On home inspections, why is state so slow?

Jun 5, 2008

Miami Herald--June 04, 2008

Q. On Feb. 27, I applied for the free windstorm inspection from My Safe Florida Home, hoping to get approval from the state for the $5,000 matching grant to replace the windows in my house before hurricane season.

After much calling and following up, the inspection was done April 8. I was told that, in order to apply for the grant, I first needed to get the inspection report from Tallahassee.

On May 14, I read that the state was going to terminate the grant program on May 31. I immediately contacted My Safe Florida Home and was told there wasn’t much it could do, that I wasn’t protected to be considered for the grant until I get the inspection report. The person who helped me agreed to request an expedited report, but he didn’t think I would get results.

How is it fair to be cut from applying for the grant when I initiated the process so long ago? Why is the state so slow in doing its part?

Action Line, you’re my only hope.

— Lydia Acevedo, Coral Gables

A. We contacted the Department of Financial Services, which administers the program. The next day, it issued your report and mailed it to you. Because the report had been generated, you were able to apply for the grant in time.

Brannon Jordan, department spokesman, said your inspection data came in on May 21 and that it can take the state up to 30 days to generate a report.