Programs & benefits

Florida homebuyer & homeowner programs

Sources checked

Florida, its counties and the federal government run programs that can help with a down payment, lower a property-tax bill or pay toward storm-proofing a home. Many people never hear about them. This page lists the main ones, says in plain words what each offers, and links to the official source — the only place that can tell you whether a program is open and whether you qualify. Programs change often; always confirm the details there before you rely on them.

Please read first. Jacob Campbell is a real estate sales associate, not a lender, tax adviser, insurance agent or attorney. This page is general information, not advice, and it does not mean you qualify for anything. Eligibility, amounts and funding are decided only by the agency that runs each program. Figures below were read from the linked official pages on November 2, 2026. Neither Jacob nor The Keyes Company is paid by any agency or program for listing it here.

At a glance

Buying · State

Florida Hometown Heroes

Down-payment and closing-cost help for eligible full-time workers in listed occupations, servicemembers and veterans buying their first home.

Buying · State

Florida Housing loans

First-mortgage programs with second-mortgage help for first-time buyers, through participating lenders.

Buying · County

SHIP purchase assistance

County and city help for income-qualified first-time buyers in Palm Beach, Broward and Martin, plus Broward’s mortgage tax credit.

Buying · Federal

VA, FHA, USDA & GNND

Federal home-loan benefits and HUD’s Good Neighbor Next Door sales program.

Owning · Tax

Homestead & exemptions

The homestead exemption, the Save Our Homes cap, portability and additional exemptions set by Florida law.

Owning · Storms

My Safe Florida Home

Free hurricane-mitigation inspections and grants toward approved improvements, when funded.

Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program

Run by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing), the state’s housing finance agency, Hometown Heroes helps eligible first-time buyers with their down payment and closing costs. The current version is the 2026 program.

What it offers (per Florida Housing)
  • Up to 5% of the first mortgage amount, with a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $35,000, toward the down payment and closing costs.
  • It is a 0% interest, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage. It is not forgiven: it is repaid when the home is sold, refinanced or transferred, or stops being your primary residence.
  • Used with an FHA, VA, USDA Rural Development or conventional first mortgage through a participating lender.
Who it is for (per Florida Housing)
  • Full-time employees of a Florida-based employer working in health care, as school staff, as first responders, in public safety or the courts, or in child care — Florida Housing publishes the full list of eligible occupations.
  • Active or reserve members of the U.S. military or Coast Guard and members of the Florida National Guard; and veterans employed full-time by a Florida-based employer.
  • First-time, income-qualified buyers purchasing a primary residence. Income and loan limits are set by county in Florida Housing’s published limits.
No fee to apply. Florida Housing says there is no cost to apply for Hometown Heroes and that anyone asking for an upfront fee to apply may be running a scam. It asks that this be reported to its Office of Inspector General at 850-488-4197.

How to start: you apply through a lender that participates in the program. Florida Housing’s own “Lender & Real Estate Agent Locator” lists them. You may choose any participating lender; nobody on this site is recommending one.

Checked against floridahousing.org on November 2, 2026. Florida Housing’s page does not state a credit-score or homebuyer-education requirement for this program; ask a participating lender for the current underwriting rules rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere online.

Other Florida Housing first-time buyer programs

Separately from Hometown Heroes, Florida Housing offers first mortgages for first-time buyers together with down-payment help. The assistance is available only with a Florida Housing first mortgage from a participating lender.

Assistance options (per Florida Housing)
  • FL Assist — up to $10,000, 0% deferred second mortgage, not forgiven (repaid on sale, refinance or transfer).
  • FL HLP second mortgage — $12,500 at 3%, repaid monthly over 30 years.
  • HFA Preferred / HFA Advantage PLUS — a second mortgage of 3%, 4% or 5% of the first mortgage that is forgiven at 20% a year over five years.
General requirements (per Florida Housing)
  • A 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage through a participating lender.
  • A minimum credit score of 640 and an approved homebuyer education course.
  • County purchase-price and income limits.
  • First-time buyer under the IRS definition: generally, no ownership interest in a primary residence in the last three years (some exceptions apply).

Checked against floridahousing.org on November 2, 2026.

County and city purchase assistance (SHIP)

The State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program sends state funds to counties and larger cities, which run their own purchase-assistance programs with their own rules and application windows. Funding is released in rounds and often runs out quickly, so check back and sign up for notices where offered.

Palm Beach County SHIP Purchase Assistance

Most recent round (per the County)
  • Up to $100,000 as a 0% deferred-payment loan, forgiven at the end of its 30-year term if the conditions are met.
  • For first-time buyers (HUD definition) who do not currently own a home, buying a primary residence.
  • Household income up to 140% of area median income, under the County’s published table; purchase price and asset limits apply.
  • A pre-approval letter from a first-mortgage lender is required before applying.
Status
  • The County’s page for the most recent round (applications in May 2025) says “the application limit has been reached.”
  • Watch the County’s page for the next round. Limits and amounts may change when it opens.
  • County contact: Mortgage and Housing Investments, 561-233-3600.

City of Boca Raton SHIP Purchase Assistance

Boca Raton runs its own SHIP program, separate from the County’s. The City’s page says it is currently accepting applications (application packet revised May 26, 2026). It offers eligible first-time buyers a 0% interest, deferred-payment loan toward the down payment and closing costs, and toward minor repairs after closing. The amount is based on need, up to the limits for each income category in the application. The City says funding is very limited, applicants may be placed on a waiting list, and applications are accepted by mail only to its Community Improvement Division.

Broward County

Broward County’s Housing and Urban Planning Division offers Home Buyer Purchase Assistance (HPA) for qualified buyers in the areas it serves. The County says your lender applies on your behalf; there is no online application, and its HPA flyer lists the funding currently available. Several Broward cities, such as Hollywood, run their own programs as well.

Broward’s Housing Finance Authority also runs a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program. The Authority describes it as a federal income tax credit of up to $2,000 a year for qualified buyers, claimed each year they keep living in the home financed under the program. It only helps someone who owes federal income tax; ask a tax professional how it would apply to you.

Martin County

Martin County Human Services runs the county’s SHIP program. On the date below its page said applications were being accepted for water and sewer hookup and move-in assistance; it did not list purchase assistance as open. Check the page for changes.

Elsewhere in Florida, search for your county’s or city’s housing department and “SHIP”.

Checked against discover.pbc.gov, myboca.us, broward.org and martin.fl.us on November 2, 2026.

Federal programs

Program descriptions are summaries. The agency pages linked above are the authority on terms and eligibility.

Property tax benefits for Florida homeowners

Property tax exemptions are granted by your county Property Appraiser under Chapter 196 of the Florida Statutes. You must apply; they are not automatic. The filing deadline is March 1 of the year the exemption is to apply.

Homestead exemption

If you own the home and it is your permanent residence on January 1, you can apply for the homestead exemption (s. 196.031, F.S.). It has two parts: a $25,000 exemption from all property taxes, and a second exemption of up to $25,000 on assessed value above $50,000 that applies to every tax except school taxes. Florida law now adjusts that second amount for inflation every January 1, so it can be a little more than $25,000. Your Property Appraiser shows the exact amount for this year.

Save Our Homes assessment cap and portability

Once a home has the homestead exemption, increases in its assessed value are limited each year to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower (s. 193.155, F.S.). When you move to a new Florida homestead, “portability” can let you carry some of that built-up difference with you, within limits and time frames set by law. Non-homestead property has a separate 10% cap on increases for non-school taxes. Your Property Appraiser handles both.

Additional exemptions

Homeowners who already have the homestead exemption may also qualify for additional exemptions set by Florida law (Chapter 196, F.S.). They include exemptions for:

  • Persons with a disability, including total and permanent disability
  • Homeowners 65 and older with limited income, where the county or city has adopted it
  • Veterans and active-duty military, including disabled veterans and certain surviving spouses
  • First responders with a total and permanent disability from the line of duty, and surviving spouses of first responders who died in the line of duty
  • Widows and widowers
  • Living quarters built for parents or grandparents (“granny flats”), in Palm Beach County

Each one has its own conditions and proof. The Property Appraiser’s page for each exemption gives the amounts and the documents needed.

In any other county, apply to that county’s Property Appraiser. See also the taxes and closing questions in the FAQ.

Checked against s. 196.031, F.S. (2025 edition) on November 2, 2026. This describes the law in general terms. It is not tax advice; your Property Appraiser decides every application.

Storm protection and insurance

My Safe Florida Home

Administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services under s. 215.5586, F.S., My Safe Florida Home offers eligible homeowners a free, no-obligation hurricane mitigation inspection and a mitigation grant toward specific improvements the inspection recommends, such as stronger roofs, windows and doors, which may also lead to insurance discounts.

What the law provides (s. 215.5586, F.S.)
  • Inspection: a site-built, owner-occupied single-family detached home or townhouse that already has the homestead exemption.
  • Grant: the state pays $2 for every $1 the homeowner puts in, up to $10,000 from the state toward the actual cost of the work.
  • Homeowners who meet the statute’s low-income definition can receive up to $10,000 with no matching amount.
Grant conditions in the law
  • An insured value of $700,000 or less (the low-income group is exempt from this limit).
  • The original building permit was applied for before January 1, 2008.
  • The home must first pass the program’s inspection, and the work must be one of its recommendations.
  • On November 2, 2026 the program’s site said free inspections and grants were available. Funding is set by the Legislature each year and has run out before.

The program can change these rules and the Legislature can amend the law, so confirm the current terms on the official site before you plan any work.

Wind-mitigation insurance discounts

Florida law requires insurers’ residential rates to include discounts, credits or lower deductibles for homes with features shown to reduce windstorm losses, such as roof-to-wall connections, roof covering and opening protection (s. 627.0629, F.S.). A wind-mitigation inspection report documents those features. Ask your insurance agent which features your policy credits.

Flood insurance

Standard homeowner policies usually do not cover flood. The National Flood Insurance Program explains flood coverage, and communities that join FEMA’s Community Rating System can earn discounts for their residents’ NFIP premiums.

More in the FAQ: insurance, hurricanes and flood.

Checked against s. 215.5586, F.S. (2025 edition) and mysafeflhome.com on November 2, 2026. This is not insurance advice.

Before you apply

  • Check the official page first. Programs open, pause and change their limits, sometimes within weeks.
  • Talk to more than one lender. Assistance programs are delivered through participating lenders, and rates and fees differ. You are free to choose any lender.
  • Ask how the help is repaid. Some assistance is forgiven over time, some is repaid on sale or refinance, and some has a monthly payment.
  • Never pay a fee just to apply for a state or county assistance program.
  • Keep your paperwork. Exemptions and grants require proof of ownership, residency and sometimes income or occupation.

If you are buying or selling in Florida, Jacob can work with whichever lender and programs you choose and keep their timelines in the contract schedule. Email him, call 561.301.7130, or use the to read the related FAQ answers. Spotted an out-of-date figure? Tell him and it will be corrected.