First-Time Homebuyer Programs in Florida

Florida's main help for first-time buyers is a state second mortgage that covers part of your down payment and closing costs. You have three choices: up to $10,000 through FL Assist, 3% to 5% of your loan through HFA Preferred or HFA Advantage PLUS, or $10,000 to $35,000 through Hometown Heroes if you work in an eligible job. You can use only one of these per purchase, and each must be paired with a Florida Housing first mortgage from an approved lender. County and city programs come on top of that, and some of them are much larger. The federal tax credit that many sites still describe as statewide is now run county by county.

If you plan to buy within a few months, timing matters this fall. By late September, roughly half of the 2026 to 2027 Hometown Heroes money had been reserved. Orange County's program is closed to new applications until mid-November.

Florida Housing's program overview is clear on two rules. You get only one down payment second mortgage per transaction, and none of them is available without a Florida Housing first mortgage. Hometown Heroes cannot be combined with FL Assist, FL HLP or HFA Preferred/Advantage PLUS.

If you can clear the bar for a conventional loan and expect to stay at least five years, HFA Preferred is usually the strongest choice, because it is the only state option that disappears. If you need FHA, compare FL Assist with Hometown Heroes. There is also a fourth option, FL HLP: $12,500 at 3% over 30 years. It carries a monthly payment that counts against your debt-to-income ratio, so skip it if your ratio is already tight.

You must be a first-time buyer working full-time for a Florida-based employer in one of the listed fields. According to Florida Housing's program page, these are health care, school staff, first responders, public safety and court employees, child care, active military and reserves, Coast Guard, Florida National Guard, and veterans employed full-time in Florida. The 2026 parameters include an updated occupation list, so check yours with the lender instead of assuming.

Income limits use one of two methods. TBA counts only the income of the borrowers on the loan. Bond counts every household member aged 18 or older, including a spouse who isn't on the loan. In Miami-Dade, the TBA limit is $204,300, and the Bond limits are $136,200 for households of one or two people and $156,630 for three or more. Alachua's TBA limit is $156,000. One industry guide puts these limits at roughly 150% of area median income. Hometown Heroes uses its own income tables, not the standard Florida Housing tables.

Miami-Dade. The county program offers up to $35,000, at 0% and deferred for up to 30 years. If you sell within the first three years, the county takes 100% of your profit. In years four to six it takes 50%. Requirements:

• You live in the county at both application and closing.
• You put in at least 1% from your own funds.
• Your combined loan-to-value stays at or below 105%.
• You use a fixed-rate first mortgage.
• You complete HUD-certified counseling.

Income limits run from under $95,620 for one person to under $136,500 for four. An industry roundup also lists city programs: up to $80,000 in North Miami and $40,000 to $150,000 in Miami Beach, with both forgiven over time. Confirm these figures with each city.

Broward. The Homebuyer Purchase Assistance program offers up to $120,000 for households at or below 80% of area median income. It is 0% and deferred for 15 years, and fully satisfied if the home stays your homestead for that whole term. Other terms:

• The price cap is $679,324.
• You contribute 3% in non-borrowed funds, and 1% of that must be your own money.
• Applicants with $100,000 or more in liquid assets don't qualify.

Orange County. The county program pays up to $70,000 for very low-income buyers, $40,000 for low-income buyers and $10,000 for moderate-income buyers. It stopped taking new applications on September 6 and expects to reopen around November 16, 2026.

Can you stack county money on top of a state second mortgage? The sources don't say which combinations work. Limits such as Miami-Dade's 105% combined loan-to-value, and companion loans that require their own first mortgage, can rule out a pairing. Ask your lender to check before you count on both. Palm Beach and Clearwater programs weren't covered in the sources reviewed here.

Florida Housing no longer offers a Mortgage Credit Certificate. Local agencies now issue them. A certificate converts 10% to 50% of the mortgage interest you pay each year into a federal tax credit. The credit is capped at $2,000 a year when the rate is above 20%, and the rest of your interest stays deductible. You may owe a recapture tax only if all three of these happen: you sell within nine years, you make a profit, and your income has risen above set thresholds.

These counties ran active programs in 2026:

• Broward, with a window starting around January 15
• Duval/Jacksonville, at around a 20% credit rate
• Hillsborough, at up to 50%
• A 21-county consortium led by Escambia, opening from mid-May

Each one sets its own income limits.

Find a Florida Housing participating lender and ask four questions:

1. Which second mortgage gives me the most money once forgiveness is counted?
2. Does my county program combine with it?
3. Does my income count under TBA or Bond?
4. How much Hometown Heroes money is left today?

Then get pre-approval in hand. Hometown Heroes funds can only be reserved after a contract is signed, and a slow approval could cost you money that runs out before you close.