Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has announced that more than 100,000 homeowners have signed up for free wind inspections to determine the degree to which their homes could withstand the potential damage resulting from a major hurricane. The inspections represent a major step forward toward the program's goal of performing 400,000 inspections over two years.

Lawmakers established the My Safe Florida Home Program in 2006 as a pilot project covering 17 coastal counties. Initially funded by a $250 million appropriation, the program was designed to provide free inspections to homeowners looking to minimize the losses they may experience from a major storm. Eligible homeowners could receive up to $5,000 in matching funds to make home improvements. While the inspections cover seven potential construction areas that could lead to hurricane damage, the matching funds only covered windows, exterior doors, garage doors, and the bracing of gable ends.

The program proved to be immediately popular with homeowners, as more than 67,000 Florida residents applied for inspections. However, due to bureaucratic problems and the limited resources, the program initially had poor results. Between Aug. 2006 and March 2007, only 14,700 homes were inspected and 960 grants awarded. As a result, the program was temporarily suspended as Sink took steps to shore up the project with the immediate goal of following through on the backlog of 50,000 inspections.

Last April, after reviewing the program, Sink relaunched the project statewide and contracted with 11 new windstorm inspection firms that were given 60 days to start performing a minimum of 1,000 inspections weekly. The changes streamlined the program's services and decreased the waiting list for inspections. Lawmakers also clarified those homeowners eligible for the program. Specifically, the homeowners must receive an inspection after May 1, live in a single-family home with an insured value of $300,000 or less that was built prior to March 1, 2002, have a valid homestead exemption, and be located in a wind-borne debris area.

According to one homeowner survey, there are 4.4 million single-family homes in the state, 3.2 million of which were built before 1995. The average home is 24 years old, has 2,000 square feet, and is resold every 10 years. Additionally, there are 1.6 million condominium units that have an average age of 29 years. Fifty-eight percent of those units are locate in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

Since April, 72,000 homes have been inspected under the My Safe Florida Home program, bringing the number of inspections conducted since the program's inception to 86,969. Approximately 8,700 homeowners have qualified to receive matching grants, which are paid out after the homeowner completes the improvements. Of those homeowners, 890 have received nearly $2.8 million in matching funds.

“Thousands of Florida homeowners are learning how to harden and protect their homes from hurricane damage,” said Sink. “We are able to help thousands of more Floridians in the next two years. I encourage every eligible Floridian to sign up and receive a free wind inspection from the My Safe Florida Home program.”

For more information on the program, agents can direct homeowners to call the toll-free helpline at 866-513-MSFH (6734), or visit www.MySafeFloridaHome.com.

Special Reports /

My Safe Florida Home Program Reaching Homeowners

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