FL Assist vs. FL HLP vs. PLUS: Florida DPA Programs Compared
Most people searching for down payment assistance in Florida find one program, assume that is the program, and stop looking. There are several, they are run by the same agency, and they do not work the same way at all.
One is interest-free with no monthly payment. One charges 3% and adds a second payment to your monthly budget. One disappears entirely after five years if you stay in the house. Which one you end up with depends on your first mortgage type, your income, and in some cases on what you do for a living.
Here is the plain version.
The programs
Florida Housing Finance Corporation runs the state’s homebuyer programs. The assistance always comes as a second mortgage behind your main loan — not a gift, not a grant, with one partial exception noted below.
Florida Assist (FL Assist) — up to $10,000
A 0%, non-amortizing, deferred second mortgage. No interest, no monthly payment. You repay the full amount when you sell, transfer the deed, refinance, pay off the first mortgage, or stop living in the home.
Available with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional first mortgages.
It is not forgivable. The balance does not shrink over time. It waits.
Florida Homeownership Loan Program (FL HLP) — $12,500
This is the one people misread. FL HLP is a 3% fully-amortizing second mortgage on a 30-year term, which means it carries a monthly payment. Any remaining balance is still due on sale, refinance or when you stop occupying the home.
More money up front than FL Assist, but it is a real second payment, and your lender has to count it in your debt-to-income ratio. That can reduce how much house you qualify for — occasionally by more than the extra $2,500 is worth to you.
HFA Preferred / HFA Advantage PLUS Second Mortgage — 3%, 4% or 5%
Sized as a percentage of your total loan amount, and this is the only one that goes away: it is forgivable at 20% a year across a 5-year term. Stay five years and nothing is owed.
The catch is that it is available on conventional first mortgages only (Fannie Mae HFA Preferred or Freddie Mac HFA Advantage). If FHA is the right loan for your file, the PLUS second is not on the table.
Florida Hometown Heroes — 5%, up to $35,000
The largest assistance amount, limited to borrowers in qualifying occupations — health care workers, school staff, first responders, public safety and court employees, child care workers, and servicemembers, reservists, Coast Guard, Florida National Guard, plus veterans employed full time by a Florida-based employer.
A 0%, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage. Minimum $10,000, maximum $35,000. Like FL Assist, it is not forgivable — it is repaid on sale, refinance, deed transfer or when the home stops being your primary residence.
We have a longer page on this one: Hometown Heroes in Jacksonville.
Side by side
| Program | Amount | Rate | Monthly payment? | Forgivable? | First mortgage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL Assist | up to $10,000 | 0% | No | No | FHA, VA, USDA, conventional |
| FL HLP | $12,500 | 3% | Yes | No | FHA, VA, USDA, conventional |
| PLUS Second | 3% / 4% / 5% of loan | — | No | Yes — 20%/yr over 5 years | Conventional only |
| Hometown Heroes | 5%, $10,000–$35,000 | 0% | No | No | FHA, VA, USDA, conventional |
Program terms and availability are set by Florida Housing and can change. Current program highlights and limits are published by the program administrator at eHousingPlus.
What you have to clear to use any of them
These apply across the homebuyer loan programs:
- 640 minimum credit score.
- Approved homebuyer education. Not optional, and worth starting early — people lose weeks to this one.
- Income below your county’s limit. Limits are set county by county, so Duval, St. Johns, Clay and Nassau are not identical.
- Purchase price below your county’s limit.
- First-time homebuyer, defined as not having owned and occupied a primary residence in the last three years. Some programs treat qualifying veterans differently.
Available for qualified borrowers; program guidelines apply, and lender overlays may be stricter than the program’s own rules. Guidelines may change.
The three mistakes we see most
1. Assuming “assistance” means a gift. Three of the four above are repayable second mortgages. Only the PLUS second forgives, and only if you stay five years. Knowing which one you have matters the day you decide to refinance.
2. Taking the biggest number. FL HLP hands you $12,500 instead of $10,000, then puts a monthly payment on your budget and in your DTI. Sometimes that is still the right call. Sometimes it costs you the house you wanted. It depends on the file, and it is a five-minute conversation, not a guess.
3. Starting the clock too late. Homebuyer education, employment verification for Hometown Heroes, and the county income limit check all take time. Program funds are allocated and reservations are made through approved lenders — the buyers who get there are the ones whose file was already clean.
Where we fit
North Star Mortgage Network places these loans through wholesale lenders approved to participate in Florida Housing’s homebuyer programs.
Here is the part worth understanding, because it saves people a lot of shopping around. The pricing on these programs is set by Florida Housing and published by the program administrator, not invented by whoever takes your application — the conventional options can vary by investor, but the program is the program. What actually differs from one office to the next is who handles your file: whether your occupation gets verified correctly the first time, whether the county income limit gets checked before you fall in love with a house, whether the assistance is structured the right way against your first mortgage.
That is the part we compete on. We have been an independent brokerage in Jacksonville since 2000, and because we work with many wholesale lenders rather than one bank’s product sheet, we can look at which first mortgage pairs best with which assistance program for your actual numbers — instead of fitting you to the one product we happen to sell. Rates and terms are subject to change, and any figure we discuss is an estimate based on the information provided.
If you are not sure which program you fit, or whether you fit one at all, that is the question to call about. There is no cost to find out.
- Get a rate quote — an estimate based on the information you provide
- Start an application
- Or call 904-880-6741 and you will get Nathan or Karla, not a call center.
North Star Mortgage Network, Inc. — serving Florida since 2000
12058 San Jose Blvd, Suite 404, Jacksonville, FL 32223 | 904-880-6741 | www.nsmn.com
Company NMLS #356789 | Nathan Young NMLS #325206
North Star Mortgage Network, Inc. is not a government agency and is not affiliated with Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Program terms, funding availability, income and purchase price limits are set by Florida Housing and are subject to change; guidelines may change and lender overlays may be stricter. Any rate or payment figure discussed is an estimate based on the information provided. Rates and terms are subject to change. Available for qualified borrowers; program guidelines apply. All loans subject to credit approval. Equal Housing Lender.
