CFO Patronis Encourages Disaster Preparedness, Home Hardening as the 2023 Hurricane Season Begins
MyFloridaCFO, June 1, 2023
As the 2023 Hurricane Season begins today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis highlights “Prepare Florida,” a disaster preparedness initiative to encourage Floridians to prepare now before a hurricane makes landfall. CFO Patronis’ PrepareFL.com website serves as a one-stop-shop for disaster preparedness information and resources to help Floridians ensure they are prepared to weather the next storm. The CFO also encourages Floridians to consider hardening their home with storm resistant products through the My Safe Florida Home mitigation inspection and grant program. By hardening your home, homeowners can protect their home and save money on insurance premiums through mandatory discounts.
~ Starting July 1 – the My Safe Florida Home Program is expanded statewide to help protect homes, lower insurance premiums ~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As the 2023 Hurricane Season begins today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis highlights “Prepare Florida,” a disaster preparedness initiative to encourage Floridians to prepare now before a hurricane makes landfall. CFO Patronis’ PrepareFL.com website serves as a one-stop-shop for disaster preparedness information and resources to help Floridians ensure they are prepared to weather the next storm. The CFO also encourages Floridians to consider hardening their home with storm resistant products through the My Safe Florida Home mitigation inspection and grant program. By hardening your home, homeowners can protect their home and save money on insurance premiums through mandatory discounts.
CFO Jimmy Patronis said, "As we begin the 2023 Hurricane Season, Floridians must prepare now for the threat of hurricanes and severe weather taking aim at our state. While we all know the devastating impacts storms can have, it’s important to review your disaster plan for your family and business to ensure you can weather and recover from a storm quickly. This year, I’m also encouraging Floridians to consider hardening their home to protect against hurricanes while saving money on insurance premiums. Beginning July 1, the My Safe Florida Home program has been expanded so more Floridians can take advantage of free home inspections and up to $10,000 in home mitigation grants to fortify their home with storm resistant products. Experts have predicted up to 17 named storms with the possibility of up to four major hurricanes this season. As we’ve seen in the past, hurricanes can form and strengthen quickly, leaving little time to prepare and evacuate. The time is now to prepare and protect your home and business. Do not wait until a storm is approaching. Prepare now, Florida!”
CFO Patronis supported measures to expand the My Safe Florida Home Program eligibility requirements so more Floridians can protect their homes against storms and reduce insurance premiums. Additionally, the CFO worked with the Legislature to increase grant funding by another $100 million, for a total of $215 million in funding. Combined with the Home Hardening Tax Savings, that’s more than $700 million in consumer relief, a huge savings for Florida consumers to shield their homes from storms. Legislation to expand the program was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis this week. Learn more at MySafeFLHome.com.
The Prepare Florida website includes:
- An Emergency Preparedness Toolkit designed to help you prepare a home inventory and organize your financial information before and after a disaster.
- A Natural Disasters – Are You Prepared guide to inform consumers on insurance and financial preparation in the event of a natural disaster.
- A guide to navigating the flood insurance claims process.
- Information on the Assignment of Benefits (AOB) process and how it can impact a homeowner.
- Tips on what to expect after filing a homeowners insurance claim related to a hurricane.
Visit PrepareFL.com for more information and to start your disaster plan today. CFO Patronis’ Insurance Consumer Helpline is available to assist Floridians with insurance issues and the claims process. Call the toll-free helpline at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (693-5236), to talk to a knowledgeable insurance specialist Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.