St. Johns County Housing Program: Hometown Heroes and Local Down Payment Help
Up to $35,000 from the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program, plus St. Johns County's own county assistance. Income limit here: $163,050.
Hometown Heroes › County Housing Programs › St. Johns County
If you work in healthcare, education, public safety or the military and want to buy in St. Johns County, two separate pots of down payment help can apply to you: the statewide Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program and St. Johns County's own locally run housing assistance.
St. Johns County's income limit of $163,050 is shared with 3 other counties; 16 counties have a higher limit. St. Johns County's FHA loan ceiling is $580,750; a first mortgage that size would draw $29,037 under the 5% rule.
Income limit (FHA / VA / HFA)
$163,050
Income limit (USDA)
$119,850
Max loan, FHA
$580,750
Max loan, HFA / VA
$832,750
Hometown Heroes help
5% of first mortgage, $10,000 to $35,000
County seat
St. Augustine
Income limits: TBA funding option, effective May 6, 2026. Loan limits effective Jan 2, 2026. Source: Florida Housing Finance Corporation Hometown Heroes lender guide. Bond-funded limits may differ.
Same $163,050 limit: Clay County, Duval County, Nassau County.
State help and county help in St. Johns County: how they differ
Florida Hometown Heroes (state)
Florida Housing lends you 5% of your first mortgage (between $10,000 and $35,000) as a silent second mortgage at 0%. Nothing is due monthly, and it adds nothing to your debt-to-income ratio, but the full amount comes due on sale, refinance or payoff. Read the full Hometown Heroes guide.
St. Johns County local assistance (SHIP-funded)
St. Johns County receives state SHIP money every year and decides locally how to spend it. Down payment and closing cost help is an approved use. Amounts, income caps and whether the help is forgivable are set in the county's Local Housing Assistance Plan, so they differ from Hometown Heroes.
St. Johns County government website · Florida Housing SHIP local contacts
Stacking state and county help is sometimes possible and sometimes not. That is decided case by case before you reserve funds.
Who qualifies in St. Johns County
Eligibility starts with your job: full-time work for a Florida-based employer in an approved occupation. Teachers and school staff (St. Johns schools), sheriff's deputies and corrections staff (St. Johns Sheriff), nurses, paramedics and childcare workers in St. Johns County are among the eligible groups.
We have dedicated mortgage guides for many of these jobs:
- Healthcare: mortgage options for physicians and doctors
- Healthcare: mortgage options for nurses and medical professionals
- Public safety: mortgage options for corrections officers
- Public safety: mortgage options for police officers
- First responders: mortgage options for firefighters
- First responders: mortgage options for EMTs and paramedics
- Education: mortgage options for teachers and school staff
- Military: mortgage options for active-duty military and veterans
St. Johns County is home to St. Francis Barracks (FL National Guard HQ, St. Augustine). Active-duty service members, Reserves, Coast Guard and Florida National Guard members are eligible.
Where you can use it in St. Johns County
Any part of St. Johns County works, including St. Augustine, Elkton, Hastings, Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, Saint Augustine, Saint Johns, as long as you live in the home. Single-family houses, townhomes, approved condos and 2 to 4 unit buildings (you occupy one unit) are all eligible.
Some St. Johns County addresses are USDA-eligible. There, a zero-down USDA loan plus Hometown Heroes can cover most of the cash needed at closing, with a $119,850 USDA income limit.
Check property records and taxes with the St. Johns County Property Appraiser.
St. Johns County housing news
- Unleashed by Florida lawmakers, landowners move to convert farms into subdivisions (The Florida Trib, Sep 30, 2026)
- New townhome community coming to St. Johns County (St. Augustine Record, Sep 29, 2026)
- PulteGroup to build townhome community in St. Johns County (The Business Journals, Sep 29, 2026)
- Florida's 2023 homebuyers are now selling at a loss, with St. Johns County topping the list (Yahoo Finance, Sep 11, 2026)
Updated Oct 6, 2026.
St. Johns County Hometown Heroes questions
How much can I earn and still qualify for Hometown Heroes in St. Johns County?
For FHA, VA and conventional HFA loans, the 2026 Hometown Heroes income limit in St. Johns County is $163,050 (TBA funding, effective May 6, 2026). For USDA loans it is $119,850. Under the TBA option, only the income of borrowers on the loan is counted, not the whole household.
Is Hometown Heroes in St. Johns County a grant?
It is not a grant. Hometown Heroes is a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage with no monthly payment. It is repaid in full on sale, transfer of deed, satisfaction of first mortgage, refinance of first mortgage, or if the home stops being your primary residence. Local programs funded through St. Johns County's SHIP allocation can be structured differently, which is why it pays to compare both.
Is there a St. Johns County housing program separate from Hometown Heroes?
Yes. Every Florida county, including St. Johns County, receives state SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) funds, a minimum of $350,000 a year, and can use them for down payment and closing cost help. St. Johns County sets its own income caps, amounts and repayment terms in its Local Housing Assistance Plan, and funding windows vary.
Can military members at St. Francis Barracks (FL National Guard HQ, St. Augustine) use Hometown Heroes?
Yes. Active-duty U.S. military, Reserves, Coast Guard and Florida National Guard members are eligible occupations, including personnel at St. Francis Barracks (FL National Guard HQ, St. Augustine). Under the TBA option, active-duty members with a current LES are exempt from the first-time buyer requirement, and veterans discharged other than dishonorably (DD214) are exempt too.
How much Hometown Heroes help can I get buying in St. Augustine or elsewhere in St. Johns County?
Assistance is 5% of your first mortgage amount, with a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $35,000. St. Johns County's FHA loan ceiling is $580,750; a first mortgage that size would draw $29,037 under the 5% rule.
How do I start a Hometown Heroes application in St. Johns County?
Hometown Heroes is reserved through Florida Housing–approved participating lenders, first come, first served. Stairway Mortgage (Jim Blackburn, NMLS #1072866) can review your occupation, income against the St. Johns County limit, and whether St. Johns County's local program fits alongside it.
Jim Blackburn, NMLS #1072866 · Stairway Mortgage. Program terms, limits and funding availability are set by Florida Housing Finance Corporation and St. Johns County and can change. Estimates are not a commitment to lend. Equal Housing Opportunity.