Buying your first home in Florida is a big milestone, and it’s one Perry Johnson Mortgage Company helps buyers reach every day. The good news for Florida buyers: this state offers some of the most generous first-time homebuyer assistance in the country, at the state level and through dozens of county and city programs. The challenge is that assistance varies widely depending on where you’re buying and what you do for a living. This guide breaks down what’s available across Florida, so you can find what applies to you.
Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program
This is Florida’s largest state-level program, built for the people who serve their communities every day: teachers, nurses, law enforcement officers, firefighters, healthcare workers, childcare employees, active military, and veterans.
Hometown Heroes provides 5% of your total loan amount toward down payment and closing costs, capped at $35,000, with a minimum of $10,000 guaranteed. The assistance comes as a 0% interest, non-amortizing, 30-year second mortgage. You make no monthly payments on it, and it’s only repaid when you sell, transfer, refinance, or pay off your first mortgage. The program also offers a reduced first mortgage interest rate.
To qualify, you’ll generally need to:
- Be a first-time buyer (veterans are exempt from this requirement)
- Work full-time in an eligible profession
- Meet income limits, which vary by county and household size
- Complete a HUD-approved homebuyer education course (veterans using the Veterans Exemption are exempt)
Funding runs in annual cycles and can be fully committed before the year is out, so timing matters. A PJMC loan officer can confirm current funding status before you get too far into your home search.
Florida Assist
If you don’t work in an eligible Hometown Heroes profession, Florida Assist is worth a look. It offers up to $10,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance as a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage, with no occupation requirement attached. It’s often paired with Florida Housing’s first mortgage programs.
County and City Assistance Programs
Beyond the statewide options, Florida’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program funds all 67 counties and dozens of cities to help very low, low, and moderate-income households cover down payment and closing costs. Here’s how that plays out across the state’s major regions.
South Florida
Miami-Dade County offers interest-free loans up to $35,000 countywide, and buyers purchasing within Miami city limits can stack on up to $70,000 more through the City of Miami’s First-Time Homebuyer Program.
In Broward County, the Homebuyer Purchase Assistance Program offers up to $80,000 countywide, and up to $120,000 in higher-cost areas like Weston, structured as a 0% interest loan that forgives after 15 years of primary residency. Several Broward cities layer their own local programs on top of the county’s, including Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, and Tamarac.
In Palm Beach County, the City of West Palm Beach offers up to $100,000 for eligible first-time buyers, one of the largest local programs in the state.
Tampa Bay
Hillsborough County offers up to $25,000 countywide, and buyers purchasing within Tampa city limits can access up to $50,000 through the Dare to Own the Dream program.
Pinellas County’s Down Payment Assistance Program offers up to $75,000 for qualifying households, with St. Petersburg running its own separate program for buyers in the city.
Pasco County’s SHIP funding typically ranges from $15,000 to $40,000 depending on income.
Manatee County pairs down payment assistance with its first mortgage program through the local Housing Finance Authority.
Central Florida
Orange County’s City of Orlando Down Payment Assistance Program offers up to $45,000 within city limits.
Osceola County offers SHIP-funded assistance for buyers who complete an approved homebuyer education course.
Polk County’s Down Payment Assistance Program offers up to $30,000, forgiven after 10 years of primary residency.
Seminole and Lake Counties both participate in SHIP alongside Florida Housing’s first mortgage programs.
Southwest Florida
Lee County’s FirstPlus Program offers up to $10,000 as a continuously funded, first-come, first-served second mortgage.
Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, DeSoto, Glades, and Hendry Counties fall under the same regional Housing Finance Authority and offer similar assistance structures for first-time buyers.
Northeast Florida
Duval County offers up to $25,000 through the City of Jacksonville’s First-Time Homebuyer Purchase Assistance Program, plus a second path through the Head Start to HOME Ownership (H2H) program.
St. Johns County offers SHIP-funded assistance for buyers who live or work in the county for at least 12 months.
Clay County provides SHIP resources covering down payment, closing costs, and qualifying repairs.
Space Coast and Treasure Coast
Brevard County’s City of Palm Bay HOME program offers up to $67,400 for very low-income households and $57,400 for low-income buyers.
St. Lucie County participates in SHIP with its own local income and purchase price limits.
Panhandle and North Florida
Escambia County offers up to $7,500 in assistance paired with a reduced-rate first mortgage program.
Leon and Alachua Counties both offer SHIP-funded assistance through their local housing divisions.
The Florida Keys
Monroe County offers SHIP-funded assistance up to $65,000, secured by a 30-year, zero-interest note.
Federal Loan Options and VA Benefits
Nearly every program above pairs with FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional first mortgages, so you’re not locked into one type of financing to use them. Veterans get added advantages on top of standard VA loan benefits, including exemption from the homebuyer education requirement under several programs’ veteran exemptions, and in many counties, exemption from the first-time buyer requirement altogether.
Putting It Together
A teacher buying her first home in Fort Lauderdale could combine Broward County’s assistance with the city’s own program and Hometown Heroes, potentially covering her entire down payment before she ever touches her savings. The right combination depends on income, occupation, purchase price, and what’s currently funded in that specific city and county, which is exactly why working with a lender who knows Florida’s programs inside and out makes a real difference.
Why Work With Perry Johnson Mortgage Company
Florida’s homebuyer assistance landscape is one of the richest in the country, but it’s also one of the most complex. Programs open and close on funding cycles, income limits shift by county and household size, and stacking rules between state, county, and city assistance aren’t always straightforward.
That complexity is exactly where PJMC’s loan officers add value: we track current funding status across Florida’s counties and cities, know which programs can be layered together, and match you with the mortgage and assistance combination that fits your situation.
We offer FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional loans across the state, and we work directly with the housing finance authorities administering these programs so your application moves smoothly from pre-approval to closing.
Ready to see what you qualify for? Reach out to a PJMC loan officer today to check current program funding in your area and get pre-approved.