Free Hurricane Inspections and Grants for Wind Upgrades
My Safe Florida Home is the state’s program for helping homeowners harden their homes against hurricanes. It offers a home inspection that shows which upgrades would make the biggest difference, and, for qualifying homeowners, grants of up to $10,000 toward impact windows and doors, garage doors, and roof improvements. Funding is set by the Legislature year to year, and the rules have changed several times, so it’s worth knowing how the program works before you start.
Short version: The program is run by the Florida Department of Financial Services under Florida Statute 215.5586. It starts with a hurricane mitigation inspection of your homesteaded, site-built home. The inspection recommends upgrades and documents existing wind features that may qualify for insurance discounts. Grants of up to $10,000 can follow for homes built before January 1, 2008 with an insured value of $700,000 or less. They go to low- and moderate-income owners. Low-income owners don’t need to put money in. Moderate-income owners get $2 from the state for every $1 they spend. Grants reimburse you after the work is permitted, completed, and verified, so plan to pay the contractor first. Funding depends on yearly appropriations, and applications have opened and closed in waves, so check the program’s site for current status before you plan around it.
How the program works
- Apply for an inspection. A licensed inspector visits the home, identifies upgrades that would improve its wind resistance, and documents existing features that may earn insurance discounts. You aren’t required to go any further after the inspection.
- Apply for a grant. If you qualify, you apply for a grant toward the upgrades the inspection recommended. You must have had a program inspection within the previous 24 months.
- Hire a contractor and do the work. Once you’re approved, you choose a contractor, who pulls the required permits and completes the work.
- Get inspected and reimbursed. The work must pass the local building department’s inspection and be verified by the program. Then the grant reimburses you. The program doesn’t pay up front.
Even if you never get a grant, the inspection report can help. It documents wind mitigation features, and Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts for qualifying ones. See 4-point and wind mitigation inspections.
Who qualifies
| Requirement | Inspection | Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Home type | Site-built single-family home, detached or attached, up to three stories, owner-occupied | Same |
| Homestead | Must have a homestead exemption | Same |
| Year built | Not limited by the statute | Built before January 1, 2008 |
| Insured value | Not limited by the statute | $700,000 or less |
| Income | Not limited by the statute | Low or moderate income |
| Prior inspection | None | Program inspection within the past 24 months |
Based on Florida Statute 215.5586. The program has also required proof of homeowners insurance for all grant applicants. Rules can change with each year’s legislation, so confirm current requirements on the program site.
Income limits: In the 2025 round, low income meant household income at or below 80% of the county median, and moderate income meant below 120% of the county median. Owners above the moderate limit weren’t eligible for grants. Applications opened in waves, with earlier windows for low-income and older applicants.
Mobile homes aren’t eligible, since the home must be site-built. Manufactured-home owners should see buying a manufactured home in Florida for wind-safety basics.
What the grant pays for
Grants cover improvements the inspection recommends, in two categories:
- Opening protection: Impact-rated or protected exterior doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights.
- Roof improvements: Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections, strengthening how the roof deck is attached, and adding secondary water resistance or replacing the roof covering.
How much you get: The state pays up to $10,000 per home.
- Low-income owners: Can get up to $10,000 with no match.
- Moderate-income owners: The grant is matched at $2 from the state for every $1 from you. Reaching the full $10,000 means spending $15,000 on qualifying work, $5,000 of it yours.
Because the grant reimburses you after the work is verified, you’ll need to cover the full cost up front, through savings or financing.
Funding: check before you plan
The statute says the program runs subject to annual legislative appropriations and doesn’t create an entitlement. In practice, money has come in waves:
- 2025: The program reopened in August 2025 with about $352 million, including money freed up when earlier grants expired unused.
- Early 2026: Lawmakers didn’t add new money in the regular session, though unspent funds kept grants available.
- May 2026: House and Senate budget proposals would have carried unused money, about $444 million, into the 2026-27 budget.
Before you schedule work around a grant, check the official program site, mysafeflhome.com, for whether applications are open, current income limits, and your application status. Keep your own records of every step, and watch your email and text messages, since approvals and deadlines come through the program portal.
Tips for a smoother grant
- Wait for approval. The program’s process has you hire a contractor and do the work after your grant is approved, so don’t start early.
- Stick to the report. The grant pays for improvements the inspection recommended, so match your contractor’s scope to the report.
- Use licensed, permitted contractors. The work must pass the building department’s inspection. Verify licenses and watch deposits. Under Florida law, a contractor who takes more than 10% up front must apply for permits within 30 days. See buying a fixer-upper in Florida for contractor rules.
- Update your insurer. After the work, get an updated wind mitigation form so your premium reflects the new features.
See also Florida roof lifespan and replacement, Florida homeowners insurance, the homestead exemption, and the hurricane prep checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Up to $10,000 per home. Low-income owners don’t need to contribute. Moderate-income owners get $2 from the state for every $1 they spend, so the full grant requires $5,000 of their own money.
Owners of homesteaded, site-built single-family homes. Grants also require a home built before 2008, an insured value of $700,000 or less, low or moderate household income, and a program inspection within the past 24 months.
No. The grant reimburses you after the work is permitted, passes the building department’s inspection, and is verified by the program, so you’ll need to cover the cost first.
It depends on each year’s state budget, and applications have opened and closed in waves. Check mysafeflhome.com for current status before planning work around a grant.
Often, yes. It identifies the upgrades that would most improve wind resistance and documents existing features that may qualify for insurance discounts.
Sources
- Florida Statutes, Section 215.5586: My Safe Florida Home Program
- WLRN, My Safe Florida Home Reopens with $352M in Funds and New Eligibility Requirements (August 2025)
- Tampa Bay Times, Lawmakers Not Assigning Money for Florida Home-Hardening Program (February 2026)
- WPTV, My Safe Florida Home Program Has Money Left from Last Year to Keep Grants Flowing in 2026 (May 2026)
- Florida Realtors, Budget Session Could Shape Housing Priorities (May 2026)
- Florida Statutes, Section 627.0629: Residential property insurance; rate filings (mitigation discounts)
This article is for general informational purposes only and isn’t financial, legal, insurance, or tax advice – for guidance specific to your situation, talk to a licensed professional.