What the My Safe Florida Home program is
My Safe Florida Home is a state program run by the Florida Department of Financial Services. It is created by section 215.5586, Florida Statutes, which says the Legislature's intent is that, "subject to the availability of funds," the program "provide licensed inspectors to perform hurricane mitigation inspections of eligible homes and grants to fund hurricane mitigation projects on those homes."
Two points in the statute shape everything else:
- It "does not create an entitlement for property owners." Implementation "is subject to annual legislative appropriations."
- The department must manage applications so that accepted requests do not exceed the money available.
In practice, that means the program opens, pauses and changes rules as funding and legislation change. Anything below about current status is a snapshot, dated.
Where the program stands (checked September 24, 2026)
On September 24, 2026, the program's official site, mysafeflhome.com, advertised "Free Wind-mitigation inspections Available" and "$10,000 Grants Available." The program's support center article Is funding currently available? (last modified August 17) said: "The My Safe Florida Home Program is now accepting applications!" It said homeowners must create an account in the applicant portal and complete a prioritization questionnaire that places them in an inspection group or a grant group.
Check the official site before you rely on any of this. The current version of the statute also carries a note that several of its 2026 amendments, made to carry out the 2026-2027 state budget, expire July 1, 2027.
Who can get a free program inspection
Under the statute, a homeowner is eligible for a program hurricane mitigation inspection if all of these are true:
- The home is a single-family unit on its own parcel, either detached or attached (such as a townhouse) and not more than three stories.
- The home is site-built and owner-occupied.
- The applicant has a homestead exemption on the home.
That rules out, for example, mobile and manufactured homes (not site-built) and rentals or second homes (not owner-occupied with a homestead exemption). A homeowner can get a program inspection without applying for a grant.
What the program inspection includes
The statute requires the program's initial inspection to include, at a minimum:
- "A home inspection and report that summarizes the inspection results and identifies recommended improvements."
- "A range of cost estimates regarding the recommended mitigation improvements."
- "Information regarding estimated premium discounts, correlated to the current mitigation features and the recommended mitigation improvements."
Program inspections are performed by what the statute calls wind certification entities: inspection companies the department contracts with. The statute requires their inspectors to hold one of several licenses, pass drug testing and a background screening, and work under a quality assurance program with reinspections.
Grants: who qualifies and how the match works
Grants pay for improvements the initial inspection recommends. Under the current statute, a grant applicant must meet all of the following:
- Be eligible for a program inspection, and have had the program's initial inspection within the 24 months before applying.
- Own a home with an insured value of $700,000 or less.
- Own a home built before January 1, 2008, as shown on the county property appraiser's website.
- Agree to a final inspection when the work is done, and share with the program the discounts their insurer gives for the work.
- Be a low-income or moderate-income person as defined in section 420.0004, Florida Statutes. In short, low-income means household income no more than 80% of the median for the state or the local area, whichever is greater; moderate-income means less than 120%.
The match. Grants are matched "$1 provided by the applicant for $2 provided by the state up to a maximum state contribution of $10,000." Low-income applicants can receive up to $10,000 without providing a match. As arithmetic, a moderate-income homeowner with a $15,000 project would put in $5,000 to receive the full $10,000 state share.
What grants can pay for. Opening protection (exterior doors, garage doors, windows and skylights) and roof improvements (reinforcing roof-to-wall connections, strengthening roof deck attachment, and installing secondary water resistance and replacing the roof covering). The department may require all openings to be improved as a condition of payment.
The rules on the work. Work must use licensed contractors and all required permits and inspections, and the applicant must finish construction and request the final inspection within 18 months of grant approval.
Who goes first. The statute sets a priority order: low-income applicants 60 or older, then other low-income applicants, then moderate-income applicants 60 or older, then other moderate-income applicants, and last all other inspection applicants.
How a program inspection relates to your wind mitigation form
This is where people get confused. There are not two different wind mitigation forms.
The report your insurer uses for windstorm discounts is the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation lists the current version on its wind mitigation resources page as effective April 1, 2026. The program's own glossary says the Initial Inspection Report contains "recommended Improvements, cost estimates, and Form OIR-B1-1802 from the Initial Inspection." After a grant project, the Final Inspection Report "includes an updated Form OIR-B1-1802."
So a program inspection gives you the same form a private wind mitigation inspection does, plus the program's recommendations and cost estimates. The program's home page says the report gives you the opportunity to share it with your insurance carrier to make sure you are receiving all available discounts.
The same rules then apply to the form no matter who completed it. The current form states it is "valid for up to five (5) years provided no material changes have been made to the structure or inaccuracies found on the form." Under section 627.711, Florida Statutes, insurers must accept a form signed by listed licensed professionals and may, at their own expense, require independent verification. If a grant pays for new windows or roof straps, the updated form from the final inspection is the one that reflects the work.
For a walk through the form itself, see our guide to reading the OIR-B1-1802. Opening protection is the largest grant category, and our article on impact windows, shutters and opening protection explains how the form grades it.
When a private wind mitigation inspection is the route
A private inspection is a separate service that the homeowner schedules and pays for directly. It is not part of the program and does not lead to a program grant. It is usually the route when:
- The home is not eligible for the program, for example a rental, a second home, a mobile home or a home without a homestead exemption.
- You are buying a home. A buyer does not own the house or have a homestead exemption on it yet, so the program is not an option until after closing.
- You need the form on a deadline, such as a renewal or a new policy, and cannot wait on program scheduling.
- Something has changed, such as a new roof or new windows, and you want an updated form outside the program.
High Tide performs a private wind mitigation inspection from a licensed inspector, reported on the OIR-B1-1802: $225 on its own, or $175 when added to a home inspection.
This is general information about a state program and the insurance form, not legal or insurance advice. Confirm program details with My Safe Florida Home and discount questions with your insurer.
What to do next
If you own and live in a site-built home with a homestead exemption, check mysafeflhome.com for the current status and create an account. A free program inspection gives you an OIR-B1-1802 at no cost, and if your income and home qualify, it is the first step toward a grant. If you are buying, own a property the program does not cover, or need the form sooner, a private wind mitigation inspection produces the same form. Whichever route you take, keep a copy of the form with your policy and tell your agent about any upgrades.
