VA Loans in Florida

What’s different about VA loans in Florida

Florida has one of the largest veteran populations in the country and major Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard communities from Pensacola to Jacksonville to Tampa. Florida also has rules that change a VA loan more than most borrowers expect: homestead law, property taxes that reset when a home sells, insurance costs and state taxes on new mortgages.

Property taxes and homestead in Florida

• Homestead exemption. Once the home is your primary residence, apply with your county property appraiser by March 1. The exemption takes up to $50,000 off the assessed value (the second $25,000 doesn’t apply to school taxes).
• Save Our Homes. After you have the homestead exemption, increases in your assessed value are capped at 3% a year or inflation, whichever is lower.
• Your taxes reset when you buy. The seller’s tax bill reflects their own exemptions and years of capped increases. The year after you buy, the home is reassessed at market value. Payment estimates should use the new-owner tax, not the seller’s bill.
• Portability. If you are selling a Florida homestead, you can usually move up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes savings to your new homestead if you buy within three years.

Disabled-veteran property tax relief in Florida

• Total exemption: honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected, total and permanent disability pay no property tax on their homestead. The exemption carries over to an unremarried surviving spouse, even if they move.
• $5,000 exemption: veterans rated 10% or more, and their unremarried surviving spouses.
• Combat-related discount: veterans 65 and older with a combat-related disability get a property tax discount equal to their disability percentage.

Tell Shirley your rating up front so your payment estimate uses the tax number you will actually pay.

Florida homestead: your spouse signs the mortgage

Florida’s constitution protects homesteads, so a married borrower’s spouse must sign the mortgage even if they are not on the loan. Plan for both of you to be at closing, or arrange a power of attorney early if one of you is deployed. Florida is not a community-property state, so a non-borrowing spouse’s debts are not counted.

Homeowners, wind and flood insurance

Insurance is often the biggest surprise in a Florida payment, and it is part of what you qualify for. Get a quote during your inspection period, not the week before closing.

• Wind mitigation inspection. Documenting roof straps, impact windows or shutters can lower your premium.
• Four-point inspection. Insurers often require one on older homes, covering the roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.
• Flood insurance is required if the home is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, and is worth pricing even when it isn’t required.

Florida taxes on a new mortgage

Florida charges two taxes when a new mortgage is recorded, on purchases and refinances alike:

• Documentary stamp tax on the mortgage: $0.35 per $100 of the loan amount.
• Intangible tax: 0.2% of the loan amount.

On a $400,000 VA loan, that’s about $1,400 plus $800, or $2,200. On a purchase, deed stamps ($0.70 per $100 of the price in most counties) are usually paid by the seller.

Florida Hometown Heroes

Florida Housing’s Hometown Heroes program has offered down payment and closing-cost help to eligible Floridians, including active military and veterans. Funding is released in rounds, and the 2025 round was fully committed. With VA’s $0 down most veterans don’t need it, but it can help with closing costs, so ask whether a new round is open.

Building a home in Florida

• Licensed builder required. Florida requires a state-certified or registered contractor to build a home, so choose an experienced, licensed Florida builder. VA no longer requires a builder ID.
• Notice of Commencement. Under Florida’s construction lien law, a Notice of Commencement is recorded before work starts, and lien releases from subcontractors and suppliers are collected as draws are paid. This protects you from paying twice for the same work.
• Built for wind. The Florida Building Code’s wind standards apply to every new home and help lower insurance costs.
• Insurance during the build. Builder’s risk coverage, and flood coverage in a flood zone, must be in place while the home is under construction.
• Hurricane season. Storms can pause work from June through November, so leave room in your timeline and rate-lock plan.

Florida condos and VA loans

A condo must be on VA’s approved list for a VA purchase loan. Florida’s condo safety laws, passed after the 2021 Surfside collapse, also require milestone inspections and structural reserve studies for many buildings, and some associations are raising dues or adding special assessments to comply. Before you make an offer, ask for the association’s budget, reserve study and any pending assessments.

Refinancing in Florida

Florida’s documentary stamp tax and intangible tax generally apply to a new refinance mortgage too. They can add a meaningful amount to closing costs, and for an IRRRL they count toward VA’s 36-month recoupment test. Unlike Texas, Florida has no state cap on cash-out loans, so VA’s rules apply. Your spouse must sign the new mortgage on a homestead, even if they are not on the loan.

Assuming a VA loan in Florida

Markets near NAS Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, NAS Pensacola, Eglin AFB and MacDill AFB have many VA-financed homes. When a Florida home sells with an assumed loan, deed stamps are figured on the full price, including the assumed balance. The buyer’s property taxes also reset to market value the next year, so budget for a higher tax than the seller paid.

Renovating in Florida

Florida requires licensed contractors for most structural, roofing, electrical and plumbing work, and permits are pulled by the licensed contractor. Renovation work that improves wind resistance, like a new roof, impact windows or shutters, can lower your insurance premium once it is documented on a wind mitigation inspection.