Yes, Florida will put up to $35,000 toward your down payment. No, it is not free money — Hometown Heroes is a second mortgage you repay in full when you sell. And if you work fully remotely, you do not qualify at all, which is the single most common denial. Here are the real terms, the real exclusions, and the income and price caps for all 67 counties.
This is the part that gets glossed over, and it is the part that costs money. Hometown Heroes, FL Assist and FL HLP are loans. You make no monthly payment on the first two, which makes them feel like grants, but the balance comes out of your proceeds the day you sell or refinance. On a $35,000 Hometown Heroes second, that is $35,000 less equity at closing than you might be picturing. That is still a very good deal — it is 0% money that let you buy years earlier — but you should know it is a lien on the house and not a gift.
The genuinely forgivable one is PLUS, which forgives 20% per year over five years. It is smaller and it gets far less attention. If you expect to move within five years, run both ways: forgiveness you never earn is worth nothing, and a 0% deferred balance may cost you less.
| Program | Amount | Rate | Forgivable? | Repaid when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Hometown Heroes | Up to $35,000 | 0% | Repaid in full | Sale, refinance, transfer of the deed, payoff of the first mortgage, or the home ceasing to be your primary residence. |
| FL Assist | Up to $10,000 | 0% | Repaid in full | Sale, refinance, transfer, or when the home is no longer your primary residence. |
| FL HLP Second Mortgage | Up to $12,500 | 3% | Repaid in full | Monthly, plus the balance on sale, refinance, transfer, or payoff. |
| HFA Preferred / HFA Advantage PLUS | 3%, 4% or 5% of the loan amount | 0% | Forgivable | Forgiven at 20% per year over five years. Sell or refinance early and the unforgiven balance is due. |
Program terms as published 2026-07-06 by Florida Housing participating lenders. Hometown Heroes is generally the only second mortgage allowed alongside its first mortgage. It does not stack with FL Assist or PLUS.
The persistent myth is that Hometown Heroes is a teacher, nurse and first responder program. Eligibility is set by your employer category and physical work location, not by your job title. The published occupation lists are explicitly examples and are not a closed list. Your employer must have a brick-and-mortar Florida address you actually work from. A city name or a virtual address does not satisfy it.
The remote-work trap. Fully remote employees are not eligible. This is the most common reason an otherwise-qualified buyer gets denied. Hybrid employees qualify if they report to the employer’s Florida physical location at least three days a week. If you took a fully remote job during or after the pandemic and your employer has no Florida office you report to, this program is closed to you no matter what you do for a living or what you earn.
Self-employed and 1099. Full-time work for a single 1099 employer with a Florida physical location, documented by a CPA, bookkeeper, or tax preparer letter plus returns. Multiple part-time 1099 sources cannot be combined.
First-time buyer rule. No ownership interest in a primary residence in the past three years. Two exemptions: veterans with an other-than-dishonorable discharge, and buyers purchasing in a federally designated targeted area. Active-duty service members are not automatically exempt. Credit. Minimum 640 credit score.
Specific exclusions worth knowing before you get your hopes up:
Two caps have to be satisfied at once: a household income limit that varies by county and household size, and a purchase price cap on the home itself. The income figures below are the Bond-program limits, which count income for everyone 18 and older living in the home — including a spouse who is not on the loan. The TBA and PLUS versions count only the credit-qualifying income of borrowers on the loan and are generally higher, so if you are just over the Bond limit, ask your lender about the TBA path before assuming you are out.
Click any county for its own page, with what the caps mean against that county’s actual housing stock.
| County | Income limit, 1–2 person | Income limit, 3+ person | Purchase price cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | $104,000 | $119,600 | $566,354 |
| Baker | $110,061 | $126,570 | $607,645 |
| Bay | $101,554 | $116,788 | $566,354 |
| Bradford | $98,700 | $113,540 | $566,354 |
| Brevard | $101,414 | $116,627 | $566,354 |
| Broward | $126,800 | $145,820 | $697,889 |
| Calhoun | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Charlotte | $102,034 | $117,340 | $566,354 |
| Citrus | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Clay | $108,700 | $125,005 | $607,645 |
| Collier | $145,200 | $169,310 | $800,166 |
| Columbia | $99,600 | $116,200 | $566,354 |
| DeSoto | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Dixie | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Duval | $108,700 | $125,005 | $607,645 |
| Escambia | $102,694 | $118,099 | $566,354 |
| Flagler | $104,300 | $119,945 | $566,354 |
| Franklin | $98,760 | $115,220 | $566,354 |
| Gadsden | $101,434 | $116,650 | $566,354 |
| Gilchrist | $104,000 | $119,600 | $566,354 |
| Glades | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Gulf | $103,320 | $119,732 | $566,354 |
| Hamilton | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Hardee | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Hendry | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Hernando | $114,700 | $131,905 | $566,354 |
| Highlands | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Hillsborough | $114,700 | $131,905 | $566,354 |
| Holmes | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Indian River | $102,300 | $117,645 | $566,354 |
| Jackson | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Jefferson | $101,434 | $116,650 | $566,354 |
| Lafayette | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Lake | $114,900 | $132,135 | $566,354 |
| Lee | $112,400 | $129,260 | $566,354 |
| Leon | $101,434 | $116,650 | $566,354 |
| Levy | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Liberty | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Madison | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Manatee | $114,100 | $131,215 | $572,751 |
| Marion | $100,800 | $117,600 | $566,354 |
| Martin | $114,856 | $132,085 | $631,710 |
| Miami-Dade | $136,200 | $156,630 | $697,889 |
| Monroe | $171,960 | $200,620 | $1,036,005 |
| Nassau | $108,700 | $125,005 | $607,645 |
| Okaloosa | $113,996 | $131,096 | $631,710 |
| Okeechobee | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Orange | $114,900 | $132,135 | $566,354 |
| Osceola | $114,900 | $132,135 | $566,354 |
| Palm Beach | $128,500 | $147,775 | $697,889 |
| Pasco | $114,700 | $131,905 | $566,354 |
| Pinellas | $114,700 | $131,905 | $566,354 |
| Polk | $103,874 | $119,456 | $566,354 |
| Putnam | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Santa Rosa | $102,694 | $118,099 | $566,354 |
| Sarasota | $114,100 | $131,215 | $572,751 |
| Seminole | $114,900 | $132,135 | $566,354 |
| St. Johns | $108,700 | $125,005 | $607,645 |
| St. Lucie | $114,856 | $132,085 | $631,710 |
| Sumter | $104,100 | $119,715 | $566,354 |
| Suwannee | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Taylor | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Union | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
| Volusia | $101,514 | $116,742 | $566,354 |
| Wakulla | $101,254 | $116,443 | $566,354 |
| Walton | $115,816 | $133,189 | $631,710 |
| Washington | $98,700 | $113,505 | $566,354 |
Florida Housing Finance Corporation income and purchase price limits, published June 10, 2026 and applying to reservations made on or after May 6, 2026. Confirm your county and household size with a participating lender; limits are periodically revised.
The 2026 cycle opened July 13, 2026 with $50M, reserved first come first served through participating lenders. The previous allocation was fully committed before this relaunch. The published projection was roughly 7 to 8 months on the published projection, into early 2027. There is no live public balance to check, so treat any figure you read online — including this one — as of its date. Availability changes daily and is not published as a live balance. Confirm current status with a participating lender before you rely on it.
Practically, that means two things. If you are close to ready, get your file to a participating lender rather than waiting for a perfect listing. And do not write an offer that depends on assistance you have not reserved.
If you want the whole picture of what a first Florida purchase actually costs, including the parts assistance does not touch, read the first-time buyer numbers guide. Two costs surprise nearly every first Florida buyer and neither is covered by down payment help: insurance, which is finally falling but still large, and the property tax reset — the seller’s tax bill is capped by Save Our Homes and yours will not be.
Momentum Realty is a real estate brokerage. We are not a lender, not a mortgage broker, and not Florida Housing. Nothing here is a loan offer, a pre-qualification, or a promise that you will be approved or that money will still be available when you apply. Program terms and county limits are reproduced from published Florida Housing materials with their dates; they change, and a participating lender is the only place to confirm what applies to you today. We publish this because the numbers are hard to find in one place, not because we originate the loans. Equal Housing Opportunity.
County income and purchase price limits: Florida Housing Finance Corporation income and purchase price limits, published June 10, 2026 and applying to reservations made on or after May 6, 2026. Published limit tables as mirrored by Florida Housing participating lenders; county figures cross-checked against two independent publications. Program structure, repayment terms, and eligibility rules: Florida Housing Finance Corporation program terms as published by participating lenders, 2026-07-06. Funding status: Florida Housing program announcements as reported by participating lenders, 2026-07-06. Where a figure could not be verified against a dated published source, it is omitted rather than estimated.
