My Safe Florida Home: the free inspection, the $10,000 grant, and where to check if you qualify

Checked against the program's own site and its 2025-26 program terms on August 22, 2026

Start with the inspection, because it is free and it is the gate. As of the date above the program's site says both inspections and grants are available. The grant cannot happen without the program's own inspection first, and the inspection is worth having even if you never apply for a dime: the report is the document your insurer uses for wind mitigation discounts, which Florida law requires insurers to offer.

What the program is

My Safe Florida Home is run by the Florida Department of Financial Services. It has two halves: free hurricane mitigation inspections performed by certified wind inspection entities, and hurricane mitigation grants toward the improvements the inspection recommends, things like roof-to-wall connections, sealed roof decks, and opening protection. The program site, the account portal, and every current rule are here:

• mysafeflhome.com, the program's own site and the page that decides everything on this one. Its program terms document is the fine print this page was checked against.

The two grant types, per the program's terms

• The matching grant. The homeowner pays for the completed project in full, shows proof, and is reimbursed two-thirds of the total cost, up to a $10,000 state contribution. The money arrives as reimbursement, after completion, never up front.
• The low-income grant. Homeowners at or below 80 percent of median income are not required to provide matching funds or a paid-in-full invoice, up to the same $10,000 maximum.

Both are subject to legislative appropriations, which is the program's own phrase for "when the money runs out, it runs out until the Legislature adds more." Applications are prioritized in groups: low income 60 and over first, then low income under 60, then moderate income 60 and over, then moderate income under 60.

Who qualifies, per the program's terms

• A homesteaded home. The homestead exemption is required for eligibility, which effectively means your primary residence.
• Insured value of $700,000 or less on the dwelling structure.
• An older home. The building permit for the home's initial construction must date before January 1, 2008, which is the line the program draws around Florida's modern wind code.
• The program's inspection first. Grants flow from the recommendations in the program's own initial inspection report, which is valid for 24 months, and the work must be done by a licensed contractor with a final inspection after.

How to start

1. Create an account at mysafeflhome.com and apply for the free inspection.
2. Take the report to your insurance agent whatever you decide about the grant: the program's own site says the report is how you make sure you are getting every wind mitigation discount you already qualify for.
3. If you pursue the grant, follow their sequence: apply, wait for approval and prioritization, use a licensed contractor, and expect reimbursement after completion rather than money up front. Their support center answers the fine-grained questions.

Worth knowing while you are here

Florida is the one Gulf state where the insurance discounts are mandatory by statute, which makes the free inspection the rare government offer with no catch: the same document either saves you premium immediately or maps the work that will. What those discounts look like across all five Gulf states has its own page on this shelf.

What this page is not

This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Florida Department of Financial Services or IBHS. The program's terms are theirs, they change with appropriations, and their pages always win over this one. Nothing here is insurance or financial advice: it is a map, drawn on the date stamped at the top.