My Safe Florida Home in Palm Beach County: Who Qualifies in 2026

Start with the house, then check the funding

Before you put a deposit on impact windows or a roof project, work out which benefit your house and household can actually use.

A Palm Beach County homeowner can qualify for a free wind mitigation inspection without qualifying for grant money. A newer house may miss the grant construction-date test but still merit an insurance review. A contractor estimate is not a program approval.

Pull your property record, homestead status, insurance declarations page and household income information first. Then use the official portal to confirm your next step.

Two programs share the My Safe Florida Home name

The inspection documents wind-resistant features and recommends eligible improvements. The grant is a separate application based on that report, with additional property and income tests. Inspection approval does not approve a grant.

Under section 215.5586, Florida Statutes, the program depends on appropriations and available funds; it creates no entitlement to payment. A homepage banner is not a funding reservation for your house.

Who can get the free inspection

• A single-family dwelling on an individual parcel of land: detached, or attached and no more than three stories.
• Site-built and owner-occupied.
• A granted homestead exemption.

The inspection rules do not add the grant income, insured-value or pre-2008 construction tests. Attached does not mean every condo qualifies: the individual-parcel and other requirements still matter. Check the separate Condo Pilot Program for that program's own rules.

Who gets the grant and how income works

Current section 215.5586 requires low or moderate income for grants. Income is an eligibility test as well as a priority factor. Older material saying higher income merely puts you at the back of the grant line does not describe the current statute.

• Meet the inspection eligibility rules.
• Have insured value of $700,000 or less.
• Receive the initial program inspection within the 24 months before the grant application.
• Have a home built before January 1, 2008, as reflected on the county property appraiser website.
• Provide the intended contractor's name and state license number, allow a final inspection and supply insurer discount information.

Section 420.0004 defines low income at no more than 80% and moderate income below 120% of the applicable median adjusted gross household income. Family-size adjustments and the statute's state/MSA/county comparison matter. Ask the program to confirm your applicable household limit rather than treating one countywide dollar figure as everyone's cutoff.

Review priority begins with low-income applicants age 60 or older, then other low-income applicants, moderate-income applicants age 60 or older, and other moderate-income applicants. Other eligible inspection applicants follow. Priority does not guarantee funds.

The insured-value cap is different from the tax-refund cap

The grant uses insured value, not a listing price, estimated market value or assessed tax value. Have your insurer confirm the value shown in your policy documents and the evidence the program needs.

The separate sales tax refund uses a different measure: eligible homesteaded property must have just value of $700,000 or less. Do not substitute one program's value test for the other. Check the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser record for construction date, homestead and property information.

What grant money can pay for

The initial inspection must recommend the improvements. A project is not eligible simply because a contractor describes it as hurricane protection.

• Opening protection: exterior doors, garage doors, windows and skylights.
• Roof-to-wall connection reinforcement.
• Stronger roof-deck attachments.
• Secondary roof water resistance and replacement of the roof covering.

The statute includes roof covering in the roof-improvement provision alongside secondary water resistance. That is not a promise to fund any stand-alone reroof. Confirm the exact recommended scope with the program in writing. Required local permits, inspections and properly licensed contractors still apply, and the program may require protection of all openings for reimbursement.

The matching grant contributes $2 for each $1 from the applicant, up to $10,000 from the state toward actual project cost. Eligible low-income applicants can receive up to $10,000 without a match. Neither amount guarantees the whole contractor bill is covered; confirm the payment process and your cash requirements before committing.

The application clocks and the July 2027 footnote

The initial program inspection must fall within the 24 months before your grant application. After grant application approval, finish construction and request the final inspection within 18 months. The statute also provides a 60-day response period for requests for additional information, with abandonment notice and good-cause provisions. Monitor your account rather than assuming silence keeps a file open.

Do not read July 1, 2027 as a blanket program shutdown. The current statute's note describes temporary implementing-act amendments, but also explains that identical amendments in chapter 2026-174 have no repeal provision and continue notwithstanding that future repeal. Recheck the law and your approval terms when you apply; future funding still requires appropriations.

Why the inspection can help without a grant

The report gives your insurance agent a documented starting point for reviewing wind mitigation credits.

The program says the report can identify potential discounts from existing features and recommended improvements. Give it to your insurer and ask for a property-specific quote before deciding which upgrade to buy. The amount depends on the policy, documented features and insurer; this guide promises no percentage saving or premium reduction.

A wind mitigation inspection is focused on hurricane-resistant features. It does not replace the full condition inspection you would order when buying a home.

The separate home hardening sales tax refund

The Florida Department of Revenue's 2026 guidance covers qualifying retail purchases of impact-resistant windows, doors and garage doors from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.

This is a refund of Florida sales tax already paid, including applicable surtax, rather than a point-of-sale exemption. The eligible owner may claim it for one site-built, homesteaded property with just value of $700,000 or less, up to a total refund of $500. Manufactured and mobile homes do not qualify under this guidance.

Submit forms DR-26S and DR-26HH with the required documentation by September 30, 2029. Keep itemized receipts and proof of Florida tax paid. A contractor's lump-sum installed price is not itself a retail sales-tax receipt; ask what records you will receive before ordering. This refund has its own eligibility rules and does not approve a mitigation grant.

Check the contractor and keep the records

Use Florida's license lookup to verify the contractor and license status. The program recommends obtaining at least three bids. Compare the same inspection-recommended scope, permit responsibility, product approvals, payment schedule and final documentation in each one.

The program does not warrant the independent contractor's work or resolve the construction contract for you. Save your approval, inspection reports, contracts, paid receipts, permits and product records. Ask program support about any change in contractor or scope before proceeding.

How this matters when you sell

For a Palm Beach County sale, organize the wind mitigation report, permits, roof records and opening-protection documentation before the buyer orders insurance quotes. Those records help a buyer and insurer evaluate what is actually installed.

I would not treat a grant award or contractor invoice as a guaranteed increase in resale value. Compare the likely project cost, insurer response and your plans for the house. If you are deciding between staying and hardening or selling and moving, I can help compare the real estate side of that decision. Our homeowner guides cover other ownership questions, and The Wilder Way to a Stress-Free Sale helps you organize a potential sale.

The steps, in order

1. Start at the official program website and create or access your account.
2. Complete the questionnaire and follow the instructions for your assigned inspection group.
3. Apply for and receive the authorized initial inspection; review the recommendations.
4. If eligible, submit the separate grant application and intended licensed contractor information.
5. Wait for written grant approval and confirm the authorized scope before work begins.
6. Complete permitted work, request the final inspection within your deadline and submit the required payment documents.

If the public website and your account disagree, ask program support to confirm your case. Never assume an inspection report or contractor's assurance authorizes grant-funded work.