Florida’s free hurricane home inspections resume

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – May 7, 2007 – Florida’s free hurricane inspection program has resumed, according to Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. HB 7057, passed during the legislative session that ended on Friday, made adjustments to the My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) program.

The MSFH program allows Florida homeowners to sign up through its Web site for a free wind inspection designed to look for ways a home came be fortified, called mitigation, to prepare it for a hurricane. If the inspection teams find items that could be improved, the state will also provide matching funds, within limits, for every dollar the homeowner spends.

More than 50,000 homeowners are already on the program’s waiting list and these homeowners should expect to be served by the end of the summer. Floridians on the waiting list who have not heard from a participating wind inspection firm by June 30, 2007, should contact the MSFH program’s toll-free helpline at (866) 513-6734.

New applicants can also apply over the MSFH program’s Web site (www.MySafeFloridaHome.com) or over the program’s toll-free helpline at (866) 513-6734, but Sink says that the waiting list will be handled first, and anyone applying for the first time should not expect to receive a free wind inspection before August 2007.

However, Floridians who want a wind inspection before hurricane season starts on June 1 – and don’t plan to apply for matching funds – can pay a $150 fee directly to the independent inspection firms participating in the program. More information on contacting an inspection firm can be found at www.MySafeFloridaHome.com.

To date, the MSFH program has awarded about $200,000 to 88 Florida homeowners who hardened their homes against hurricanes through the MSFH program. The state reimbursed the homeowners, who received free wind inspections during the pilot phase of the program, for half the cost of home improvements, including hurricane shutters, reinforced garage doors and roof enhancements. More than 5,100 Floridians are currently working on mitigation improvements through the MSFH program and will receive their matching grants once the work has been completed.