WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — We've been receiving numerous emails from viewers about problems with Florida's My Safe Florida Home program, and a new issue has emerged that affects homeowners.
A Southwest Florida homeowner contacted WPTV about a problem with a service that was supposed to "bridge the gap" to help people who can't afford upfront costs for home hardening improvements.
WATCH BELOW: Program meant to 'accelerate' home hardening is unreachable
Zac Gammon of Lehigh Acres reached out to us after reading our previous coverage this year on the GovBridge program.
Gammon is trying to get a My Safe Florida Home grant to install new windows, but faced a common problem many homeowners encounter.
"When you've got to come up with $10,000 to $15,000 out of your own pocket right away, it's a pretty penny," Gammon said.
The My Safe Florida Home program requires homeowners to pay contractors up front and wait for reimbursement after work is completed. To help with this financial burden, the program's website includes a link to GovBridge, a service that promises to let homeowners build now and pay with their grant later.
However, when Gammon tried to contact GovBridge, he never received a response, and efforts to reach them failed.
"I received a bounce back the next day saying, 'there's a problem delivering the message and Gmail will continue to try for 45 more hours,' and then I received another (message) saying they still couldn't (deliver the message)," Gammon said.
When WPTV attempted to reach GovBridge, we encountered the same delivery failures.
According to Florida's Chief Financial Officer's office, "GovBridge is a private company and is not overseen by the Department of Financial Services. The My Safe Florida Home website provides links to third-party resources that can assist homeowners struggling to find a contractor to work with."
GovBridge's website says the program "accelerates the My Safe Florida Home program — enabling more hardened homes, more projects for contractors, and the full use of available grant funds. This helps the state make homes more storm-resistant and work toward lower insurance premiums by reducing risk. The result is long-term savings for grant recipients and stronger, more resilient communities across Florida."
So, what happened with GovBridge? Why can't homeowners get answers about this service?
This is something that WPTV continues to seek answers to and work to help homeowners.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Matt Sczesny is determined every day to help you find solutions in Florida's coverage collapse. If you have a question or comment on homeowners insurance, you can reach out to him any time.
