Finally, a government program that is an unqualified success. Too bad that very success has led to its early termination.
In August 2006, then-Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher kicked off the My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) program, a $250 million mitigation program to help Floridians strengthen their homes against hurricanes and to reduce property losses in Florida. Under its legislative mandate, the program was to provide inspections for at least 400,000 site-built, single-family, residential properties and to give mitigation grants to at least 35,000 applicants before June 30, 2009.
Mission accomplished. Grant goals were met in May. The inspection goal was achieved in June, a year ahead of the legislative-set end date, and the program has stopped accepting new applications.
"When the Florida Legislature created the My Safe Florida Home program, their intent was to create a culture of mitigation in our state," said current Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. "Almost half a million homes later, homeowners served by this program are better informed and most are better prepared for the next big storm."
Building on Success
Although the program may be winding down (unless Sink can get the legislature to prime the pump) Ted Nelson, president of Jacksonville-based SkyeTec, is determined to build on the momentum it created.
Involved from the beginning with MSFH, SkyeTec performed 80,000 of the MSFH inspections conducted since 2007. Its 19 area managers located throughout Florida guide the company's mix of 140 employees and independent inspectors helping homeowners mitigate wind and storm-driven water damage. Former insurance adjusters and home inspectors (groups whose livelihood have been impacted by the state's housing slump) have proven to make good mitigation inspectors, Nelson reports.
Even without the grant money to spur consumers, Nelson is passionate about continuing to promote the message of hardening homes and tightening safety and energy weak spots. SkyeTec's in-depth inspections cover 150-200 items and result in a comprehensive rating for the home. Cost is $150, and homeowners get a thorough explanation of the predictable effectiveness of the important safety features of their dwellings, not just a checkbox geared to qualifying for discounts.
During their inspections, SkyeTec's staff have been "alarmed," Nelson said, to discover that some 30 percent of roofs replaced after the storms of 2004 and 2005 were still being stapled to decking instead of being nailed in accordance with tougher, post-Andrew codes.
"We don't want to lose the momentum the MSFH program generated," Nelson said. He found that when many customers received their home report and realized they could do something about their safety, many did. Some 30 percent of SkyeTec customers who didn't qualify for a state grant went on and made suggested improvements anyway. "We were delighted," said Nelson.
FLASH Continues Teaching Role
SkyeTec's immediate plans call for collaborating with the nationally acclaimed Tallahassee non-profit FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes), several banks around the state, wind mitigation manufacturers such as shutter fabricators, and some home-improvement big-box stores to offer financing to make the hardening of homes a reality for more Floridians.
The company's marketing will include promoting a four-minute version of the well-received FLASH documentary, "Tale of Two Homes," produced amidst the devastation of southwest Florida following Hurricane Charley. FLASH CEO and President Leslie Chapman-Henderson and her film crew captured on-site proof of the differences in hurricane survival between two homes across the street from each other–one "hardened," the other not. The stark visual contrasts provide a "teachable moment" for educating the public.
Citing a recent Mason Dixon poll in which more than half of the 1,100 Atlantic and Gulf coast residents surveyed believed that masking tape would keep windows from shattering, Chapman-Henderson said, "Our goal is to stamp out this potentially deadly myth and help homeowners understand the best methods for protecting families and homes."
FLASH itself is inaugurating an interactive weather experience late this summer. StormStruck: The Tale of Two Homes, (TM) is located at INNOVENTIONS East at Walt Disney World's(R)Epcot(R) in Lake Buena Vista. The exhibit offers more than 100,000-square-feet of experiential educational exhibits. FLASH project partners for StormStruck include Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. and its U.S. affiliate WeatherPredict Consulting Inc., Simpson Strong-Tie, and State Farm.
"This groundbreaking exhibit represents a milestone in the disaster-safety movement. It will save lives and homes by combining fun with education," said Chapman-Henderson in a news release.
In StormStruck, visitors will experience hurricane-like severe weather and learn about cutting-edge scientific research and the latest recommendations for protecting homes and families against nature's massive power in a fun, interactive setting.
New Homes Need Tightening Too
Although mitigation efforts often focus on existing structures, new-home construction deserves similar scrutiny where wind- and water-damage prevention, safety and energy conservation are concerned. With current grant money exhausted, insurance discounts will be a strong motivator in the next round of mitigation promotion to consumers.
When Sink announced she was halting the grant part of the MSFH program, her office reported that 58 percent of homeowners who received a free wind inspection were eligible for discounts on their wind-insurance premiums averaging $219.31 statewide.
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