The My Safe Florida Home grant program is underway. As of this month (June 2023), the State of Florida has expanded eligibility for the program and allocated additional money to fund it. Great news for Florida homeowners! 

My personal journey navigating this program has come to an end. What started with an initial application for a free home inspection back in November of 2022 has ended with new windows being installed on my home in April 2023 and final inspections and such completed in May 2023. If you missed the previous parts of my series where I provided an overview of the My Safe Florida Homes program and the first steps in the process, catch up with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

Completing the Work

Every contractor works a bit differently, so your process might vary. The one I used to do the windows was pretty good overall. Their communication wasn’t great, but I think that has more to do with my expectations than with them. Their work product was awesome, though. And that’s what really counts.

Ultimately, they quoted me about 8 to 12 weeks to install from the date we contracted. My contract was executed on February 9, 2023, and like clockwork, they were here to install them on April 19. On installation day, I just had to make sure I cleared the workspace around each of the windows inside and out so they could maneuver the removal of the old windows and installation of the new ones. That included shifting some furniture and removing all window treatments and anything on the walls in the path from the door to the windows.

I had a total of three windows replaced and it took the crew a few hours, but they got them done fairly quickly, cleaned up the messes they made, and left me with some beautiful new windows. I can’t overstate my excitement! Before they left, they had me check over the work and schedule a day the following week for the municipal inspector to come out and check their work so they could close out the permit.

Municipal Building Inspection & Permit Close Out

The municipal inspection was super quick and easy. The important parts were to make sure to leave all of the stickers on the windows until after this inspector comes and to have the full permit package available for them to review. The city inspector compared the stickers to the info in the package and he looked at the manufacturer’s installation schematics that were included with the permit package. He measured the location of the screws, verified that the right screws were used, and he measured for the placement of some of the critical components that make them wind resistant. If they weren’t placed properly, the manufacturer couldn’t guarantee they would withstand the winds. I guess we all learn something new every day, huh? I know I did!

Program Re-Inspection

After the inspector came out and the permit was approved and closed out, it was time to request the final My Safe Florida Homes Inspection. You’ll have to request that through the portal and when you do, you’ll have to attest that the permit is closed out and finalized with the municipality. I waited until the permit showed as closed and final on my city’s building website before submitting the request. You only get one shot at the 2nd inspection and if it’s not closed out by the time the My Safe Florida Homes inspector comes out, you’ll have to pay for the reinspection or be ineligible for reimbursement from the program. No one wants that!

At the time that I submitted the request for my reinspection (it was early May by then), they were booking appointments for about two weeks out. It turns out the reinspection requests are prioritized over the first-time ones, so that helps speed along the close-out portion.

The My Safe Florida Homes program final inspection is essentially the same as the first inspection you had done to qualify in the first place. Their inspectors come back out and do a whole new wind mitigation home inspection – not an update, but a fresh report, so be prepared to have them look at everything they did the first time, not just what you had updated. My inspector found it useful that I had the spec stickers from the windows affixed to sheets of paper and in my file so they could just snap a quick photo. I also printed out the permit status from my city’s building website, so they had proof that the permit was officially closed and approved. I don’t like leaving anything to chance!

Reimbursement

Once the report was complete, the inspector uploaded it to my portal and emailed me a copy of the report. Once that was approved, my status on the My Safe Florida Homes portal changed from “Contractor Confirmed – Pending Final Inspection” to “Final Insp Complete-Pending Reimbursement Req.” For those using the normal program with the $10k maximum reimbursement on a $1 to $2 spend requirement, this is when you’ll submit your paid-in-full invoice and paperwork to request your reimbursement. For those using the low/moderate income program with the $5k maximum reimbursement with no mandatory spending by the owner, this is the time when the contractor can submit the invoice and paperwork to the state for their final reimbursement of that portion.

Conclusion

No matter how you opt to participate in this program, it’s of great benefit to the homeowners in the state. If you qualify for any of the options, I certainly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity to make some critical improvements to your property for the future. I know I’m so glad I did!