My Safe Florida home surpasses inspection program goals

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Dec. 1, 2006 –Tom Gallagher, Florida’s chief financial officer, announced that the pilot phase of the My Safe Florida Home program ended when hurricane season ended, and the goal to completing 12,000 free home inspections was met and exceeded by nearly 1,000 inspections. In addition, an estimated 560 inspectors and 800 contractors have been specifically trained for the program during the pilot phase.

The program, funded with $250 million by the Florida Legislature, was created to help better protect Floridians by strengthening their homes against hurricanes and to reduce the state’s exposure to hurricane damage.
 
Since the program launched in August, the Department of Financial Services has received more than 58,000 applications statewide for free home inspections from homeowners.

The home inspections will help tell homeowners:

• The current rating of their homes against hurricane damage on a 0-100 scale.
• Up to seven ways they can improve the strength of their homes against hurricanes.
• The estimated costs to make recommended improvements.
• What their potential insurance premium savings could be if they were to make those improvements.
 
Inspections have been done in Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Escambia, Hillsborough, Indian River, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, St. Lucie and Walton counties over the last eight weeks.
 
Thanks to a partnership with the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), the My Safe Florida Home program has held six training sessions for inspectors and 12 training sessions for contractors interested in doing mitigation improvements. The program currently has an estimated 560 specifically trained, qualified inspectors who have also undergone drug tests and background checks to conduct free home inspections for the program. Over 600 contractors who have applied to participate in the My Safe Florida Home program are currently being reviewed to verify licensure and that current workers’ compensation insurance coverage is in place.
 
“We are on track to provide free home inspections to another 40,000 Floridians in the coming months, and are excited to proactively help homeowners strengthen their homes and better protect their families against catastrophic storms,” Gallagher says.
 
Applying and obtaining a free home inspection is the first step of the program. Homeowners who undergo a My Safe Florida Home inspection may qualify for matching grants of up to $5,000 to fortify their homes. As directed by the new law to reduce hurricane exposure and property losses in Florida, grants will be prioritized and awarded to homeowners who live in high-risk, hurricane-vulnerable areas of the state.
 
Floridians eligible for a free home inspection must live in a single-family, site-built home with an insured value of $500,000 or less and have a valid homestead exemption. Documents verifying this information must be submitted with a completed application. Floridians can apply on-line at www.mysafefloridahome.com or by calling 1-800-342- 2762 to get an application packet.

© 2006 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
 

Questions, comments or suggestions on this article? Have a news tip? Send a letter to the editor to: Newseditor@floridarealtors.org.