House Bill 1459 amends the My Safe Florida Home Program to shift its focus from hurricane mitigation to wind and flood mitigation. The bill introduces new provisions for conducting inspections, projects, and grants specifically aimed at these types of mitigation. It tasks the Department of Financial Services with contracting flood certification entities to perform inspections and establishes eligibility criteria for homeowners seeking assistance. The maximum state contributions for mitigation grants are set at $10,000 for wind mitigation and $20,000 for flood mitigation, with the latter amount being a lifetime cap for each home. The bill also outlines requirements for homeowners, such as being owner-occupied and meeting specific insurance criteria, while emphasizing the use of licensed contractors for mitigation work.

Furthermore, the bill establishes a structured timeline for grant applications, prioritizing low-income homeowners initially and expanding to all applicants over a 60-day period. Homeowners can certify their eligibility through a signed statement under penalty of perjury, and grant recipients must complete construction and request inspections within one year to avoid abandonment of their application. The legislation appropriates $200 million in nonrecurring funds for mitigation grants and $5 million for public outreach and administrative costs for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It also mandates the Department of Financial Services to maintain a list of authorized inspectors and adopt rules for quality assurance, with the intent that these grants be recognized as disaster-relief assistance under federal tax law. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
H 1459 Filed: 215.5586