Updated August 2026 — reflects the current 2025–26 program rules published by the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Short answer: My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) gives eligible Florida homeowners a free wind-mitigation inspection and a matching grant of $2 for every $1 you spend, up to $10,000, for hurricane-mitigation upgrades. The Florida Legislature allocated $280 million for the 2025–26 fiscal year. Three rules disqualify most people who assume they qualify: your home’s original building permit must predate January 1, 2008, the home’s insured value must be $700,000 or less, and households above the moderate-income threshold (Group 5) cannot receive a grant at all — though they may still get the free inspection when funding allows.
The rules changed meaningfully on July 1, 2025, and a lot of what is still published online describes the older version of the program. Below is how it actually works today, including the one mistake that costs homeowners their grant after the work is already done.
Who Actually Qualifies in 2026
There are two separate eligibility bars: one for the free inspection, and a stricter one for the grant.
For the free wind-mitigation inspection
- Single-family detached home or townhouse, site-built (attached single-family homes are treated as townhouses)
- Owner-occupied, with an active homestead exemption on the property
- Not eligible: mobile and manufactured homes, retirement homes, second homes, vacation homes, and rental properties
- One inspection per homesteaded property — you cannot get a second one
For the grant (all of the above, plus)
- The home’s insured value must be $700,000 or less, shown under Coverage A (Dwelling) on your policy
- The initial building permit for the home must have been issued before January 1, 2008
- You must have completed the MSFH inspection and received an Initial Inspection Report with at least one Recommended Improvement
- Your household must fall into prioritization Groups 1–4 (see below)
- You must name a licensed contractor and make the home available for a final inspection
The 2008 permit date and the $700,000 insured-value cap are the two filters that catch people off guard. If your home was built in 2010, you can still get the free inspection, but there is no grant available to you.
The Four Prioritization Groups
Since July 1, 2025, every applicant completes a Prioritization Questionnaire in the portal and is sorted into a group based on age and household income. Your group determines when your application opens — and funding is first come, first served, so the order matters.
| Group | Who it covers | Grant eligible? |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Low income, age 60+ (at or below 80% of county median income) | Yes — first access |
| Group 2 | Low income, age 59 or younger | Yes |
| Group 3 | Moderate income, age 60+ (below 120% of county median) | Yes |
| Group 4 | Moderate income, age 59 or younger | Yes |
| Group 5 | All ages above the moderate-income threshold | No — inspection only, when funds allow |
Once you are sorted into a group, you cannot be moved. Fill the questionnaire out carefully — household members and income are what drive the sorting.
How the Money Works
The matching grant reimburses two-thirds of your project cost, capped at $10,000 from the state. It is a reimbursement, not an upfront payment: you pay the contractor, then submit a paid-in-full invoice with your draw request.
| You spend | State reimburses | Your net cost |
|---|---|---|
| $9,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 |
| $15,000 | $10,000 (cap reached) | $5,000 |
| $20,000 | $10,000 (cap) | $10,000 |
Low-income applicants are handled under a separate Low-Income Grant that pays actual costs of the recommended improvements without the matching requirement, and does not require a paid-in-full invoice at the draw stage. Either way, each applicant gets one grant disbursement, once. There is no reapplying.
Using MSFH for Window Replacement
Impact windows are the most requested upgrade under the program, and the rules around them are more specific than most homeowners expect.
- Only the openings listed in your Initial Inspection Report qualify. You do not have to do every window in the house — but you cannot add openings the inspector did not recommend.
- If you already have compliant hurricane shutters, you cannot use the grant to swap them for impact windows. The program’s position is that the opening is already protected; it will not fund exchanging one form of protection for another. This is the single most common denial we see at the draw stage.
- Impact-rated exterior doors and garage doors count as opening protection too. Doors with glass are “glazed,” solid ones are “non-glazed” — the inspection report distinguishes them.
- Shutters are eligible opening protection as well, if that is what the report recommends.
- Townhouses are only eligible for opening protection (Improvement 1.0), not the roof improvements.
If you are still deciding between products before you apply, our breakdown of impact windows vs. hurricane shutters covers the cost and insurance trade-offs, and our 2026 hurricane season window guide covers what installation actually involves.
The Four Fundable Improvements
- Opening protection — impact windows, impact exterior and garage doors, or shutters, for the specific openings recommended
- Roof-to-wall attachment — clips, single-wraps, or double-wraps, installed on every truss or rafter to earn the insurance credit. If the roof must come off to do the work, the roof replacement cost can be included
- Roof deck attachment — additional or longer nails bonding the sheathing to the trusses
- Secondary water resistance — peel-and-stick underlayment, seam tape, or closed-cell foam sealing the deck seams from the attic side
Roof patching and partial repairs do not qualify. To get roof covering funded, the entire contiguous roof has to be replaced.
The Application, Step by Step
- Create a portal account at mysafeflhome.com and complete the Prioritization Questionnaire. This is now the first step — not the inspection.
- Wait for your group assignment. The program places applicants into inspection groups on a rolling basis and emails you when yours opens.
- Submit the inspection application once your group has access.
- Take the free inspection. An assigned wind-certification inspector contacts you within about seven days to schedule. You do not choose the inspector.
- Review the Initial Inspection Report (uploaded to the portal, typically within 14 days). If it lists no recommended improvements, there is no grant — a well-built home can inspect clean.
- Opt in to the grant phase and submit the grant application, naming at least one recommended improvement and a licensed contractor.
- Wait for approval before anything else happens. See the warning below.
- Complete the work within one year of grant approval (a six-month extension can be requested).
- Schedule the final inspection — you get one.
- Submit the draw request with your documentation to receive the disbursement.
The Mistake That Voids Your Grant
You will not receive a disbursement if the construction permit was pulled before your grant application was approved, or if the work was already finished or underway at the time of your initial inspection. Homeowners get burned by this every cycle: a contractor moves fast to “get ahead of the season,” the permit gets filed, and the grant is gone.
The order is non-negotiable: inspection → grant approval → permit → work → final inspection → reimbursement. Any contractor who tells you otherwise has not worked in this program. We hold the permit application until your approval letter is in hand.
What Contractor Do You Have to Use?
The program does not maintain an approved-contractor list and does not vet or endorse contractors. What it requires is that your contractor be certified or registered with the Florida DBPR and licensed for the work being performed — and it puts the responsibility for verifying that on you. Look the license up yourself at myfloridalicense.com before signing anything.
Top Tier Home & Building Solutions is a licensed Florida General Contractor, #CGC1527718, installing impact windows and doors across Tampa Bay and Sarasota. We work with MSFH applicants regularly, we know the documentation the draw request needs, and we sequence the permit correctly. See our My Safe Florida Home program page for how we handle these projects.
What You Save Beyond the Grant
Wind mitigation upgrades earn discounts on the hurricane portion of your homeowners premium by Florida law. Impact windows and doors typically reduce windstorm premiums by 15–30%; on a $3,000 annual premium that is $450–$900 a year, or $4,500–$9,000 over a decade — on top of the grant itself. Report the completed improvements to your carrier with your final inspection form; the discount is not automatic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is My Safe Florida Home still accepting applications in 2026?
Yes. The Florida Legislature allocated $280 million for the 2025–26 fiscal year for wind-mitigation inspections and grants, and the program is taking applications through its portal at mysafeflhome.com. Funding is awarded first come, first served, and applications open by prioritization group — so applying early in the cycle matters.
What disqualifies a home from a My Safe Florida Home grant?
The most common disqualifiers are: an initial building permit issued on or after January 1, 2008; an insured value above $700,000; no homestead exemption; a mobile, manufactured, rental, or second home; a household above the moderate-income threshold (Group 5); an inspection report with no recommended improvements; or a construction permit pulled before grant approval.
Can I use the My Safe Florida Home grant for window replacement?
Yes, if impact-rated windows are among the recommended improvements in your Initial Inspection Report. You only have to upgrade the specific openings the report identifies, not the whole house. Important exception: if the home already has compliant hurricane shutters on those openings, the grant will not fund replacing them with impact windows — the program does not pay to exchange one form of opening protection for another.
How much is the My Safe Florida Home grant in 2026?
The state contributes $2 for every $1 you spend, reimbursing two-thirds of the project cost up to a maximum state contribution of $10,000. Spend $15,000 and you are reimbursed $10,000. Low-income applicants may qualify for a Low-Income Grant that covers actual costs without the match.
Do I need a homestead exemption to qualify?
Yes. The program verifies homestead status through your county Property Appraiser’s records. Without an active homestead exemption on the property, you are not eligible for the inspection or the grant.
Can I apply again if I was denied or already used the grant?
No. The program allows one grant disbursement and one final inspection per applicant, and applicants cannot reapply. If your grant application receives a Request for Information, respond within 60 days — closed cases cannot be reopened.
Does the grant cover a new roof?
Only as part of a recommended improvement. If the contractor has to remove the roof covering to complete a roof-to-wall or deck attachment upgrade, the roof replacement cost can be included — but the entire contiguous roof must be replaced. Roof patching and partial repairs are not fundable.
What if my inspection finds nothing to improve?
Then there is no grant. MSFH inspections assess hurricane-resistant features, not condition — a home that already has all the mitigation features present will receive no recommendations, even if it is old or worn, and cannot proceed to the grant phase.
Get Your Project Sequenced Right
If you have your inspection report in hand and want a quote that matches what the program will actually reimburse, we can help. We serve Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, Polk, Hernando, and Osceola counties. Request a free estimate or call (813) 531-7170. Financing is available to cover your share of the project.
Sources: My Safe Florida Home — official program site; MSFH Homeowner’s Guide 2025–2026 (Florida Department of Financial Services); MSFH Important Program Updates flyer, July 2025; s. 215.5586, Florida Statutes; Florida DBPR license verification. Program rules change by fiscal year — confirm current terms in the MSFH portal before applying.
