Florida Statutes 420.5096 – Florida Hometown Hero Program
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 420.5096
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Corporation: means the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. Source: OCC
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- Mortgage: means :(a) A mortgage, mortgage deed, deed of trust, or other instrument:1. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Real property: means all lands, including improvements and fixtures thereon and property of any nature appurtenant thereto or used in connection therewith, and every estate, interest, and right, legal or equitable, therein, including terms of years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage, or otherwise and the indebtedness secured by such liens. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- State: means the State of Florida. See Florida Statutes 420.503
- veteran: means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under honorable conditions only or who later received an upgraded discharge under honorable conditions, notwithstanding any action by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on individuals discharged or released with other than honorable discharges. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(1) The Legislature finds that individual homeownership is vital to building long-term housing and financial security. With rising home prices, down payment and closing costs are often significant barriers to homeownership for working Floridians. Each person in Florida’s hometown workforce is essential to creating thriving communities, and the Legislature finds that the ability of Floridians to reside within the communities in which they work is of great importance. Therefore, the Legislature finds that providing assistance to homebuyers in this state by reducing the amount of down payment and closing costs is a necessary step toward expanding access to homeownership and achieving safe, decent, and affordable housing for all Floridians.(2) The Florida Hometown Hero Program is created to assist Florida’s hometown workforce in attaining homeownership by providing financial assistance to residents to purchase a home as their primary residence. Under the program, a borrower may apply to the corporation for a loan to reduce the amount of the down payment and closing costs paid by the borrower by a minimum of $10,000 and up to 5 percent of the first mortgage loan, not exceeding $35,000. Loans must be made available at a zero percent interest rate and must be made available for the term of the first mortgage. The balance of any loan is due at closing if the property is sold, refinanced, rented, or transferred, unless otherwise approved by the corporation.(3) For loans made available pursuant to s. 420.507(23)(a)1. or 2., the corporation may underwrite and make those mortgage loans through the program to persons or families who have household incomes that do not exceed 150 percent of the state median income or local median income, whichever is greater. A borrower must be seeking to purchase a home as a primary residence; must be a first-time homebuyer and a Florida resident; and must be employed full-time by a Florida-based employer. The borrower must provide documentation of full-time employment or full-time status for self-employed individuals. The requirement to be a first-time homebuyer does not apply to a borrower who is an active duty servicemember of a branch of the armed forces or the Florida National Guard, as defined in s. 250.01, or a veteran.(4) Loans made under the Florida Hometown Hero Program may be used for the purchase of manufactured homes, as defined in s. 320.01(2)(b), which were constructed after July 13, 1994; which are permanently affixed to real property in this state, whether owned or leased by the borrower; and which are titled and financed as tangible personal property or as real property.(5) This program is intended to be evergreen, and repayments for loans made under this program shall be retained within the program to make additional loans.