ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said “home hardening” recommendations provided by the My Safe Florida Home program saved him a bundle in his annual home insurance premium.
“I didn’t use the dollars in the program, but I did what the program prescribed,“ Patronis told News 6. “My insurance in January dropped in half.”
Patronis told News 6 he wanted to put the recommendations issued by his free home hurricane inspection to the test.
In his case, the CFO made recommended upgrades that called for him to add secondary water resistance (SWR) to his roof.
Patronis has proposed $200 million be added to the state budget for the My Safe Home Program this year, while state lawmakers have proposed $100 million.
“That’s the one upside to the session being early this year,” Patronis told News 6. “The budget will be finalized by the end of February, so we’ll probably get a clearer picture in a couple of weeks.”
The state provides up to $10,000 in home-hardening improvements.
Former state deputy insurance commissioner Lisa Miller said the home inspections give Florida homeowners an edge, but she feels additional funds will be needed to cover potential demand for the seven million homeowners across the state.
“We really have to ramp up what we do with this program, and I am hoping that the legislature recognizes that,” Miller said. “As this program progresses and the CFO spreads the good news of what this program can do, I think we’ll start seeing the money roll in.”
You can apply for a complete home hurricane inspection of your single-family home or townhouse at no cost and no obligation.
For more information go to mysafeflhome.com.
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