My Safe Florida Home: A Homeowner’s Guide to the Free Inspection and Grants

The full picture

What the program is, and what it is not

My Safe Florida Home is a state program created by section 215.5586 of the Florida Statutes. It has two parts: a free hurricane mitigation inspection, and a grant for qualifying homes toward upgrades that help a house hold together in high wind.

It is not an entitlement. The statute ties the program to yearly funding from the Legislature and limits accepted applications to the money available. The Legislature revised the program again in 2026, so older articles and flyers may describe rules that no longer apply. This guide reflects the statute and the program’s published materials as of October 2026.

Who qualifies for the free inspection

Under the statute as amended in 2026, the home must be:

• A single-family home on its own parcel of land. It can be detached, or attached (sharing a wall, as a townhouse does) if it is no more than three stories.
• Site-built, so mobile and manufactured homes do not qualify.
• Owner-occupied, with a Florida homestead exemption.

Condominium units, co-ops, multi-family buildings, rentals, second homes and vacation homes are not eligible. You do not have to apply for a grant to get the inspection, and the program assigns the inspector.

The report lists recommended improvements, a range of cost estimates and possible insurance discounts. Treat those figures as estimates: get written quotes and confirm any discount with your insurer. Generally you get one inspection application per home, with limited exceptions, such as when more than 24 months have passed since an inspection without a grant payment.

Who qualifies for a grant

As of October 2026, the grant adds these rules:

• Insured value: the home has an insured value of $700,000 or less.
• Age of home: built before January 1, 2008, as shown on your county property appraiser’s website.
• Recent inspection: a program initial inspection within the 24 months before you apply.
• Income: a low- or moderate-income household as defined in section 420.0004.
• Agreements: you allow a final inspection and share with the program what your insurer tells you about discounts from the funded work.

Under that statute, low income means income at or below 80 percent of the median, and moderate income means less than 120 percent. The median is the statewide figure or the figure for your metropolitan area (or county), whichever is greater, adjusted for household size. So there is no single dollar figure. You enter your household’s adjusted gross income in the program’s online questionnaire, which places you in a group.

The statute sets the order in which inspection and grant applications are reviewed: low-income owners 60 and older first, then other low-income owners, then moderate-income owners 60 and older, then other moderate-income owners, and last, all other inspection applicants. When new funding takes effect, the groups open in turn, 15 days apart.

What the grant can and cannot pay for

The grant covers only improvements your initial inspection recommends and the final inspection confirms:

• Opening protection: exterior doors, garage doors, windows and skylights.
• Roof-to-wall connections: reinforcing the ties between the roof framing and the walls.
• Roof deck attachment: stronger fastening of the roof sheathing to the framing.
• Secondary water resistance: a sealed underlayment that limits water entry if the roof covering is lost.

The program may require that all openings be protected as a condition of paying the grant.

The roof covering causes the most confusion. The 2026 law pairs secondary water resistance with replacing the roof covering, and the program’s support center says covering costs can be funded when replacement is needed to complete eligible roof work, and only when the entire pitched roof, the entire flat roof or both are replaced. A new covering on its own is not funded, nor are patching, partial repairs or work the inspection did not recommend.

How the My Safe Florida Home program match works

For most grants, the state pays $2 for every $1 you pay, up to a state share of $10,000, subject to legislative funding. Based on the program’s own examples:

• A $9,000 eligible project: $6,000 from the state, $3,000 from you.
• A $15,000 eligible project: $10,000 from the state, $5,000 from you.
• A $20,000 eligible project: still $10,000 from the state, $10,000 from you.

Qualifying low-income homeowners may receive up to $10,000 with no match and do not have to pay for the work up front. These figures show how the grant is calculated; they are not prices. Real costs depend on the home’s size, the number and type of openings, the roof, permits and contractor demand. Get written quotes.

With a matching grant, you pay the contractor in full, then submit the invoice and proof of payment after the final inspection, and the state reimburses its share. The program allows only one final inspection request, so make sure the work is finished and the permits are closed first. The 2026 law gives you 18 months from grant approval to finish construction and request that inspection; after that, the application is treated as abandoned. All work must be permitted and done by a properly licensed contractor.

Application status and how to apply, as of October 2026

As of October 22, 2026, the program’s website advertises grants and free inspections, and its support center says it is accepting applications. Registering is not the same as being served: applicants are grouped by priority and invited in turn. The site does not say how much funding remains, and status can change quickly, so check before you count on a grant.

The steps, as the program describes them:

• Create an account at mysafeflhome.com and complete the prioritization questionnaire.
• When placed in an inspection group, submit the inspection application.
• Confirm the visit; the assigned inspector inspects the home and provides the report.
• If you may qualify, complete the grant application, which asks for your contractor’s name and Florida license number and the declarations page from your current homeowners policy.
• After approval, the contractor pulls permits and does the work. Once the permits are closed, request the final inspection and submit the paperwork for payment.

Answer the program’s requests promptly. The statute gives you 60 days after notice of an error or missing item.

The program suggests bids from at least three licensed contractors. It keeps no contractor list, does not warrant anyone’s work and leaves disputes to you and the contractor. You can check a license at MyFloridaLicense.com.

How to avoid scams tied to the program

In June 2024, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer warned about flyers and solicitations promising free roofs and windows through the program. Some homeowners told they had been signed up later learned they were not eligible or approved and owed the full cost. A few habits help:

• Start only at mysafeflhome.com, typing the address yourself.
• Be wary of anyone who charges for the inspection or arrives without a visit you confirmed with the program.
• Rely on the program’s own notices. A salesperson saying you are approved is not approval.
• Verify every contractor’s license and get a written, itemized contract.
• Sign your own sworn statements and keep your portal login to yourself.
• Report suspected fraud to the program, as the state advises. The Department of Financial Services’ Criminal Investigations Division also lists ways to report financial crimes.