The Florida Senate

Certified inspectors to provide home-retrofit inspections of site-built, single-family, residential property may be offered to determine what mitigation measures are needed, what insurance premium discounts may be available, and what improvements to existing residential properties are needed to reduce the property’s vulnerability to hurricane damage. The Department of Financial Services shall contract with wind certification entities to provide hurricane mitigation inspections. The inspections provided to homeowners, at a minimum, must include:

To qualify for selection by the department as a wind certification entity to provide hurricane mitigation inspections, the entity shall, at a minimum, meet the following requirements:

The department shall implement a quality assurance program that includes a statistically valid number of reinspections.

An application for an inspection must contain a signed or electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury that the applicant has submitted only a single application for that home.

The owner of a site-built, single-family, residential property may apply for and receive an inspection without also applying for a grant pursuant to subsection (2) and without meeting the requirements of paragraph (2)(a).

For a homeowner to be eligible for a grant, the following criteria must be met:

An application for a grant must contain a signed or electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury that the applicant has submitted only a single application and must have attached documents demonstrating the applicant meets the requirements of this paragraph.

All grants must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to a total of $10,000 for the actual cost of the mitigation project with the state’s contribution not to exceed $5,000.

The program shall create a process in which contractors agree to participate and homeowners select from a list of participating contractors. All mitigation must be based upon the securing of all required local permits and inspections and must be performed by properly licensed contractors. Mitigation projects are subject to random reinspection of up to at least 5 percent of all projects. Hurricane mitigation inspectors qualifying for the program may also participate as mitigation contractors as long as the inspectors meet the department’s qualifications and certification requirements for mitigation contractors.

Matching fund grants shall also be made available to local governments and nonprofit entities for projects that will reduce hurricane damage to single-family, site-built, owner-occupied, residential property. The department shall liberally construe those requirements in favor of availing the state of the opportunity to leverage funding for the My Safe Florida Home Program with other sources of funding.

When recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, grants may be used for the following improvements:

The department may require that improvements be made to all openings, including exterior doors and garage doors, as a condition of reimbursing a homeowner approved for a grant. The department may adopt, by rule, the maximum grant allowances for any improvement allowable under this paragraph.

Grants may be used on a previously inspected existing structure or on a rebuild. A rebuild is defined as a site-built, single-family dwelling under construction to replace a home that was destroyed or significantly damaged by a hurricane and deemed unlivable by a regulatory authority. The homeowner must be a low-income homeowner as defined in paragraph (g), must have had a homestead exemption for that home prior to the hurricane, and must be intending to rebuild the home as that homeowner’s homestead.

Low-income homeowners, as defined in s. 420.0004(10), who otherwise meet the requirements of paragraphs (a), (c), (e), and (f) are eligible for a grant of up to $5,000 and are not required to provide a matching amount to receive the grant. Additionally, for low-income homeowners, grant funding may be used for repair to existing structures leading to any of the mitigation improvements provided in paragraph (e), limited to 20 percent of the grant value. The program may accept a certification directly from a low-income homeowner that the homeowner meets the requirements of s. 420.0004(10) if the homeowner provides such certification in a signed or electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury.

The department shall establish objective, reasonable criteria for prioritizing grant applications, consistent with the requirements of this section.

The department shall develop a process that ensures the most efficient means to collect and verify grant applications to determine eligibility and may direct hurricane mitigation inspectors to collect and verify grant application information or use the Internet or other electronic means to collect information and determine eligibility.

A representative of lending institutions, selected by the Financial Services Commission from a list of at least three persons recommended by the Florida Bankers Association.

A representative of residential property insurers, selected by the Financial Services Commission from a list of at least three persons recommended by the Florida Insurance Council.

A representative of home builders, selected by the Financial Services Commission from a list of at least three persons recommended by the Florida Home Builders Association.

A faculty member of a state university, selected by the Financial Services Commission, who is an expert in hurricane-resistant construction methodologies and materials.

Two members of the House of Representatives, selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Two members of the Senate, selected by the President of the Senate.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc., or his or her designee.

The senior officer of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.

The executive director of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.

The director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.