After two years of applying and waiting for funding through the popular My Safe Florida Home program, Len and Christine Miller received a letter that shattered whatever hope they had of securing the state grant to harden their home.
WATCH: 'They pull the rug out from under you': Homeowners shut out of the popular My Safe Florida Home Progam
"We appreciate your interest in the My Safe Florida Home Program," the letter read. "By law, the eligibility criteria for grants have changed this year, effective July 1st. Only applicants within income Grant Groups 1-4 are now eligible and based on your responses were placed in Grant Group 5. All applicants within Grant Group 5 will have their case closed. There is nothing more for you to do."
It's the third year in a row Florida lawmakers made changes to the program, which has quickly run out of money each time. This year, adding another $280 million, but excluding an entire group of homeowners who have been waiting for the funding to return for months, including Len and Christine.
"All of a sudden they pull the rug out from under you," Len said.
After applying for the program and undergoing an inspection, the couple had invested two years and more than $17,000 of their retirement funds in hurricane impact windows. They were hoping they'd be eligible for the $10,000 grant reimbursement.
"But sadly, after almost two years into this process, in some ways, I'm not surprised. It's it's disappointing, but the program is so flawed," Christine added.
According to the changes, only groups 1-4 will now be eligible to apply. The portal will open on August 4th for Group 1, which is for homeowners who are low-income and 60 years or older. Program leaders say the portal for the next group to apply will open two weeks after that.
Group Eligibility Categories (Effective July 1, 2025): 1. Low-Income Homeowners Age 60+ (Defined as households' income at or below 80% of the county median income). 2. Low-Income Homeowners (All Ages)
3. Moderate-Income Homeowners Age 60+ (Defined as household income below 120% of the county median income)
4. Moderate-Income Homeowners (All Ages)
"Folks are disappointed. We've heard from some of those," said Steven Fielder, Chief Business Officer at the Department of Financial Services. He also oversees the program. "But for the time being, this is what we're going to work on. And you know all obviously those eligibility criteria is subject to change in future years if the legislature deems that appropriate."
He said other changes include that all homeowners must show proof their home is insured, no matter age or income. Homeowners can also choose to work with any licensed contractor in the state. And most importantly, he said there should be enough funding for everyone already included in those groups.
"Based on the numbers of people that we know. People are out there that are in those groups. There is plenty of funding for them, right? So, so they need to just be patient when their group comes open and make the application, there's there's plenty of money for those that we already know of that exist."
However, the program is in high demand, and Fielder encourages homeowners who are eligible to familiarize themselves with the site, the process, and the eligibility requirements. He said homeowners must first fill out a questionnaire to determine their eligibility and which group they can be put in. Then, the homeowner must complete the home inspection before applying for and completing the grant program.
"So just stay diligent and stay on top of your application," he added.
The process in the past has been long, confusing, and cumbersome for many homeowners. However, Fielder said the program leaders have streamlined the process to make it more user-friendly, added more staff at the call centers, and introduced a live chat option for homeowners who encounter trouble. They've also created short video tutorials to guide homeowners through the process.
"We are making changes to the portal that we think are going to help make it more user-friendly. We've tried to listen to everyone's feedback about that, and tried to make some tweaks and some changes so that everything will be easy to understand," Fielder added.
WATCH: Full interview with Steven Fielder with My Safe Florida Home Program
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