My Safe Florida Home Grants and Wind Mitigation Discounts in 2026

Rates are finally drifting down in Florida, but the biggest savings a lot of homeowners can control still come from the house itself. Insurers have to give you credit on the windstorm part of your premium for features that make your home tougher in a hurricane, and the state will help pay for some of those upgrades.

Wind mitigation discounts: the basics

Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts for features that reduce hurricane wind damage. The Department of Financial Services consumer guide says securing your roof and protecting your windows from flying debris are the two most cost-effective steps, and that hurricane-rated garage doors or bracing kits can help too. One important detail: these discounts apply only to the windstorm portion of your policy, not the whole premium.

To get credit, a qualified inspector fills out the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (form OIR-B1-1802), with photos, and you send it to your insurer.

Your insurer is also required to send you a Notice of Premium Discounts for Hurricane Loss Mitigation with each new policy and at every renewal.

A new inspection form took effect April 1, 2026

The Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) updated the inspection form after a 2024 Residential Wind-Loss Mitigation Study by Applied Research Associates. The new version is effective April 1, 2026, and the DFS guide says it must be used for inspections done on or after that date.

A completed form is valid for up to five years, as long as you don't make material changes to the house and nothing on it turns out to be inaccurate. OIR also says it's still reviewing the related discount tables and the premium discount notice for updates, so the credit amounts themselves may change down the road. If your last wind mitigation report is getting close to five years old, or you've replaced your roof or windows since, it may be worth asking your agent whether a new one makes sense.

My Safe Florida Home: free inspections and grants

My Safe Florida Home is the state program that offers free wind mitigation inspections and grants for recommended upgrades like roof improvements, impact windows and doors, garage door reinforcement and secondary water barriers. Its support center says it's accepting applications. You create an account in the applicant portal, fill out a prioritization questionnaire, and get placed into a group before you can apply for an inspection or grant.

There are two kinds of grants, per the program's funding FAQ:

• Matching grants: the state pays $2 for every $1 you put in, up to $10,000. You pay the contractor up front and get reimbursed for two-thirds of the cost.
• Low-income grants: eligible low-income homeowners can get up to $10,000 with no match and no upfront payment.

Eligibility is narrower than it used to be. Under state law, grant homes must have been built before Jan. 1, 2008, have an insured value of $700,000 or less, and have had a program inspection within the previous 24 months, and the applicant must be low- or moderate-income. The Miami Herald reported in February that the program is for homesteaded single-family homes and townhomes, and that lawmakers assigned no new money this year because about $440 million was still unspent, with about $173 million set aside for roughly 17,340 homeowners who could eventually get grants.

Two rules that trip people up: the program won't fund a project if the permit was issued before your grant is approved, or if work was already underway or finished at the time of your initial inspection, according to the program's rule notice. And after the work, you'll need a final inspection and proof you sent the report to your insurer to ask for discounts.

What to check

1. Find your latest renewal packet and look for the mitigation discount notice and any wind credits already on your declarations page.
2. Check the date on your current wind mitigation report. It's good for five years if nothing has changed.
3. If you've hardened your home since that report, ask your agent whether a new inspection could add credits.
4. If your home was built before 2008 and you think you might qualify, look at My Safe Florida Home before you pull permits or start work.
5. Confirm the details with your agent, your insurer, the program, or OIR. This post explains how the programs work; it isn't insurance, legal or financial advice.

Keep tracking

Mitigation credits work alongside whatever rate your insurer charges. Our rate changes tracker lists the approved filings we've logged, and the insurers page shows who's active in Florida. Want updates like this in your inbox? Sign up for the FL Insurance Watch newsletter on our home page.

Not insurance, legal or financial advice. Confirm details with your insurer, a licensed agent or the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.