Dear Neighbor and Fellow Florida Homeowner
You may be interested in the My Safe Florida Home program, or you’ve already applied to receive a free inspection to potentially take advantage of state grants to perform home hardening upgrades on your property. Fantastic! Participating in the My Safe Florida Home Program is an excellent way to potentially lower your wind insurance premium and also harden your home against future hurricanes or large windstorm events.
There are a few things you should be aware of prior to jumping into the application process, outside of the normal eligibility requirements set forth by the Program.
How The Program Normally Functions
Typically, the order by which a normal applicant will move through the My Safe Florida Home Program process* is:
- You, as the homeowner, will apply for the Program through the official website
- If you are deemed eligible, you will be approved for an initial inspection
- You will be contacted by your assigned WCE (Wind Certification Entity) inspection company to schedule your inspection
- You receive your inspection and subsequent inspection report, outlining the eligible improvements you can make to your home (your inspection company will automatically upload the same report to your portal)
- You may request specific improvements to your home through the state’s online portal and be given approval for these improvements if deemed necessary and/or eligible
- You will then search for a reputable, established, and licensed contracting company to make those specific improvements to your property
- Once those improvements have been made, you will then request a second, or final inspection, of your property from the state’s website
- The same inspection company which visited your home the first time will assess whether the upgrades you’ve performed are installed properly and qualify for grant disbursal
* not all cases are the same, your scenario might roughly match the above but may differ
Be Vigilant, Not Sorry
Right off the bat, if you’ve been made aware of the Program through a contractor soliciting their labor and installation services, it is possible they may be attempting to apply to the Program on your behalf. While this may not necessarily be illegal, be careful signing any labor, materials, or installation contracts prior to receiving your first (initial) inspection through the state (which is absolutely free of cost to you, the applicant).
Since the inception of this round of the My Safe Florida Home Program back in November 2022, we have witnessed a number of occasions where a contractor will make promises that you will receive “$10,000 in grant funds” if you pay them a deposit and sign a contract. Be careful about signing any contracts or making formal agreements with third-party contractors prior to receiving your initial inspection.
Ensure Your Inspection Company is Legitimate
There are only three inspection companies, also referred to as Wind Certification Entities (WCEs), who are contracted with the Florida Department of Financial Services to perform both initial and final inspections on behalf of the My Safe Florida Home Program. These three companies are:
- My Safe Home Inspection (Statewide)
- Don Meyler Inspections (Statewide)
- InterNACHI (Regions 2 and 3)
These companies have undergone strict assessment of internal protocols to ensure both completeness and accuracy of their inspections. Additionally, all inspectors representing these companies performing inspections on behalf of the Program have undergone elevated Level 2 background screening and fingerprinting, as well as drug testing, and are officially authorized by the State of Florida to perform inspections for the My Safe Florida Home Program.
If any other entities outside of these three companies claim they are affiliated with the My Safe Florida Home program, you are likely being scammed!
Only Speak with Verified Representatives of the Program
Be careful about speaking with individuals who claim to be official representatives of the Program. You should only discuss program application or eligibility specifics with individuals from the official website (www.mysafeflhome.com), their official email accounts (ending in @mysafeflhome.com), from the official Program phone number (561-640-6734), or one of the three official WCEs, or inspection companies, from the program as listed above.
An example: The image of a flyer below is NOT official communication from the State of Florida and the individuals behind this flyer are NOT official representatives of the Program. Furthermore, “AC Systems, Solar, Back-Up Power Systems” are NOT eligible upgrades on behalf of the Program.
If You Are Unsure, Call Us and Ask!
If you’re unsure about specific contractors or agents representing themselves as agents of the My Safe Florida Home program, you are welcome to call us at 888-697-2331 or email [email protected]. While we may not be able to answer specific questions regarding your application or eligibility (contact the Program directly for guidance on those questions), we are more than happy to help ensure you’re not being scammed!