DFS says MiSAFE program has issued tens of thousands of grants and reduced some homeowners’ premiums

Steven Fielder of the Department of Financial Services briefed the Appropriations Committee on the MiSAFE Florida Home program, describing program rules, funding history, performance metrics and administrative issues.

Fielder said MiSAFE is “a grant program … that provides financial assistance to homeowners, to harden their homes in advance of a storm.” The program offers two grant types: a matching grant (state contributes $2 for every $1 a homeowner invests) and a low-income grant that does not require a match.

He told senators the program has received appropriations four separate times and that total appropriations for MiSAFE stand at $633,000,000. According to the presentation, about $260,000,000 in reimbursements had been paid out through December 2024; Fielder said average reimbursements run about $9,400 per homeowner. He said roughly 47% of completed grants were for doors and windows and the remainder for roof-related work.

Fielder explained eligibility rules and documentation requirements: applicants must be owners of site-built single-family homes (townhomes were later added for inspections but are excluded from some roof work), provide evidence of homestead exemption and proof of insured value for the structure, and show required permits before reimbursement. He said insured value, not assessed or retail value, is used for grant calculations.

Fielder described a statutory change effective July 2024 that required prioritizing grant awards by income and age. To implement the change, the program surveyed previously inspected applicants and opened grant windows in two-week intervals by statutory priority group. He reported that 69% of grants awarded in the recent cycle went to low- or moderate-income households and that 45% of recipients were age 60 or older.

Fielder described program administration: inspections and grant reviews are outsourced to private contractors (the primary vendor named in the presentation is Adkins Realis), quality-control inspections are performed by the state, and the department requested a voluntary Inspector General review in 2023; the IG issued a report in April 2024 with four recommendations that were primarily corrective (following procedures rather than rewriting them).

Committee members asked about contractor validation, permitting, denial and reconsideration rates, administrative overhead and vendor costs. Fielder said contractors must be identified by the homeowner and validated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) via license number; final reimbursement requires evidence that required permits are closed. On overhead, he said administrative costs are about 5% of total appropriations ($633 million), which he said includes the prime vendor contract and several state staff positions.

Public comment during the MiSAFE presentation came from Linda Edson of the Florida Retired Educators Association, who described being dropped by her insurer and urged expanded assistance for older, retired homeowners who face rising insurance costs. “I’m begging you, please try something that will help our retired teachers,” Edson told senators.

Fielder proposed several technical clarifications for statute and program design for committee consideration: clarifying roof-work rules for townhomes, guidance to distinguish home types (single family, condo, townhome), rules for expiration of initial inspections, and whether grants should be limited to one per person or allow one per property.

No formal committee action was taken on the MiSAFE program during the meeting; senators requested additional contract and cost breakdowns and said they will follow up with the department.