My Safe Florida Home Rule 69J-7.001 Hearing Set for December 7, 2026

On November 13, 2026, the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) published notice in the Florida Administrative Register of a public hearing on proposed changes to Rule 69J-7.001, the rule that governs the My Safe Florida Home Program. The hearing is set for December 7, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time and will be held online through Microsoft Teams.

The proposed rule carries out changes the Legislature made to the program in Chapter 2026-174, Laws of Florida. The program provides hurricane mitigation inspections and grants for eligible Florida homes, including homes in Brevard County cities such as Melbourne and Palm Bay.

What the Proposed Rule Would Change

DFS first published the proposed rule on September 1, 2026. According to the notice, the rulemaking would clarify the application process, property eligibility and the mitigation projects the program will fund.

The proposed text adds a definition of "Applicant" that includes all concurrent homeowners of the property, and it uses that term in places where the current rule says "Homeowner." It also lists a new web address for the program's applicant portal.

The rule adopts program forms by reference. The forms listed with the proposal include the grant application, the inspection application, the initial and final inspection reports, the draw request used to request grant funds, a homeowners guide and a prioritization questionnaire.

The 2026 Law Behind the Rule

Chapter 2026-174 amended section 215.5586, Florida Statutes, and took effect when the Governor approved it on June 26, 2026. Under the amended statute, an inspection is available for a site-built, owner-occupied, single-family home on its own parcel that has a homestead exemption. The home must be detached, or attached and no more than three stories tall.

The law deleted the separate authorization for inspectors to inspect townhouses and a separate grant provision for townhouses. It also revised the grant eligibility criteria and the list of improvements grants may pay for.

Under the statute as amended, a grant applicant must be a low-income or moderate-income person, and the home must have an insured value of $700,000 or less and must have been built before January 1, 2008. The home also must have had an initial program inspection within the 24 months before the grant application.

Grants may pay for opening protection, which covers exterior doors, garage doors, windows and skylights, and for certain roof improvements. Improvements must appear in the final inspection to receive grant funds.

Grants require $1 from the applicant for every $2 from the state, up to a state share of $10,000. Low-income applicants may receive up to $10,000 with no match.

Construction Deadline and Abandoned Applications

The amended statute requires a grant recipient to finish construction and request a final inspection within 18 months after the grant application is approved. If the recipient misses that deadline, the application is deemed abandoned and the grant money reverts to DFS.

An application is also deemed abandoned if DFS asks for more information and receives no response within 60 days. The 2026 law changed the term for these applications from "withdrawn" to "abandoned."

DFS must notify an applicant at least 5 business days before an application is deemed abandoned. If the applicant responds within 5 business days and shows good cause, the applicant may submit a new grant application or DFS may decide the application is not abandoned.

Hearing Details and Next Steps

The written comment period on the proposed text ran from September 1 to September 22, 2026. The December 7 hearing will take public input on the proposed changes, and the hearing notice lists Steven Fielder, Chief Business Manager, as the contact for the agenda.

The statute states that the program depends on annual legislative appropriations and does not create an entitlement for property owners. Under Florida's rulemaking law, DFS may publish a notice of change if it revises the proposal after the hearing. A rule generally takes effect 20 days after it is filed with the Department of State unless a later date is set.