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State
offering $250 million to help homeowners prepare for hurricanes
TALLAHASSEE ยท Florida homeowners seeking to make their homes more
hurricane proof soon will be allowed to tap into a $250 million pool
of state money to assist their efforts.
But the relief won't come overnight, and property owners must be
willing to back up their requests with cold, hard cash.
State officials plan to begin processing applications in August for a
matching grant program that could put up to $5,000 in state money into
the hands of qualified homeowners in the next five months.
"It would be fair to say, given how the first phase works, our goal
will be to have money in the hands of thousands of homeowners and
contractors to begin making improvements before this hurricane season
is over," said Tami Torres, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of
Financial Services, which is overseeing the program.
In May, Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill that provides dollar-for-dollar
matching grants of up to $5,000 in state funds for qualified property
owners who want to strengthen their home's chances of surviving a
storm. The program is part of a sweeping hurricane-assistance package
that also provides aid to governments, mobile home owners and others.
"As I've traveled around the region, I see a lot of people don't even
know this is going on," said Rep. Ralph Poppell, R-Vero Beach. "There
have been some people calling us about it, but not as many as we would
have hoped. That will probably change."
The state is in the process of instituting the $250 million program.
The law requires state officials to set up a process that will require
inspectors to pass drug screening and criminal background checks.
Approved inspectors also must have some type of hurricane training or
experience, Torres said.
The program is limited to owners of single-family homes worth $500,000
or less. The property must be a primary residence. Applications will
be evaluated on a series of factors, including hurricane threat, what
can be done to improve a structure's survivability and the
cost-effectiveness of the improvements.
"We're not talking about mobile homes or condos," Torres said. "This
is really a single structure program."
Applicants must first undergo an inspection to determine what, if any,
improvements can fortify their homes. The state money must be used for
hurricane-proofing endeavors including shutter installation, roof
improvements and other work described in the law.
Torres said homeowners living in hurricane-prone areas of the state
would be given priority.
"The statute was very clear that this is not an entitlement program or
an income-based program," Torres said. "It is a program aimed at
reducing hurricane damage in the state of Florida."
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