My Safe Florida Home 2026 Guide

Reviewed November 11, 2026. General information only — not legal, tax, insurance, or financial advice, and not a commitment to lend.

In Florida, the hurricane (wind) part of a homeowners premium is often one of the biggest lines on the true monthly cost worksheet. My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) is the state’s official program for lowering that risk. It pays for a free wind-mitigation inspection on an eligible homesteaded home, and, for eligible low- and moderate-income homeowners, a grant toward recommended hurricane upgrades.

This guide summarizes the program as written in section 215.5586, Florida Statutes (2026), and as described on the official My Safe Florida Home site and MSFH Support Center, which the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) runs. It is general information, not insurance, legal, or tax advice. Reviewed November 11, 2026.

The short version

• Step 1 is a free inspection. A state-contracted, licensed wind-mitigation inspector looks at your roof, roof-to-wall connections, and openings, then gives you a report with recommended improvements, a range of cost estimates, and estimated premium discounts.
• Step 2 is a grant, if you qualify. The state contribution is capped at $10,000. Most grants are matching grants ($2 from the state for every $1 from you). Low-income homeowners can get up to $10,000 with no match.
• Step 3 is the discount. You give the final inspection to your insurance company and ask for the wind-mitigation credits the law requires insurers to offer.
• Funding is not guaranteed. The statute says the program “does not create an entitlement” and depends on yearly appropriations from the Legislature. As of November 11, 2026, the Support Center article “Is funding currently available?” (last modified August 17) says the program “is now accepting applications.”

Who can get the free inspection

Section 215.5586(1) requires all of the following:

• The home is a single-family unit on its own parcel. It can be detached, or attached (for example, a townhouse) and no more than three stories.
• It is site-built and owner-occupied.
• You have a Florida homestead exemption on it under chapter 196.

The MSFH Support Center says the program checks your homestead status and property use code with your county property appraiser. It lists these as not eligible for a free inspection: retirement homes, mobile and manufactured homes, second homes, vacation homes, and rental properties. Condominium units do not fit the single-family-on-its-own-parcel test.

If you just bought a home in Polk County, MSFH eligibility depends on homestead. That makes filing for homestead with the Polk County Property Appraiser the practical first step. See Moving to Lakeland and Polk County for the filing basics.

Who can get a grant

An inspection does not guarantee a grant. Under section 215.5586(2)(a) and the Support Center’s grant-eligibility article, you must also meet all of these:

1. You were eligible for, and received, an MSFH initial inspection within the 24 months before your grant application.
2. The home is a dwelling with an insured value of $700,000 or less.
3. The home was built before January 1, 2008, as shown on the county property appraiser’s website.
4. You name the licensed contractor you plan to use. The program checks the state license number.
5. You agree to a final inspection after the work is done.
6. You agree to give the program the insurer information showing the discounts you got because of the funded work.
7. You are a low-income or moderate-income person as defined in section 420.0004, Florida Statutes. In general, low income means household adjusted gross income up to 80% of the area or state median, whichever is greater. Moderate income means less than 120%. The program decides which bracket you are in; this guide does not publish an income chart.

The statute reviews applications in priority order: low-income applicants age 60 and up first, then other low-income applicants, then moderate-income applicants age 60 and up, then other moderate-income applicants, and then all other inspection applicants.

How much the grant can pay

The statute and the Support Center describe two kinds of grant:

The Support Center gives these matching-grant examples: on a $15,000 window project, the state reimburses $10,000 and the homeowner’s match is $5,000. On a $9,000 project, the state pays $6,000 and the homeowner pays $3,000. On a $20,000 project, the state still pays only $10,000. All amounts are “subject to legislative appropriation and available funds.” Get your own bids. This guide does not predict what your project will cost.

What the grant can pay for

Grants pay only for improvements that your initial inspection recommended and that the final inspection verifies. The Support Center lists four eligible categories:

1. Opening protection. Exterior doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights. The statute allows the department to require that all openings be protected before it reimburses you.
2. Roof-to-wall attachment.
3. Roof-deck attachment.
4. Secondary water resistance (SWR).

Some limits that catch homeowners off guard:

• Roof replacement by itself is not eligible. The Support Center says a new roof covering can be funded only when it is needed to install recommended roof-to-wall, roof-deck, or SWR improvements, and only when the whole pitched roof, the whole flat roof, or both are replaced. Patches and partial repairs are not eligible.
• No swapping one protection for another. If you already have compliant hurricane shutters, the program will not pay to change them to impact windows.
• Do not start early. Funding for work done before your grant application is approved will be denied.
• Licensed contractors and permits are required. Section 215.5586(2)(d) requires all required local permits and inspections and properly licensed contractors. The MSFH site recommends getting bids from at least three licensed contractors.

How to apply

The official site lays out the steps:

1. Create an account in the MSFH Applicant Portal (run on Neighborly Software). The link is on mysafeflhome.com.
2. Complete the Prioritization Questionnaire. The system places homeowners into Inspection Groups 1–5 several times a week and notifies you by email.
3. Submit the Inspection Application after you are placed in a group, then schedule the free inspection with the assigned inspector.
4. Read your report. It lists recommended improvements and estimated discounts. Homeowners with an initial inspection after August 4, 2025, can opt in to the grant phase through a “Grant Indication of Interest.” The Support Center says applicants with no recommended improvements, or applicants placed in Group 5, cannot move on to the grant phase.
5. Submit the Grant Application when your Grant Group’s window opens. Initial inspection reports expire 24 months after the inspection unless a grant application is already in.
6. Answer any Request for Information within 60 days. If you don’t, the application is treated as withdrawn or abandoned.
7. Finish the work and request the final inspection. The statute allows 18 months from grant approval. The Support Center describes this as one year plus one optional six-month extension.
8. Send the final inspection to your insurer, then submit your draw request with proof of the discounts you received (if any).

Watch for scams. The program is run by DFS. Questions go to the MSFH call center at 850-427-2559 or info@mysafeflhome.com. Do not pay a third party to “sign you up.”

How MSFH connects to your insurance cost

This is where the program shows up on a monthly budget.

Florida law requires wind-mitigation credits. Section 627.0629, Florida Statutes, requires residential property insurers to include “actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate differentials, or appropriate reductions in deductibles” for features shown to reduce windstorm loss, including roof strength, roof-to-wall strength, and opening protection. Since October 1, 2023, each insurer must also explain its hurricane mitigation discounts on its website.

The inspection form matters. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s Wind Mitigation Resources page explains that the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802) was updated effective April 1, 2026. DFS’s mitigation notices, inspections, and forms page says inspections must use the new revision as of that date, that admitted insurers must accept a valid form signed by an authorized inspector, and that a completed form is generally valid for up to five years if the structure has no material changes. Insurers may verify a form at their own expense.

What the discount will not do:

• It applies to the wind/hurricane portion of the premium, not to every line on your bill.
• It does not change your flood risk. Most homeowners policies exclude flood (see below).
• It does not guarantee a lower total bill. Rates, coverage limits, and carriers change at renewal.

Put the discount your insurer actually gives you in writing on line 4 of the worksheet. Do not use the estimated discount from the report.

A related state incentive: the home-hardening sales tax refund

The Florida Department of Revenue now offers a separate refund of Florida sales tax (including discretionary surtax) paid on impact-resistant windows, exterior doors, and garage doors. The official Form DR-26HH states:

• Purchases must be made July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, and installed on an eligible residential property: a site-built, homesteaded dwelling with a just value of $700,000 or less.
• An owner may claim for one property only, and the refund cannot exceed $500.
• Claims are filed with Form DR-26S plus DR-26HH and receipts between July 1, 2026, and September 30, 2029.

The MSFH Support Center says MSFH does not run this refund, and that getting an MSFH grant does not conflict with claiming it. (That Support Center article lists a purchase window ending June 30, 2028. The DOR form, which governs the refund, says June 30, 2029.) Keep itemized receipts.

Don’t forget flood

A stronger roof does not protect you from rising water. FEMA’s FloodSmart site says most homeowners and renters insurance does not cover flood damage, and that a new NFIP policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase. See FloodSmart — buying a policy and the Polk County flood zone and elevation certificate guide.

Get a flood insurance quote

Dion Link, a Florida 2-20 licensee (agent number P163989) with Links Insurance Co., writes Florida flood insurance. Request a Florida flood quote from Dion. Insurance is separate from any loan. You do not need a mortgage to request a quote, and you do not need a quote to get a mortgage.

This site does not sell or refer wind-mitigation inspections, contractors, or home warranties. Use the program’s assigned inspector and licensed contractors you choose.

About this guide

Published by Dion Link, NMLS 898761, with Link Lending, NMLS 2723931, in Lakeland, Florida. Mailing address: PO Box 134, Nichols, FL 33863. This is general information, not insurance, legal, or tax advice, and not a commitment to lend. Program rules, funding, and forms can change after the review date. See the site footer for licensing and disclosures.

Sources (reviewed November 11, 2026)

• My Safe Florida Home — official program site (Florida DFS)
• Florida Statutes § 215.5586, My Safe Florida Home Program (2026)
• Florida Statutes § 420.0004, definitions of low- and moderate-income persons (2026)
• Florida Statutes § 627.0629, residential property insurance rate filings and mitigation discounts (2026)
• MSFH Support Center — Is funding currently available?
• MSFH Support Center — Who is eligible for a hurricane mitigation grant?
• MSFH Support Center — What types of properties are eligible to receive initial inspections?
• MSFH Support Center — Maximum grant amount
• MSFH Support Center — Matching grants vs. low-income grants
• MSFH Support Center — Authorized improvements
• MSFH Support Center — Roof replacement
• MSFH Support Center — How to submit the grant application
• MSFH Support Center — Initial inspection report expiration
• MSFH Support Center — Home-hardening sales tax refund notice
• Florida Department of Revenue — Form DR-26HH, Home Hardening Products Sales Tax Refund
• Florida Office of Insurance Regulation — Wind Mitigation Resources
• Florida DFS — Mitigation Notices, Inspections and Forms
• FEMA FloodSmart — What you need to know about buying flood insurance