Florida Hometown Heroes
The state will lend you the down payment. It will also want it back.
Florida runs a down payment and closing cost assistance program for the people who staff its hospitals, schools, fire stations, courtrooms and child care centers, and for those who serve in uniform. It is real money — from ten to thirty-five thousand dollars — and it is a loan, not a gift: a second mortgage with no monthly payment that comes due when you sell, refinance or move out. The funding is finite, it goes first come first served, and the 2026 round reinstated an occupation list that most articles online have not caught up with.
Who this is built for
Health care workers, school staff and child care workers
Employed full-time by a Florida-based employer. The state names the categories; whether your job falls inside one is a question worth asking rather than assuming, in either direction.
First responders, public safety and court employees
The same full-time, Florida-employer test. Firefighters, law enforcement, corrections, dispatch, court staff — the people the program was named for.
Servicemembers and veterans
Active members of the US military and reserves, the Coast Guard and its reserves, and the Florida National Guard qualify by service. Veterans qualify when employed full-time by a Florida-based employer.
First-time buyers under the income limit
The program is for first-time homebuyers whose household income fits under a limit that varies by county. Both conditions are the state’s, both are checked early, and both are published.
Tell me your occupation, your employer and the county. Those three answers settle eligibility on the state’s side, and the rest is an ordinary first-mortgage conversation.
Check my eligibilityIt is not a grant, and the difference matters
Every dollar of assistance is a loan you repay when you sell, refinance or move — with no monthly payment until then, and never forgiven.
Three facts from the state’s own 2026 program page that most online summaries have not caught up with:
None of that is a reason not to use it. Up to thirty-five thousand dollars with no monthly payment is a genuinely good instrument for someone who will stay in the home — the assistance simply comes out of the sale proceeds years later. It is a reason to understand what you are signing, which is what this page is for.
| The occupation list is back | Named categories, full-time, Florida employer | The 2023–25 “any Florida worker” version is over. For 2026, the state names the eligible categories, and it is worth checking yours rather than assuming. |
| It is repaid, always | Not forgivable | Unlike the lender programs on this site, there is no forgivable version. Sell, refinance or move out and the full assistance is due. |
| It closes when the money is gone | First come, first served | The previous round committed fully in six months. The current one is projected into early 2027 — a projection, not a date. |
Program terms as published by Florida Housing Finance Corporation and subject to change. Availability depends on program funding. Not all applicants will qualify.
How it actually works
A state second mortgage behind an ordinary first — with two features that make it unlike the lender programs on this site.
An ordinary first mortgage does the main work
FHA, VA, USDA or conventional, originated through the program by a participating lender. The first is underwritten the way any first is.
The state’s second pays the down payment and closing costs
Sized against the first mortgage, from ten thousand to thirty-five thousand dollars. It goes toward the down payment and closing costs — the two things that keep a qualified payer from becoming an owner.
Nothing is due monthly
The second is deferred: no payment while you live in the home. What you eventually repay is the assistance amount — nothing more.
It comes due when you leave
Sell, refinance the first, transfer the deed, or stop living there as your primary residence, and the full second is repaid. It is not forgiven — ever. That is the honest core of the program.
The terms, and the funding behind them
Two tables: what the state program provides and requires, and where its funding stands — because this program can close while you are house-hunting.
From Florida Housing Finance Corporation’s published program description for the 2026 program:
| The term | What the state provides or requires | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| The assistance | From $10,000 to $35,000, sized against the first mortgage | Toward down payment and closing costs |
| Its structure | A deferred second mortgage — no monthly payment | You repay the assistance amount, nothing more |
| When it is repaid | On sale, refinance, transfer of deed, or when you stop living there | In full. It is not forgivable |
| The first mortgage | FHA, VA, USDA or conventional, through the program | Originated by a Florida Housing participating lender |
| Who qualifies — occupation | Full-time employees of a Florida-based employer in the named categories; servicemembers; veterans employed full-time in Florida | The 2026 program reinstated the occupation list |
| Who qualifies — buyer | First-time homebuyers, income-qualified, primary residence | Income and loan limits are published by county |
Two things the state says that are worth repeating in its own spirit. First, there is no cost to apply — Florida Housing warns that scammers charge upfront fees to “apply” for this program, and anyone doing so should be reported to its Inspector General. Second, the assistance is a loan: the program’s own page states it is not forgivable. Because it comes due on a refinance, it also shapes what you can do later — refinancing the first means repaying the second, which is worth building into any future-rate conversation from day one. If your occupation is outside the list, the lender assistance programs on this site have no occupation test and no income limit, and they are the natural next door.
Program terms as published by Florida Housing Finance Corporation for the 2026 Hometown Heroes Housing Program and subject to change by the program. Assistance is a second mortgage, deferred, due and payable in full upon sale, refinance, transfer or cessation of owner occupancy, and is not forgivable. Eligibility is determined by Florida Housing under its occupational, employment, first-time-buyer, income and loan-limit rules, which vary by county. The first mortgage is subject to the applicable agency’s requirements and to underwriting approval. Availability depends on program funding. Not all applicants will qualify.
This program runs out, and it runs out faster than people expect. The current round:
| The fact | The figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Current appropriation | $50 million for fiscal year 2026-27 | A fixed pool, not an entitlement |
| Relaunched | July 13, 2026 | Reservations reopened that morning, first come first served |
| Florida Housing’s own projection | Roughly seven to eight months — into early 2027 | The state’s estimate, not a promise |
| The previous round | Fully committed in about six months, serving more than 3,000 families | The pattern to plan around |
The practical consequence is that this program does not wait for a long house hunt. Funds are reserved through participating lenders when a file is ready, and when the pool is committed the program pauses until the Legislature funds it again. Repayments from past recipients — every one of those thirty-five-thousand-dollar seconds that comes due on a sale — flow back into the pool, which is part of why the program keeps coming back. If the timing does not line up, the lender programs on this site are not dependent on an appropriation and are open all year.
Funding figures as reported by Florida Housing Finance Corporation and Florida Realtors as of 2026-09-03. Availability is first come, first served through participating lenders and is subject to program funding; the program pauses when funds are fully committed. The duration projection is Florida Housing’s estimate and is not a guarantee of availability. This page is removed when the program is paused.
The boundaries that decide these files
What you actually hand over
Proof of occupation and employer
Documentation that you work full-time for a Florida-based employer in a named category — or of your service. This is the gate, and it is checked first.
First-time buyer status
Under the state’s definition. It is broader than people think, and it is confirmed rather than assumed.
The ordinary first-mortgage file
Income, credit and assets as the chosen first mortgage requires — FHA, VA, USDA or conventional rules apply.
Household income against the county limit
The program tests household income against a published county figure. Everyone earning under the roof may count, the same way USDA tests it.
Where it wins — and the honest trade-offs
Told straight, because this page is useless otherwise.
Up to thirty-five thousand dollars toward the down payment and closing costs with nothing due monthly. For a household that can carry a payment but not a lump sum, that is the whole obstacle removed.
FHA, VA, USDA or conventional — the program does not force a particular first mortgage on you. The right first is chosen on its own merits.
Teachers, nurses, firefighters, deputies, child care workers, those in uniform. If you are in a named category, this program was written with your paycheck in mind.
Repayments from past recipients flow back into the pool. The program has been refunded repeatedly because it pays for part of itself.
This is the trade. The lender programs elsewhere on this site have forgivable versions; this one does not. Every dollar comes back to the state when you sell, refinance or leave.
A projection into early 2027 is a projection. A long house hunt can outlast the pool, and when it is committed the program pauses.
For 2026, the state named specific categories. A qualified buyer in an unlisted occupation is simply outside it — and belongs on the lender assistance page instead.
A dual-income nurse-and-teacher household can clear the county limit. The test is the state’s, and it is applied before anything else.
Three answers settle it
Your occupation, your employer and the county. Those decide eligibility on the state’s side in minutes. If you are inside the program, we talk about which first mortgage to put it behind. If you are outside it, there is a lender assistance program with no occupation test, and I will say so plainly.
Questions people actually ask
Open the full Q&A — the occupation list, the repayment trigger, and what happens if the money runs out mid-search ▾
+Is Hometown Heroes a grant?
No. Florida Housing’s own page says the loan is not forgivable. It is a deferred second mortgage — no monthly payment, no interest added while you live there — that is repaid in full when you sell, refinance, transfer the deed or move out. It is very good money for someone who will stay; it is not free money.
+Do I have to be a teacher or nurse or firefighter?
For the 2026 program, the state reinstated an occupation list: health care workers, school staff, first responders, public safety and court employees and child care workers employed full-time by a Florida-based employer, plus servicemembers and full-time-employed veterans. Many online summaries still describe the 2023–25 version that took any Florida worker. That version is over.
+How much can I get?
From ten thousand to thirty-five thousand dollars, sized against your first mortgage, toward the down payment and closing costs. The exact figure depends on the loan amount and is confirmed by the participating lender.
+What happens if I refinance?
The second becomes due in full. That is the single most important thing to understand before using this program, because rates move and people refinance. Plan for it from the start rather than discovering it at the refinance table.
+What if the funding runs out while I am looking?
The program pauses until the Legislature funds it again, and this page comes down when that happens. Funds are reserved when a file is ready, so a buyer who is under contract and documented moves faster than one who is still browsing. If the timing fails, the lender programs on this site do not depend on an appropriation.
+Can I use it with a VA or USDA loan?
Yes — the program runs behind FHA, VA, USDA and conventional first mortgages. With VA or USDA, where the first already reaches full financing, the assistance goes toward closing costs and the other cash the file needs.
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Loan programs, explained honestly
The Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program is a program of Florida Housing Finance Corporation, a state agency, and is described here from that agency’s published materials as of 2026-09-03. Mortgages by Guido, MTGCASA and Madison Mortgage Services Inc. are not affiliated with, endorsed by or agents of Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Assistance is provided as a deferred second mortgage, is due and payable in full upon sale, refinance, transfer of deed or cessation of owner occupancy, and is not forgivable. Eligibility is determined by Florida Housing under its 2026 occupational, employment, first-time-homebuyer, income and loan-limit rules, which vary by county and are subject to change. The first mortgage must be originated through a Florida Housing participating lender and is subject to the applicable agency’s requirements and underwriting approval; its rate, fees and terms are disclosed per file. Program availability is first come, first served and subject to funding; the program pauses when funds are fully committed and this page is removed at that time. Funding figures are as reported by Florida Housing and Florida Realtors and the duration projection is Florida Housing’s estimate. There is no cost to apply for this program. Not all applicants will qualify. This is not a commitment to lend. Equal Housing Opportunity.