Is Florida Hometown Heroes still available, and who can use it?

What is Florida Hometown Heroes?

Hometown Heroes is a Florida Housing Finance Corporation program for people in certain Florida workforce roles who want to buy a primary residence in the community where they work and serve.

The help covers down payment and closing costs. It is offered as a second mortgage loan paired with a Florida Housing first mortgage. Current amounts, repayment rules, and first-mortgage options are on the Hometown Heroes program page (opens in a new tab).

It is not a gift. Florida Housing describes it as a second mortgage that is not forgiven. The balance becomes due when you sell, refinance the first mortgage, transfer the deed, or stop living in the home as your primary residence. The program is created in Section 420.5096, Florida Statutes (opens in a new tab) and runs through participating lenders.

United Direct Lending and Justin Mackler are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or employed by Florida Housing, HUD, FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac.

Who may be eligible?

Eligibility depends on the rules in effect when you apply. As of November 2026, Florida Housing’s Hometown Heroes page limits the 2026 program to:

• A person employed full time by a Florida-based employer as a health care worker, school staff member, first responder, public safety or court employee, or child care worker
• A servicemember of the United States military or military reserves, the United States Coast Guard or its reserves, or the Florida National Guard
• A veteran employed full time by a Florida-based employer

Florida Housing publishes example occupations and eligible employer types. Only one borrower on the loan needs to meet the occupation or military rule. Review the eligible occupations list (opens in a new tab) (PDF, revised July 13, 2026).

Other common themes include buying a primary residence in Florida; meeting first-time homebuyer rules, with exceptions for certain servicemembers and veterans; meeting household income and purchase price or loan limits for your county; and using a participating lender for a Florida Housing first mortgage the program allows.

Income and purchase price or loan limits vary by county. Use the current 2026 Hometown Heroes income and loan limits (opens in a new tab) (PDF, revised July 13, 2026; effective with reservations as of May 6, 2026). A participating lender reviews your job, income, credit, the home, and the checklist. Eligibility depends on those facts and on current funding.

Is Hometown Heroes available right now?

As of November 2026, Florida Housing still publishes a 2026 Hometown Heroes program on its official page, with occupation examples and income and loan limits revised July 13, 2026. See the Hometown Heroes program page (opens in a new tab).

Program funding is limited and can change. Florida Housing’s page is the place to confirm whether the program is open for new buyers. Also ask a participating lender before you plan around the assistance. If funds are paused or fully reserved, ask about other Florida Housing or county options.

How do people usually apply?

Buyers do not apply to Florida Housing on their own. You work through a participating lender. A common path looks like this:

1. Confirm the job or military path. Compare your role with Florida Housing’s eligible occupations list, or confirm military or veteran status under the program rules.
2. Talk with a participating lender. Use Florida Housing’s Lender and Real Estate Agent Locator (opens in a new tab). You can also ask Justin about options and how to connect with a participating lender for your county.
3. Review income and price limits for the county where you will buy. Use the official limits PDF linked above.
4. Ask your loan officer what education or other program steps Florida Housing requires for your file, and complete those before closing.
5. Understand the first mortgage that pairs with the assistance. Hometown Heroes is used with a Florida Housing first mortgage. It is not stand-alone cash help on an outside loan.
6. Find a home and sign a contract. Your participating lender will tell you when the program paperwork and any fund reservation can start.
7. Your lender reserves the funds and submits the file. Build program steps into your contract timeline.
8. At closing, the assistance is applied under program rules. Keep copies of every disclosure so you understand when the second mortgage may come due later.

As of November 2026, Florida Housing’s Hometown Heroes page states there is no cost to apply for this down payment assistance. Scammers sometimes ask for an upfront fee. Avoid that, and report it to the Inspector General’s Office at Florida Housing Finance Corporation, (850) 488-4197 (source: floridahousing.org Hometown Heroes page).

Things to know before you plan around it

It is a second mortgage, not a grant. Plan for the day the balance may come due if you sell, refinance, transfer the home, or move out.

Funding can change. Check Florida Housing’s page and your participating lender again when you are under contract.

Limits are local. A home that fits in one county may be over the limit in another. Income is usually counted for the household that will live in the home. Follow the official guide for your reservation type.

The first mortgage has its own rules. Credit, documentation, property type, and condo or manufactured-home rules still apply. Ask the lender to confirm property eligibility early.

County programs are separate. Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and some cities run their own purchase assistance with different windows and rules.

Fair lending. Hometown Heroes is defined by occupation, military service, and other published program rules. It is open to eligible buyers across Florida under those rules.

Want help sorting your next step?

If you work in an eligible Florida role, or you are a servicemember or veteran thinking about buying, Justin can walk through how Hometown Heroes fits with other Florida options and what documents to gather. Book a call: https://calendar.app.google/QiaskggwtKVH9joRA (opens in a new tab).

This article is general information, not a loan offer and not a determination of eligibility. All loans are subject to credit and program guidelines.

Justin Mackler, NMLS #1648112 | United Direct Lending, NMLS #1749719 | Equal Housing Opportunity