PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
The Residential Construction Mitigation Program (RCMP) receives $7 million
annually from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Trust Fund
(ch. 215.559, Florida Statutes):
$2.8 million is designated for the Mobile Home Tie-Down Program. Based on
legislative directive the Division of Emergency Management provides the funding
directly to Tallahassee Community College (TCC). By statute, TCC prepares a
separate report for the Governor and the Legislature on these directives
$700,000 is designated for Hurricane Research to be conducted by Florida
International University (FIU) to continue the development of an innovative
research of a full-scale structural testing to determine inherent weakness of
structures when subjected to categories 1 to 5 hurricane-force winds and rain,
leading to new technologies, designs and products.
$2,467,389.00 is to be used to improve the wind resistance of residences
through loans, subsidies, grants, demonstration projects, direct assistance, and
cooperative programs with local and federal governments. The program is
developed in coordination with Advisory Council whose members consist of
representatives from the Florida Association of Counties, the Florida Department
of Insurance, the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners, the Florida
Manufactured Housing Association, the Florida Insurance Council, and the
Florida Home Builders
Association.
CATEGORIES ELIGIBILE UNDER RCMP
Residential Mitigation Retrofit Program
Through partnering with local housing authorities and non-profit organizations, the
Division has been able to promote wind mitigation and provide hazard mitigation
upgrades to residents. Funded activities include retrofits, inspections, and construction
or modification of building components designed to increase a structure’s ability to
withstand hurricane-force winds. The Retrofit Program utilizes the Florida Building Code
as its standard for all retrofitting.
Public Outreach
The RCMP encompasses projects that will promote public education and public
information about wind mitigation and wind mitigation related areas. This also includes:
 Maintenance and enhancement of wind mitigation on-line information and
program
visibility
 Educating persons concerning the Florida Building Code cooperative programs
with local governments and the Federal Government
 Training in regard to wind mitigation techniques, products and procedures, codes
and
standards, and related areas
Mitigation Planning and Integration
The RCMP continues to encourage and increase integration of wind mitigation into
comprehensive planning, capital improvement plans and local mitigation plans. All
projects that are funded under this category must further goals identified in the most
current “Enhanced State Hazard Mitigation Plan” and be in compliance with the local
mitigation strategy.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS/PROJECTS:
Any submitted project (submitted by State/Regional Agency, Local Government, Private
Non-Profit or Educational Institutions) must coincide with one of the three project
categories listed above. All eligible applicants shall be limited to one (1) application
submission per category with no more than three (3) application submissions in a state
fiscal year.
DEADLINE TO APPLY:
NOFAs are advertised in the Florida Administrative Weekly and all RFPs are
issued via the www.myflorida.com web portal.
CONTRACT/GRANT PERIOD:
Contracts and grants can begin at any time during the fiscal year, but must all be
terminated by June 30 of the same fiscal year. The state fiscal year is July 1
through June 30.
Grant Management Tools
-Reimbursement and Reporting Forms
Attachment D –Request
Attachment E –
Attachment F –
for Reimbursement
Justification of Advance
Quarterly Report Form
Attachment H –Certification Regarding Debarment,
Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion
-PowerPoint Presentation
Training on Retrofits
Wind Insurance Savings
Calculator
This website allows Florida homeowners and builders to search for wind insurance
incentives that are available for building features that reduce damage during high wind
events like hurricanes. Building features that reduce wind damage include improved
roof shingles, strong roof decks, hurricane clips/straps, impact resistant glazing or
shutter protection for windows, roof shape, and other construction techniques.
Most existing houses have one or more wind resistive construction features and may
qualify for some insurance discounts. In addition, houses built after 1994 in Miami-Dade
or Broward Counties and houses built after 2002 in the rest of the state have many wind
resistive construction features and will likely qualify for credits.
View the Florida Wind Incentives Website
Hurricane Retrofit Guide
This Guide is intended to help you decide how to protect your home against the winds
and rains of hurricanes. And, it is intended to help you decide what protection measures
to do first. You will find that many of the retrofits or protective measures are easy to do
for a physically fit homeowner. Other things may require the expertise of a handyman or
contractor. For some homeowners, the information may at various points be "over their
head" because it becomes too technical. That is ok, because the guide is intended to
provide the homeowner with ideas as well as providing people familiar with construction
or in the construction business with the technical help they may need to protect your
home.
View the Hurricane Retrofit Guide
Additional Program
Information
Read the Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program’s Annual Reports to the Legislature.
2009/2010
2008/2009
Obtain earlier reports in our Archives.
TYPE OF ASSISTANCE: Funds are used for programs to improve wind resistance of
residences and mobile homes, including loans, subsidies, grants demonstration
projects, and direct assistance; cooperative programs with local governments and the
Federal Government; and other efforts to prevent or reduce losses or reduce the cost of
rebuilding after a disaster.
Listed below are the types of projects that have been funded during the 20082010 state fiscal years:
Florida International University- Hurricane Research Program
Tallahassee Community College - Mobile Home Tie-Down Program
Retrofit Project
FLASH – Blueprint For Safety
Florida International University Hurricane Research Program
Of moneys provided to the Department, ten percent is allocated to Florida International
University to conduct research on the following issues: (1) elimination of state and local
barriers to upgrading existing mobile homes and communities; (2) recycling of existing
older mobile homes; and, (3) hurricane loss reduction devices and techniques for sitebuilt residences. Read about current and prior year research activities. Also, read more
about Florida International University Hurricane Research Program - Homeowners
Incentive Team First Year Report.
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Tallahassee Community College Mobile Home Tie-Down Program
Forty-percent of the $7 million total ($2.8 million) appropriated by the Legislature shall
be used to inspect and improve tie-downs for mobile homes. Section 215.559, Florida
Statutes, authorizes the Department to contract with Tallahassee Community College to
administer the mobile home tie-down program.
The Mobile Home Tie-Down Program is a pilot project designed to demonstrate, test
and raise awareness of new techniques to enhance manufactured home wind
resistance. The goal is to reduce property damage from high wind events. A tie-down
system is designed to secure the manufactured homes to the ground. Traditional tiedown systems use the longitudinal ground anchors and straps which sometimes
corrode and disintegrate. The new tie-down system include lateral foundation systems
with longitudinal stabilizer devices or ground stabilizer plates wherever possible. Tiedown retrofit services provided through this program must comply with the Rules of the
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Division of Motor Vehicles, Chapter
15C-1, General.
For more information concerning the Mobile Home Tie-Down Program, contact Amy
Bajoczky 850-201-8025 or BAJOCZKA@tcc.fl.edu.
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Retrofit Project
Grant funds are provided to local governments to retrofit homes using recommended
mitigation techniques. The Retrofit Project leverages local housing rehabilitation dollars
(SHIP, HOME, CDBG) by funding simultaneous mitigation retrofits on homes
undergoing general rehabilitation. These funds support homeowners, who might not
otherwise be able to benefit from insurance discounts for certain mitigation features.
The project hopes to minimize insured loss exposure, promote the use of sound
residential retrofitting, educate the homeowner to practical and affordable ways to
strengthen homes, and increase public awareness.
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Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH) - Blueprint For Safety
The Department has formed a partnership with the non-profit FLASH to provide an ongoing public outreach campaign. The Blueprint for Safety Education Program® mission
is to provide residential builders and citizens with accurate, current and reliable
information about how to make homes more disaster-resistant. The Blueprint for Safety
Field Manual supports the mission by offering information about how to build, remodel
or restore homes using disaster-resistant techniques, technologies and products. The
website at www.flash.org is a starting point and includes references that provide a road
map for additional learning; however, it is not intended to replace the counsel of
registered architects, engineer, or licensed contractors. Detailed retrofit techniques can
be found in the publication, Blueprint For Safety. The publication highlights roof, wall
and floor and foundation systems. Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association
policyholders currently receive premium discounts up to fifty-percent for certain lostprevention improvements to their homes.
A 24/7 toll-free consumer hotline (1-877-221-SAFE) has been established for public
use, both in English and Spanish. www.flash.org
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Links
The Florida Building Code (FBC)
Florida Building Code Information System
Strengthening your Home
FloridaDisaster.org
Hurricane Retrofit Guide
DisasterSafety.org
Federal Alliance for Safe Home (FLASH)
Insurance in the State of Florida
Florida Department of Financial Services
MyFlorida.com
Florida Department of Insurance Regulation
Contact
Dexter Harrell
dexter.harrell@em.myflorida.com
850-413-9820