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Home / Florida Home State · Headquartered In Boca Raton

Florida Mortgage Broker.
The Home Market.
The Hero Standard.

Hero Mortgage Group is headquartered in Boca Raton and we’ve closed loans for Florida families from Pensacola to Key West. This is home — and Florida happens to run the most generous hero program in the country (Hometown Heroes), the most underused VA market on the Eastern seaboard, and the most insurance-complicated property tax landscape in America. We know all three, cold.

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$35K
FL Hometown Heroes Assistance
$832K
2026 Baseline Loan Limit
0TAX
No State Income Tax
15DAYS
Average Florida Close
Why Hero In Florida

This Is Home.
And Home Has Rules.

Florida has its own mortgage personality. No state income tax. Hurricane-driven insurance costs that can rival the mortgage payment. Documentary stamp taxes on every deed. A homestead exemption that protects your primary residence. And the most generous first-responder, teacher, healthcare, and military DPA program in the country — Florida Hometown Heroes.

Most out-of-state online lenders never set foot in Tallahassee. They don’t know the homestead filing deadline, they treat Citizens Insurance like a footnote, and they don’t understand why a $400,000 home in Cape Coral can have a $14,000-per-year insurance premium while one in Wellington has a $3,400 one. We do, because this is home.

Programs · Florida

Florida Runs Five
Programs Worth Knowing.

Florida is one of three or four states in America where a working-class buyer can stack significant down-payment assistance on top of a competitive base loan. Below: the full menu we place statewide.

Florida Hometown Heroes (Featured).

The headline. Up to $35,000 in down-payment and closing-cost assistance for full-time Florida workers in 100+ eligible occupations: first responders, K-12 teachers, healthcare workers, childcare staff, active military, and many state/federal/local government roles. The assistance is a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage — not forgivable. The full balance is repaid when you sell, refinance, transfer the deed, pay off the first mortgage, or stop occupying the home.

Income limits are set by county and measured on the borrower's qualifying income — $148,050 in most counties, rising to $190,200 in Broward, $192,750 in Palm Beach, $204,300 in Miami-Dade, and $214,950 in Monroe (2026 limits, effective for reservations as of 5/06/2026). Maximum loan amounts vary by county and loan type: $541,287 to $990,150 on FHA, and $832,750 on Freddie Mac HFA Advantage and VA ($990,150 in Monroe). Layers on top of FHA, VA, USDA, or Freddie Mac HFA Advantage conventional first mortgages. We pre-screen eligibility for your exact zip and occupation in under fifteen minutes.

FL Assist.

A $10,000 zero-interest second mortgage available to Floridians who qualify for an FHA, VA, or USDA first mortgage. Repaid only at sale, refinance, or move. Stackable with the FHA 6% seller-concession allowance, which means many of our FL Assist clients close with very little cash out of pocket beyond their earnest-money deposit.

Salute Our Soldiers.

Veteran-specific bond first mortgage with a discounted rate (typically 0.25–0.5% below market). Stackable with Hometown Heroes and FL Assist when applicable — we’ll always model the three-way combination to find your lowest total monthly.

HFA Preferred Grants.

A 3% or 5% grant on the Fannie Mae HFA Preferred conventional first mortgage. Never repaid — it’s a true grant, not a forgivable second. For borrowers who don’t qualify for Hometown Heroes but want DPA, this is the move.

VA Loans In Florida.

Florida is home to more than 1.5 million veterans, the third-largest veteran population in the U.S. The 2026 baseline VA loan limit is $832,750 in most counties. Monroe County (Key West and the Florida Keys) hits $959,300. Full-entitlement veterans can buy at any price with $0 down regardless of the limit. Disability-rated veterans skip the funding fee entirely — many loan officers never check for this waiver. We do, on every file.

FHA, Conventional, Jumbo & Non-QM.

The 2026 FHA single-family limit ranges $524,225 to $929,200 depending on Florida county. Conventional loans up to the baseline; jumbo above it with strong Florida portfolio-lender appetite. Self-employed Florida business owners (especially in real estate, hospitality, and construction) place beautifully into our Non-QM bank-statement and DSCR programs.

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Florida · Statewide Coverage

Every Florida Metro.
Every Florida Zip.

Florida runs 1,200 miles top to bottom and we close in all of it. Some of the markets where Florida families have run loans through us:

Florida FAQ

Questions From Florida
Buyers, Answered.

Who qualifies for the Florida Hometown Heroes Program?

The program serves the Florida workforce — over 100 eligible occupations including firefighters, law enforcement, EMTs/paramedics, K-12 teachers, healthcare workers (RNs, LPNs, CNAs, techs), childcare workers, active military, and a long list of state and local government roles. Eligibility requires current full-time employment with a Florida-based employer and a credit score of 640+ (660 for manual underwriting). Income limits are set by county and measured on the borrower's qualifying income — $148,050 in most counties, rising to $190,200 in Broward, $192,750 in Palm Beach, $204,300 in Miami-Dade, and $214,950 in Monroe (2026 limits, effective for reservations as of 5/06/2026). Maximum loan amounts vary by county and loan type: $541,287 to $990,150 on FHA, and $832,750 on Freddie Mac HFA Advantage and VA ($990,150 in Monroe). We verify exact eligibility for your zip and occupation on the first call.

How much will my Florida homeowners insurance cost?

Wildly variable by county and proximity to coast. Inland Florida (Polk, Orange, Marion, Alachua) averages $2,500-$4,000/yr. Coastal South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) runs $5,000-$9,000/yr. Hurricane-exposure counties (Lee, Collier, Monroe) can hit $10,000-$14,000+/yr. The age of the home matters too — anything 30+ years old typically requires a 4-point inspection and wind-mitigation report. We pre-quote your insurance during pre-approval so the PITI you see is the PITI you'll actually pay.

What's the Florida homestead exemption and when do I file?

Florida grants a homestead exemption to primary-residence owners that reduces the taxable assessed value of the home by up to $50,000 ($25,000 standard plus an additional $25,000 for the non-school portion of taxes on homes valued above $75,000). It also caps annual taxable-value increases at 3% under Save Our Homes. You must file with your county property appraiser between January 1 and March 1 of the year following purchase. Most filings are online, take ten minutes, and save $700-$1,500/year in property taxes. We flag this at closing so it doesn't get missed.

Can Florida veterans use Salute Our Soldiers AND Hometown Heroes together?

Yes — Salute Our Soldiers is a discounted-rate first mortgage program; Hometown Heroes is a second-mortgage DPA program. They layer cleanly. We model the combination on every veteran file that meets the Hero occupational requirement (first responder, teacher, healthcare, etc.). The stack often produces the lowest total monthly available to a Florida buyer.

What's the FHA loan limit in Florida for 2026?

FHA limits vary by county. Most Florida counties sit at $524,225 (baseline) for single-family. Higher-cost counties hit $625-$700K+. Monroe County (Florida Keys) tops the state at $929,200 — the highest FHA limit in Florida. Multi-unit limits scale up proportionally. We confirm your county's exact 2026 figure when we pre-approve.

Do you handle Florida condo loans?

Yes — and Florida condos require expertise after the Surfside collapse in 2021. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and VA each maintain approved condo lists, and many South Florida buildings have been delisted due to structural reserve inadequacies under the new state condo reform laws. We pre-check the condo's approval status before you make an offer, so you don't fall in love with a unit that won't finance.

How fast can you close a Florida mortgage?

Our average Florida close is 15 days from contract acceptance to funded loan. Variables: appraisal turn time (typically 7-10 days in major Florida metros), insurance binding (can be slow in coastal counties — we start this on day one), and condo approval (if applicable). VA IRRRL refinances and FHA Streamlines often close in 10 days or less.

Continue Reading

Go Deeper.

Heroes & DPA

Florida Hometown Heroes 2026: Funded, Capped, Still Underused.

$35,000 toward down payment and closing costs for FL firefighters, police, EMTs, healthcare, teachers, and military. The 2026 update, the timing trap, and the 3 mistakes that disqualify otherwise-eligible buyers.

9-Min Read →
For Every Florida Buyer

Home State.
Home Standard.

No documents required to start. Eligibility for every Florida program — including Hometown Heroes — verified on the first call.

Get My Florida Pre-Approval Call (561) 468-HERO