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'It's very confusing': Issues persist after launch of My Safe Florida Home program

WPTV's Matt Sczesny is working to get your questions answered and issues addressed

It has been almost two weeks since the launch of the My Safe Florida Home program and some homeowners said they are still having issues with their applications.

By: Matt Sczesny

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If you plan to apply for the program, contact me, I’d like to hear about your experience. Email me at Matt.Sczesny@wptv.com.

It has been almost two weeks since the launch of the My Safe Florida Home program and some homeowners said they are still having issues with their applications.

"It is very confusing in my opinion," read an email to us from Joe, and 80-year-old homeowner looking for a possible grant to fix up his home.

Other issues involve uploading documents and information, problems getting through on the phone with the program and uncertainty about what happens after applications are submitted.

On Friday, I emailed a new round of questions to the office of the Chief Financial Officer in Tallahassee, which is overseeing the program, to try and get some of your questions answered.

The office of the CFO responded and said interest in the program continues to be high and My Safe Florida Home staff are working to provide the best customer service possible. They said helpful FAQs on the program and the process to apply can be found here and in the homeowner's guide.

The My Safe Florida Home program restarted on July 1 with $200 million from lawmakers, to provide help with rising insurance costs by offering free home inspections and grants up to $10,000 for storm related improvements.

The new schedule for applying is as follows:

July 1-15: low income homeowners age 60+

July 16-30: low income homeowners

July 31-Aug. 14: moderate income homeowners age 60+

Aug. 15-30: moderate income homeowners

Aug. 31: all other eligible homeowners

WATCH BELOW: 5 Things to know about My Safe Florida Home Program

5 things homeowners should know about My Safe Florida Home program

Last week, I received many questions from people about the relaunching of the program and was able to get many of your questions during the first week of applications answered below:

Q. What are the income limits for the MSFH program?
Income levels are based on “Household Income” and “Number of people in the household” as well as “County where you live” and varies by county. The program uses the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department calculations from this site: FY 2024 Income Limits Documentation System -- Summary for Florida (huduser.gov) [huduser.gov]

Q. Should people who applied in the last cycle (but didn’t get funding) apply again?
All grant applications received were approved last fall. No one who applied for a grant was left unfunded. However, there were several thousand homeowners who had completed their initial home inspection but were unable to submit a grant application because the application portal was closed. It’s important to note that an application for an inspection is not and application for a grant. These are treated as two different applications.

Q. Should ONLY “Low-income homeowners age 60+” be applying right now? Or should everyone be applying, and the low-income 60+ homeowners will just get first dibs?
Only low-income and over aged 60 are currently being allowed access to the grant application. Homeowners who are allowed to access the application are based on how they answered the age and income questions.

If their answers put them into Group 1, then they can apply now. If they fall into Group 2, the application will be open to them on July 16.

Q. When should the condo owners apply?
The MSFH program anticipates that the Condo Pilot Program will launch in Fall 2024. Condo owners who would like to receive updates can subscribe here: Condo Program - My Safe Florida Home (msflh.com) [msflh.com]

WPTV's previous coverage of My Safe Florida Home program: