applicants and when the My Safe Florida Condominium Program kicks off for the first time.
“If you qualify just get in there and do it, there’s up to $10,000 you can benefit from so it makes all kinds of sense to start the process,” Brightway Insurance Agency Owner Billy Wagner said.
The home program provides matching grants to homeowners to strengthen their properties against seasonal storms. the first step is to get a free wind mitigation inspection. Using the recommendations from that inspection, the state will match up to $10,000 of the costs of wind and water mitigation work, including upgrades to roofs, windows, and doors.
Wagner said homeowners could save a lot of money with those upgrades.
“I think the data shows it’s up to 88% so it’s pretty significant but what we see on average is between 30 and 40%,” Wagner said.
Condo owners can’t apply for the grant funds individually. But their condo association can apply for them as long as they’re within 15 miles of the coastline.
“I think it’s a problem we’re going to be facing for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years. How do we get these condos built stronger and better? So I think that needs to be a focus and it’s on a lot of the minds of the people who live in those condos,” Wagner said.
Once improvements are made, the discounts are passed down to condo owners. Grants would be capped at $175,000 per association.
Applications will be accepted and prioritized in 15-day increments based on age and income. It starts with low-income seniors on July 1 and opens to all eligible Florida homeowners on Aug. 31.
- Low-income homeowners age 60+ – July 1 – July 15
- Low-income homeowners of any age – July 16 – 30
- Moderate-income homeowners age 60+ – July 31 – August 14
- Moderate-income homeowners of any age – August 15 – 30
- All other eligible Florida homeowners – August 31
“When the program starts up again I’m going to look into it,” Pecorino said.
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Once all funds are awarded from the My Safe Florida Home Program, the portal will close and will not accept any more applications until additional funding is provided.
Last week, $200 million was awarded to the My Safe Florida Home Program.
The condominium program is a pilot program so funding is limited. There are $30 million available for condo associations.
All homeowners qualify for a free wind mitigation inspection – with no obligation to apply for grant funds.