Bills would add flood-protection projects to Florida’s home-hardening grant program

Improvements to protect homes from flood damage would be eligible for up to $10,000 in state matching grants if bills filed last week are enacted during the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature.

The bills would expand the number of home improvement projects that currently qualify for matching grants under the My Safe Florida Home program.

The Senate version of the bill, sponsored by Jonathan Martin, a Lee County Republican, would extend grant eligibility to costs of elevating homes and installing backflow valves, flood vents, and utility flood barriers.

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A similar House bill filed by Rep. Lindsay Cross, a Pinellas County Democrat, is calling for grants to be used for flood barriers, improvements to site drainage, utility protections and flood openings.

The two sponsors, both from Southwest Florida, are seeking to reduce impacts from future storms after witnessing widespread flooding damage during Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and Hurricane Idalia last August, an aide to Cross said Monday.

Hurricane Ian caused a 10- to 15-foot storm surge in Fort Myers Beach, destroying more than 5,000 homes in Lee County and damaging nearly 30,000 more.

Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge caused flood damage to 1,500 homes in Pinellas County as it traveled through the Gulf of Mexico to Florida’s Big Bend area, the aide said.

Many of those homeowners had no flood insurance and received no money to make repairs. Typical property insurance policies in Florida do not cover damage from rising waters.

While not as vulnerable to storm surge as the southwest coast, homes in Southeast Florida can also be damaged by flooding as proven on April 12, when more than 25 inches of rain fell on Fort Lauderdale in 12 hours.

Scientists project more frequent flooding to properties on and near Florida’s coastline as climate change raises water levels over coming decades.

Flood mitigation grants would be available to owners of single-family homes and townhomes that are subject to inundation during a 1-in-100-year flood event, based on floodplain studies or computations by federal, state or local authorities.

Eligible homes must undergo inspections to identify needed improvements. They must have a current flood insurance policy, be in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System, and be eligible for a discounted flood insurance rate.

The Senate version of the bill would also limit eligibility to homes permitted for construction before Jan. 1, 1982. The House version has no such requirement.

Both bills call for increasing the amount of money earmarked for the program for the 2024-25 budget year from the $107 million requested by Gov. DeSantis to $205 million. Of that, $5 million would cover administrative costs.

The My Safe Florida Home program opened to applicants in November 2022. Since then, more than 40,000 homeowners applied for the matching grants, which offers up to $10,000 for such projects like impact windows and doors, reinforced garage doors and new roofs with roof-deck attachments, roof-to-wall connections, and secondary water barriers.

So far, the Legislature has approved $401 million to fund the program, which provides homeowners $2 for every $1 they spend on improvements.

But the program stopped accepting applications in September while it waits to see if more money is approved during the upcoming session. As of Dec. 14, 23,023 grants have been allocated, according to a spokesman for the Department of Financial Services, which runs the program. Homeowners have a year after their grants are approved to get their projects completed and inspected.

The flood mitigation bills aren’t the only proposals to expand the My Safe Florida Home program. Another bill, filed in December, would make condominiums eligible for program grants as well.

For the flood mitigation bills, floodplain experts were consulted to develop the list of qualifying improvements, Cross’ aide said.

If the bills move through legislative committees, the list of eligible projects in the Senate bill will likely be fine-tuned to match the list in the House bill, the aide said.

For example, the Senate bill’s proposed eligibility for elevating homes will likely be dropped because such a project would far exceed $15,000.

That would leave:

• Flood barriers — Structures erected temporarily against openings to prevent water intrusion. They could be made of steel or even inflatable tubes.

• Improvements to site drainage — Anything that helps water exit property, such as swales or pipes.

• Utility protections — Typically these would be three-inch to six-inch concrete walls built to prevent water from inundating outdoor air conditioning and heating units.

• Flood openings — Holes are created to help water flow through flood-prone parts of a home, including a garage, or space under elevated homes.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.