Louisiana opens registration for new round of fortified roof grants

by Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator
February 12, 2025

Registration for Louisiana’s fortified roof grant program opened Wednesday for its first lottery round of 2025. 

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program, which offers up to $10,000 to homeowners who install hurricane-resistant roofs on their houses, is now in its third calendar year. 

The registration period will close at 5 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 16), at which point the Louisiana Department of Insurance will randomly select 1,000 grant recipients. This round of grants is limited to residents of Louisiana’s coastal zone and the cities of Lake Charles, Sulphur and Westlake. Homeowners can find out if they live in the zone by entering their address into the search field of the state’s online coastal zone map. Homes within the blue-shaded area of the map are eligible.

Homeowners are required to create a profile on the program’s website before registering for the lottery. Homeowners who registered during a previous round but were not selected must register again if they want to participate in the current round. 

People who register on the last day of the registration period have the same chance of being selected as those who register on the first day, so there is no need to rush to register, according to a Department of Insurance news release. 

Louisiana’s fortified roof grant program carries over millions in unspent funds

The Fortify Homes Program has so far awarded about 1,800 grants since its first round of funding in October 2023, Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said. 

The program awards grants of up to $10,000, so homeowners need to cover any costs that exceed that amount. They also might need to pay for some of the work upfront because the state issues grant checks to contractors only after they complete the job. 

A fortified roof, one that meets the standards of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, are built with improved materials and techniques that can stop leaks and withstand winds of up to 150 mph, lowering the risk of storm damage and typically leading to lower homeowner insurance rates.

To qualify for a fortified roof grant, Louisiana homeowners have to get a state-approved evaluator to inspect their home. They must then obtain bids from at least three insurance department-approved contractors who can do the work. The department’s website lists approved evaluators and contractors.

The program has a number of other eligibility requirements that can be found at www.ldi.la.gov/fortifyhomes.

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

Leaders of ‘Better Louisiana’ civic group will focus on education, insurance crisis

by Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator
February 11, 2025

A new civic organization, Leaders for a Better Louisiana, will focus on education, the property insurance crisis and economic development in the upcoming legislative session that starts in April.

The Committee of 100 for Louisiana, founded in 1992, and the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL), which originated in 1962, have combined to become Leaders for a Better Louisiana – or Better Louisiana for short. 

Committee of 100’s former leader Adam Knapp transitioned to be Better Louisiana’s CEO and CABL’s former executive director, Barry Erwin, is the organization’s chief policy officer. They spoke at the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday.

The state has made gains in education policy, but Erwin said young children entering kindergarten are behind students starting school in other states. Better Louisiana will stress that the state needs to continue to invest in early childhood education in order to improve kindergartners readiness.

He noted the state is trending in the right direction when it comes to third-grade reading proficiency rates, high school graduation rates and high school students earning industry credentials or college credits.

Knapp said the state’s economic development agency also needs work, even though Better Louisiana has already seen improvements under Gov. Jeff Landry. 

Better Louisiana will push the state to invest more in site development, with the state building out infrastructure for specific properties where they hope to attract business. Other states have done a lot more site development than Louisiana has in recent years, Knapp said.

Knapp also said Better Louisiana hopes to start shaping the state’s insurance crisis as an economic development issue. Business and industry leaders said the high rates of insurance are making it more difficult to attract projects to Louisiana.

The new organization will also push legislators and Landry to pass new laws to bring down insurance rates. It is supportive of Republican Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple’s approach, which has been supported by insurance companies.  

Knapp and Erwin said Better Louisiana will also pay attention to government accountability and transparency policies, which had previously been a focus of CABL. These include law changes that could weaken the state’s ethics laws or the public ability to inspect government operations.

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

SUMMARY: The Shreveport City Council discussed resident concerns at a recent meeting, focusing on litter along Interstate 20. Council Chairwoman Tabatha Taylor emphasized efforts to beautify the city. The Louisiana Department of Transportation is addressing litter; a contract for cleanup begins in February. Residents also raised issues of squatters and a billing error affecting 75 residents in Squirrel Point due to a system glitch, resulting in increased sewer rates. The council plans to review this situation to alleviate financial burdens. City Attorney Edwards confirmed ongoing efforts to tackle squatter and vandalism problems in affected neighborhoods.

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