DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Lawmakers took another step Monday afternoon to make a more permanent allocation of $300 million to My Safe Florida Home, a state-funded program designed to give single-family homeowners a grant up to $10,000 to make repairs on their home.
The program is designed to help homeowners make their homes more storm resilient while lowering premiums or allowing homeowners to have lower deductibles. However, Floridians have historically struggled to get the money since funds either quickly dry up or people struggle to finish the application.
WATCH BELOW: Why some homeowners are struggling to receive grants after applying to the program
According to county property records, Sydney and Fred Muenz have lived in their Delray Beach home for the last 22 years. The couple, who said they live on a fixed income, applied to the program more than a year ago.
They received an inspection on their home but have yet to receive an answer on whether they can get a grant from the program to fix their garage and front door.
"What's so frustrating is that a lot of my neighbors have gotten the $10,000 for a new roof," Sydney Muenz said. "But, that seems to be the important one. Other than that, they don't care about anything else."
The couple said the most frustrating part is the inability to speak with a person about the application.
"It's frustrating that you haven't heard of anything," Fred Muenz said.
Real Estate News
CFO: Thousands who applied to this program need to take action
Florida's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis oversees the grant program. A spokesperson told WPTV that Muenz is among the thousands of applicants who didn't fully fill out the application and a team member would call to assist the couple in applying for the grant.
Patronis' office said in a news release last week that about 30,000 people haven't completed the process to access about $100 million from the My Safe Florida Home program.
Regardless, lawmakers are trying to bolster funding to the My Safe Florida Home program. Senate Bill 1466 would add up to $300 million.
A Senate subcommittee voted Monday to change the origin of those funds from a part of the sales tax after a hurricane to taxes on insurers.
Matt Sczesny is determined every day to help you find solutions in Florida's coverage collapse. If you have a question or comment on homeowners insurance, you can reach out to him any time.
