My Safe Florida Home Program Approved Contractor: Save $10K on Roof & Home Upgrades

Hurricane season is here, but it’s not too late to hurricane-proof your home. In fact, the state of Florida will even help you pay for upgrades! Thanks to new expansions of the My Safe Florida Home program, you can save up to $10,000 when you invest in making your home more resilient to high winds, heavy rains, and other natural phenomena that make hurricanes so dangerous.

But it’s natural to have a lot of questions about how the My Safe Florida Home program works. In fact, it only works on certain upgrades to your home, and there are other restrictions on how to qualify for this $10k in assistance. But as your local guides on all things roofing and home protection, Classic Roofing and Construction is here to break it all down and make it simple.

So let’s start with the biggest question: What does the My Safe Florida Home program do?

What Does the My Safe Florida Home Program Do?

My Safe Florida Home is a home-hardening grant intended to help battle Florida’s homeowners insurance crisis. This program offers Florida homeowners a free inspection to see how they could better hurricane-proof their homes. From there, if homeowners choose to install recommended hurricane-proofing upgrades, this grant will give them $2 for every $1 they spend on home improvements, up to $10,000. Or, if you qualify as a low-income homeowner, you can receive $10,000 in funds without having to spend anything.

Additionally, this grant has eliminated sales tax for the purchase of impact-resistant doors, impact-resistant garage doors, and impact-resistant windows through June 30, 2024.

My Safe Florida Home was initially created in 2022, but it recently received expansions on fund limits and eligibility criteria. In other words, the program is now available to more people and can give more financial support than it could before. But what kinds of things does the My Safe Florida Home program pay for?

Keep in mind that you will only be able to use grant funds to pay for improvements outlined in your inspection report. With that said, some of the most common types of upgrades this grant pays for include:

• New, hurricane-resistant windows
• A secondary water-resistant barrier on the roof
• Strengthening roof decking attachments
• Upgrading roof coverings
• Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections

Now that you know what the My Safe Florida Home program can do, let’s talk about who qualifies for this grant.

How to Qualify for the My Safe Florida Home Program

When this program was first unveiled in 2022, there were many restrictions on who could use this grant. However, thanks to new expansions that went into effect on July 1, 2023, this program is much more accessible for Floridians. The only requirements are:

• You must provide proof of a homestead exemption
• Your home must be insured for $700,000 or less
• The home’s building permit must  have been issued prior to January 1, 2008
• You must allow your home to be re-inspected after the upgrades have been completed

All things considered, these are pretty inclusive requirements, especially when you consider that the initial version of this program required applicants to live in a wind-borne debris region and have less than $500,000 in home insurance.

But there is one restriction for this grant, and it dictates who can and cannot perform upgrades on your home.

Hiring Roofers and Contractors in Florida

Whatever improvements your inspection suggests, you will not be able to pick just any contractor to take on the work. Instead, once you apply for the My Safe Florida Home program, the Department of Financial Services will provide you with a list of approved contractors for this grant, and you can choose which company to use from that list. But why can’t you pick a roofing contractor not on the list?

The goal of the My Safe Florida Home program is to lower the strain on homeowners insurance companies. And by only using approved contractors, the state is ensuring that all work is completed by experienced professionals. This is important, because Florida has suffered a lot at the hands of storm chasers and other unreliable roofers. By ensuring that grant money only goes to reputable roofers who know how to properly install hurricane upgrades, the My Safe Florida Home program makes sure that all of your new protections will work as they’re meant to and keep your home safe.

Of course, any roofer on the approved list will be reputable and trustworthy. But at Classic, we’ve never settled for second best. In fact, for 20 years we’ve stood as Tampa Bay’s top roofers and contractors, able to assist with roofing, windows, and siding. And our hundreds of reviews make one thing clear: We always do right by our customers. That, coupled with our 100% happiness guarantee, makes us the perfect choice if you’re planning to use the My Safe Florida Home program.

How to Get $10K in Grant Funds

Now you know all about the My Safe Florida Home program, so let’s talk about how you can start the application process.

Thankfully, applying for this grant is fairly simple. It starts when you apply for your free wind mitigation inspection. After that has been completed, you’ll be sent a list of suggested improvements and approved contractors to select from. You will also receive an email explaining how to proceed with the grant application process. Once approved, you can pay for your chosen home upgrades and be reimbursed up to $10,000 after completing the final inspection.

And when you’re at the stage where you’re selecting a contractor, we hope that you’ll consider Classic Roofing and Construction. We are proud to be approved contractors for the My Safe Florida Home program, and more than that, we are local contractors who care about the people in our communities. If you want to see how we can help, all you have to do is schedule your free estimate. Because at Classic, we make it easy to save money while improving your home.

My Safe Florida Home Program Explained (Video)

FAQs About the My Safe Florida Home Program

1. Q: What is the My Safe Florida Home program?

A: My Safe Florida Home is a home-hardening grant funded by the state of Florida. This program will reimburse qualified applicants $2 for every $1 spent on suggested hurricane-proofing measures, up to $10,000. Or, if you qualify as a low-income homeowner, you can receive $10,000 without spending anything.

2. Q: Who qualifies for the My Safe Florida Home Program?

A: To qualify for this grant, you must have a homestead exemption, your home must be insured for less than $700,000, your home must have been constructed before 2008, and you must submit your home to inspections both before and after installing the suggested upgrades.

3. Q: Do I qualify as a low-income homeowner?

A: In order to receive up to $10,000 for home improvements without paying anything, your household income must be below the 80% household median income in your county. Because this varies by county, you should always check to see your county’s median income. But in Tampa Bay, someone would likely qualify as low-income if their household income was lower than $45,000 per year.

4. Q: Can I use funds from My Safe Florida Home to pay for a roof replacement?

A: Unfortunately, the My Safe Florida Home program does not recommend roof replacements as one of their home-hardening options, so this grant will not pay for a roof replacement. It will, however, pay for various roof improvements to increase hurricane resistance.

5. Q: How can I calculate my reimbursement through the My Safe Florida Home program?

A: This grant offers $2 for every $1 spent on approved home improvements. This means that, assuming your total costs are $10,000 or less, you will only end up paying for one-third of the total project costs. However, if your total costs go over $10,000, you will pay one-third of the costs up to the $10,000 threshold, and then you will be responsible for 100% of the bill after that amount. For example, if your total costs were $10,000, you would be reimbursed $7,000 after completing the improvements, and you would cover the remaining $3,000. And if your total costs were $16,000, you would be reimbursed the maximum of $10,000 and be responsible for the remaining $6,000.