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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to the My Safe Florida Home Program;

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amending s. 215.5586, F.S.; providing that certain

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applicants for grants under the program need not comply

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with certain earlier eligibility requirements; providing

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an effective date.

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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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     Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section

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215.5586, Florida Statutes, is amended, present paragraphs (b)

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through (j) of that subsection are redesignated as paragraphs (c)

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through (k), respectively, a new paragraph (b) is added to that

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subsection, and present paragraphs (f) and (g) of that subsection

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are amended, to read:

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     215.5586  My Safe Florida Home Program.--There is

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established within the Department of Financial Services the My

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Safe Florida Home Program. The department shall provide fiscal

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accountability, contract management, and strategic leadership for

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the program, consistent with this section. This section does not

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create an entitlement for property owners or obligate the state

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in any way to fund the inspection or retrofitting of residential

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property in this state. Implementation of this program is subject

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to annual legislative appropriations. It is the intent of the

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Legislature that the My Safe Florida Home Program provide

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inspections for at least 400,000 site-built, single-family,

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residential properties and provide grants to at least 35,000

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applicants before June 30, 2009. The program shall develop and

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implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach for hurricane

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damage mitigation that shall include the following:

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     (2)  MITIGATION GRANTS.--Financial grants shall be used to

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encourage single-family, site-built, owner-occupied, residential

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property owners to retrofit their properties to make them less

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vulnerable to hurricane damage.

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     (a) To be eligible for a grant for persons who applied for

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an have obtained a completed inspection on or after May 1, 2007,

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a residential property must:

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     1.  Have been granted a homestead exemption under chapter

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196.

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     2. Be a dwelling that has with an insured value of $300,000

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or less. Homeowners who are low-income persons, as defined in s.

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420.0004(10), are exempt from this requirement.

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     3.  Have undergone an acceptable hurricane mitigation

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inspection.

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     4.  Be located in the "wind-borne debris region" as that

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term is defined in s. 1609.2, International Building Code (2006).

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     5.  Be a home for which the building permit application for

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initial construction was made before March 1, 2002.

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An application for a grant must contain a signed or

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electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury

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that the applicant has submitted only a single application and

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must have attached documents demonstrating that the applicant

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meets the requirements of this paragraph.

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     (b) Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (a), a

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person who filed an application for an inspection before May 1,

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2007, is eligible for a grant if the subject residential

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property:

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     1. Has been granted a homestead exemption under chapter

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196.

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     2. Is a dwelling that has an insured value of $500,000 or

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less.

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     3. Has undergone an acceptable wind certification and

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hurricane mitigation inspection.

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     (g)(f) Grants may be used on a previously inspected

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existing structure or on a rebuild. A rebuild is defined as a

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site-built, single-family dwelling under construction to replace

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a home that was destroyed or significantly damaged by a hurricane

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and deemed unlivable by a regulatory authority. The homeowner

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must be a low-income homeowner as defined in paragraph (h) (g),

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must have had a homestead exemption for that home prior to the

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hurricane, and must be intending to rebuild the home as that

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homeowner's homestead.

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     (h)(g) Low-income homeowners, as defined in s.

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420.0004(10), who otherwise meet the requirements of paragraphs

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(a), (d), (f), and (g) (c), (e), and (f) are eligible for a grant

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of up to $5,000 and are not required to provide a matching amount

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to receive the grant. Additionally, for low-income homeowners,

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grant funding may be used for repair to existing structures

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leading to any of the mitigation improvements provided in

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paragraph (f) (e), limited to 20 percent of the grant value. The

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program may accept a certification directly from a low-income

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homeowner that the homeowner meets the requirements of s.

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420.0004(10) if the homeowner provides such certification in a

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signed or electronically verified statement made under penalty of

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perjury.

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     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.