Jimmy Patronis puts state official on blast for failing to promote My Safe Florida Homes

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis publicly scolded Florida’s top resiliency official for failing to promote the My Safe Florida Homes program in a guide on how state homeowners can prepare for storms.

During a meeting of Florida’s congressional delegation in Washington, Patronis pressed Chief Resilience Officer Wesley Brooks over the omission.

“I’m going to embarrass you on this. There’s no excuse it’s not in this book,” the Fort Walton Republican said.

Brooks, who works within Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, said it was produced for distribution among state agencies and local partners, and includes information on programs administered under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

While DeSantis last year approved $200 million for the program, which provides matching grants to homeowners who make improvements to protect against wind damage during hurricanes, the program is administered by Florida’s Department of Financial Services.

That’s an agency overseen by the state’s Chief Financial Officer, a job Patronis held for nearly a decade before his election to Congress in a Special Election this month.

Patronis noted that the published guide from the state includes several federal programs administered through the state, but doesn’t put the word out on the My Safe Florida Homes program that Patronis championed during his time on the Florida Cabinet.

“There’s laws on the books that force discounts to be passed on to our policyholders,” Patronis said.

He also noted that several former state lawmakers who now serve, including U.S. Reps. Aaron Bean and Randy Fine, championed the effort at the state level, and that they deserve to know that the program will be promoted and properly administered.

Brooks noted that much of the guide in question focuses on flood prevention and response, while My Safe Florida Homes deals chiefly with wind threats.

“Put it on your book,” Patronis said.

Brooks further addressed the issue on social media after the delegation meeting concluded. He included screenshots of times his state office promoted the My Safe Florida Homes program through sharing news articles or public promotions of state home inspections.

“While the Statewide Office of Resilience is statutorily directed to focus on flooding, we also regularly tout the great work happening through the residential windstorm hardening efforts of the My Safe Florida Home Program and share info across the state,” Brooks said.

“The Congressman and his team at FLDFS deserve a ton of credit for resurrecting and operating the program.”