Mo Mufti, REALTOR® LPT Realty, LLC FL Lic. SL3600299
FLORIDA HURRICANE MITIGATION · OWNERS, SELLERS, AND BUYERS
Florida’s home-hardening program pays for a wind mitigation inspection and can put up to $10,000 of state money toward stronger windows, doors, and roofs. Grants are limited to low- and moderate-income homeowners, the 2026-27 money is last year’s unspent balance carried forward, and the timing matters if you plan to sell or have just bought.
The short version: My Safe Florida Home is run by the Florida Department of Financial Services. It offers a free hurricane mitigation inspection to homesteaded, owner-occupied, site-built single-family homes, and a grant of up to $10,000 for upgrades that inspection recommends. Grants go only to low- and moderate-income homeowners whose homes were built before 2008 and are insured for $700,000 or less, and moderate-income owners put in $1 for every $2 from the state. When checked on October 10, 2026, the program’s website said it was accepting applications.
The program’s home page invites homeowners to create an account and start an application, and its support center answer to “Is funding currently available?” (updated August 17) says the program “is now accepting applications.” Applicants create an account, complete a prioritization questionnaire, and are sorted into inspection or grant groups. The program says it places homeowners into inspection groups several times each week.
Lawmakers did not add new money this year. WPTV reported in May that lawmakers were not proposing new money and that not all of the prior year’s $280 million had been distributed. Instead, the 2026-27 budget, HB 5001-E (chapter 2026-232, Laws of Florida, signed June 29), carried the unspent balance forward. Its section 157 reappropriates $342,597,333 for hurricane mitigation grants, $19,611,525 for inspections, $16,000,000 for operations and administration, and $127,340 for outreach. Florida Realtors’ legislative report rounds that to $378 million, with a separate $27 million for the condominium pilot.
Two cautions come from the statute itself. It says the program “does not create an entitlement” for property owners, and the department may not accept applications that request more than the funds available. Funding is set each year by the Legislature, so recheck the program site before you plan a project around a grant.
| Requirement | Free inspection | Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Home type | Single-family home on its own parcel, either detached or attached (sharing a wall) and no more than three stories | Same |
| Occupancy | Site-built, owner-occupied, and already granted a homestead exemption | Same |
| Not eligible | Condominiums, cooperatives, retirement homes, mobile and manufactured homes, multifamily buildings, second homes, and rentals | Same |
| Age of home | No year-built limit in the statute | Built before January 1, 2008, as shown by the county property appraiser |
| Insured value | No limit in the statute | $700,000 or less |
| Income | Any eligible homeowner may apply; income and age set the review order | Low income (at or below 80% of median) or moderate income (below 120% of median) only |
| Timing | A repeat inspection is allowed after 24 months if no grant was paid | Apply within 24 months of the program inspection; finish and request the final inspection within 18 months of approval |
The income tests come from section 420.0004, Florida Statutes, which compares household adjusted gross income with the median for the state or for the local metro area or county, whichever is greater. Applications are reviewed in this order: low-income homeowners 60 and older, other low-income homeowners, moderate-income homeowners 60 and older, other moderate-income homeowners, then everyone else seeking only an inspection. By law, each later group opens 15 to 60 days after the program starts accepting applications.
Senate Bill 1452 (chapter 2026-174, effective June 26, 2026) wrote attached homes of up to three stories into the eligibility rules, and the program’s FAQ says the change lets townhomes receive roof-improvement grants like single-family homes. If your home shares a wall with a neighbor, read the current rules rather than an older summary.
A program-contracted inspector does it, and you can’t substitute your own. By law the report summarizes the results, recommends improvements, gives a range of cost estimates, and estimates the insurance discounts tied to current and recommended features. The program says you can share the report with your insurer to check you are receiving available discounts. You don’t have to apply for a grant afterward.
Grant money can pay for improvements the initial inspection recommends: exterior doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights, plus roof work such as roof-to-wall connections, roof-deck attachment, and secondary water resistance, with a new roof covering when needed to finish that work. A licensed contractor and permits are required, the grant must be approved before work starts, and the program pays after a final inspection confirms the improvements.
Moderate-income homeowners pay $1 for every $2 from the state, up to a $10,000 state contribution. In the program’s own examples, a $9,000 window job is reimbursed $6,000, and a $15,000 job gets the $10,000 maximum with a $5,000 homeowner match. Low-income homeowners can receive up to $10,000 with no match.
Florida law requires residential property insurers’ rate filings to include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or deductible reductions for features shown to reduce windstorm losses, including roof strength, roof-to-wall connections, and opening protection. Since October 1, 2023, insurers have had to describe their hurricane mitigation discounts on their websites. The program describes these as discounts on the hurricane portion of the premium. The amount depends on the insurer and the home, so ask your insurance agent for a quote with and without a proposed upgrade.
The features are documented on the state’s Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802. The Office of Insurance Regulation updated that form effective April 1, 2026, and says a completed form is valid for up to five years as long as the structure hasn’t materially changed and nothing on it is inaccurate. Grant recipients also agree to tell the program what discounts their insurer gave them.
A current wind mitigation report gives a buyer’s insurance agent documented features to quote from while the buyer is still deciding. If you have already hardened the home, keep the permits, the contractor’s invoice, and any final inspection report together for the listing file. Mo has no reliable local data on how much hardening adds to a sale price, so he treats it as an insurance and condition fact, not a pricing promise.
Timing matters if you are thinking about listing. The program path runs from questionnaire to group placement, inspection, grant application, approval, construction, and final inspection, and work started before approval isn’t reimbursed. Because eligibility is built around an owner-occupied homestead, ask the program in writing how a sale would affect an approved grant before you list. Selling as-is instead? Read selling a Florida house as-is, and see 4-point and wind mitigation inspections for the other reports insurers ask for.
A buyer can’t apply right after closing. The program requires a homestead exemption already granted on the home, and Florida homestead depends on owning and living in the home on January 1 and applying with the property appraiser by March 1. For a fall 2026 closing, that generally points to the 2027 tax year. The details are in the homestead exemption guide.
During your inspection period, ask the seller for the existing wind mitigation report and its date, and have your insurance agent confirm which form versions the carrier accepts. If the seller used the program, ask for the final inspection report and permits so your agent can verify what was installed.
COMMON QUESTIONS
When checked on October 10, 2026, mysafeflhome.com said it was accepting applications, and the 2026-27 budget carried the program’s unspent balance forward. Funding is set by the Legislature each year, so check the program site before planning a project around a grant.
Moderate-income homeowners pay $1 for every $2 the state provides, up to a $10,000 state contribution. Low-income homeowners can receive up to $10,000 with no matching payment.
Yes, if the home is a homesteaded, owner-occupied, site-built single-family home. Homeowners outside the low- and moderate-income groups are reviewed last.
The Office of Insurance Regulation says the uniform mitigation form is valid for up to five years if the structure has not materially changed and nothing on the form is inaccurate. The form was updated effective April 1, 2026, so ask your insurance agent which versions the carrier accepts.
After homestead is granted on the new home. Homestead depends on owning and living in the home on January 1 and applying by March 1, so a closing in fall 2026 generally points to the 2027 tax year.
Mo will pull the parcel record, ask for the wind mitigation and roof paperwork early, and build insurance timing into the contract.
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Mo Mufti, REALTOR® · LPT Realty, LLC · 352-298-8602
Checked October 10, 2026. Program funding, forms, and eligibility rules change, so confirm the current version before relying on a number.
Important: General real estate information only—not legal, tax, insurance, engineering, or financial advice. Mo Mufti is a Florida REALTOR® (license SL3600299) with LPT Realty, LLC, not an attorney, insurance agent, contractor, or inspector, and is not affiliated with the My Safe Florida Home Program. Confirm eligibility and funding with the program.
More Florida costs & rules: 4-point and wind mitigation · Homestead exemption · Selling as-is · Flood disclosure · Sinkhole due diligence · What is my home worth?