WELLINGTON, Fla. — WPTV is listening to you about insurance issues in Florida, specifically the My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) program.
It's a topic that we have been covering for more than a year.
WATCH BELOW: Insurance requirement can block some My Safe Florida Home applicants
Now, one WPTV viewer emailed us seeking answers about the program and the requirement of having insurance.
The MSFH program is due to restart sometime in August, and some homeowners are already finding issues with the rules.
Mark Test of Wellington reached out to WPTV about the situation, saying that he's taking a chance and dropping insurance on wind coverage.
"Absolutely, my wife isn't happy about it," Test told WPTV. "We know I could lose everything."
Test said he had little choice last year but to drop his insurance coverage because of the high premium.
What he is also discovering is that it is also a deal breaker on a grant from MSFH.
According to the rules, a home must have an insured value of $700,000 or less to apply for a grant.
Test said he'd like to replace his roof and doors to harden his home against storms.
"It's presented as a policy or program to help people fortify their homes, but yet to me, the way it requires insurance, what does insurance have to do with fortifying my home?" he said.
The insurance requirement is nothing new to the MSFH program. Recently, some lawmakers in Tallahassee had even suggested requiring guarantees on lower premiums for MSFH grants and improvements.
"We should not use any of that money unless the home hardening we're doing results in an actual decrease in home insurance premiums," state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, told WPTV in March.
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'It’s frustrating': My Safe Florida Home program delayed until 'early August'
Ingoglia is considered a likely choice to be appointed the next chief financial officer for Florida, a position that oversees the MSFH program.
Meanwhile, Test said he has doubts that an MSFH grant would even result in savings.
"I guess I'd save some $10,000 total, but I'd still have to pay $50,000 plus $10,000 for a policy," Test said.
For now, the rules for the program aren't changing since they have already been set for this year. The only way they could change would be when lawmakers return for the next legislative session next year.
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.
