For Immediate Release: July 11, 2023
Contact: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, media@eog.myflorida.com

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Record Applicants for Hometown Heroes Program

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Hometown Heroes down payment assistance program reached $20 million in applications within the first week of launching the program’s second year of funding, which includes $11 million in applications on the first day alone. With the support of the Governor and Legislature, the Hometown Heroes program was expanded to allow even more hardworking Floridians to utilize this assistance when purchasing their first home in the communities that they serve. Last year, the program provided more than $100 million for Florida’s hometown heroes. This year, the Hometown Heroes Program was included in the Live Local Act, which was signed by Governor DeSantis in March. For more information on the Live Local Act.

“In its first year of funding, the Hometown Heroes Program helped more than 6,700 first responders, veterans, nurses, and educators purchase homes in the communities they serve,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Now that the program is expanded, I look forward to serving even more Floridians in the coming year.”

“The Hometown Heroes program has quickly become Florida Housing’s most popular homeownership assistance program,” said Mike DiNapoli, Executive Director of Florida Housing Finance Corporation. “Down payments and closing costs are one of the biggest barriers to homeownership for a lot of families and with these updated guidelines we are already seeing an increase in interest as more hardworking individuals are now eligible for this assistance. We are honored to be entrusted with the resources to administer this program and proud to support Floridians on their path to homeownership.”

The program is now available to all Florida hometown workers in any occupation who earn less than 150% of their county’s area median income (AMI). Additionally, hometown heroes can now apply for a maximum down payment assistance amount of $35,000.

Governor DeSantis announced the initial launch of Hometown Heroes in June 2022 and in just one year all of the funds initially allocated to it were expended, providing 6,753 families with the necessary financial assistance to purchase their first home. After witnessing this success, the Florida Legislature allocated $100 million in additional funding for the program through the Live Local Act. To be eligible for the Hometown Heroes program, homebuyers must have a minimum credit score of 640, be a first-time homebuyer, and earn less than 150% AMI according to their local county data. To get started, buyers must connect with one of Florida Housing’s participating loan officers.

For more information on the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program or to connect with a loan officer in your area, please visit www.floridahousing.org/hometownheroes.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 25, 2023
CONTACT: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Communications@eog.myflorida.com 

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Hometown Heroes Program Has Provided $100 Million in Down Payment Assistance to Florida’s Hometown Workers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Hometown Heroes program has provided $100 million in down payment and closing cost assistance to help Florida’s hometown workers purchase homes in the communities they serve. Governor DeSantis announced the launch of Hometown Heroes in June 2022, and since then the program has helped 6,753 veterans, active-duty military members, nurses, teachers, and law enforcement officers purchase homes for their families.

“Florida’s hometown heroes work hard to support our communities, and I am proud that we have supported over 6,700 of them as they purchased their family homes,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Through the Hometown Heroes housing program, we are ensuring that our police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, and military members and veterans can afford to buy homes in the communities that they have dedicated their lives to serving.”

“Florida Housing is proud to have assisted thousands of hometown heroes in achieving the American Dream of homeownership,” said Mike DiNapoli, Executive Director of Florida Housing Finance Corporation. “By providing more hardworking Floridians with a place to call home, we are helping to facilitate healthier family environments, build stronger communities, and improve local economic impact. We appreciate the Governor’s continued support of this program and are honored to follow his lead in supporting Florida’s hardworking families.”

Following the initial success of the Hometown Heroes program, the Florida Legislature allocated additional funding for the program through the Live Local Act. On July 1, the Hometown Heroes program will receive $100 million for the 2023–2024 fiscal year to continue assisting Florida families in purchasing their first home. The maximum down payment assistance amount will increase to $35,000, or up to 5% of the first mortgage loan amount. To get started, homebuyers must connect with one of Florida Housing’s participating loan officers, have a minimum credit score of 640, be a first-time homebuyer, and earn less than 150% of the area median income, according to their local county data.

For more information on the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program, please visit www.floridahousing.org/hometownheroes.

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Tallahassee, FL - Today, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors approved $117.3 million in loan funding to alleviate inflation-related cost increases for 30 affordable housing developments throughout the state. A majority of the Construction Inflation Response Viability Funding comes from the Live Local Act. Governor DeSantis signed the Live Local Act into law on March 29, 2023, representing the largest investment for housing efforts in state history.

The Live Local Act included $100 million for Florida Housing to award funding through a competitive process to projects currently under development that demonstrate a verifiable financing gap related to market inflation. Additionally, Florida Housing chose to invest past program income into this new viability loan program to ensure maximum assistance could be provided. Today’s awards will fund approximately 3,600 total housing units through 30 developments in 16 counties throughout the state.

“As the state’s housing agency, our primary goal is to ensure that hardworking Floridians have access to safe, quality and affordable housing,” said Mike DiNapoli, Executive Director of Florida Housing Finance Corporation. “This funding helps bridge the financial gap for projects who have already been awarded assistance from Florida Housing so they can continue development as planned and deliver these units to their communities.”

This new funding follows in the footsteps of the 2022 Construction Housing Inflation Response Program (CHIRP) which was created by Florida Housing in response to feedback from developers that rising costs were significantly impacting construction efforts. CHIRP funding was awarded to 65 developments and maintained the viability of more than 4,000 new affordable units throughout Florida in that funding cycle.

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Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) was created by the state Legislature more than 40 years ago to serve as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA) that administers state and federal resources to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for the citizens of Florida. For more information, please visit www.floridahousing.org.

[Tallahassee, Fla.] - Florida Housing Finance Corporation's upcoming Board of Directors' Meeting will be held on Friday, April 28 at 8:30 a.m. at the Turnbull Center in Tallahassee. To view the meeting agenda and board package materials, please click here.

Event Details:
Who: Florida Housing's Board of Directors
What: Board Meeting
When: Friday, April 28, 2023, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Tallahassee Turnbull Center
             555 W Pensacola St
             Tallahassee, FL 32306
 
 For more information on this Board Meeting, please contact Sheila Freaney, Board Liaison, at 850-488-4197 or via email at Sheila.Freaney@floridahousing.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 25, 2023
CONTACT: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Communications@eog.myflorida.com 

Governor DeSantis Signs Legislation to Support Economic Development Through Record Funding for Florida’s Housing Programs

NAPLES, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill (SB) 102, the Live Local Act, representing the largest investment for housing efforts in state history. The bill invests $711 million in multiple programs to expand the availability of housing, downpayment assistance, and focused support for military communities. The investment under this legislation is nearly double the investment made in 2022-2023, which was already the highest investment in 15 years. To learn more, click here.

“This legislation provides record support for Florida’s workforce and their families to help them live where they work, while also providing historic support for our military communities and the families living near military bases,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I applaud Senator Passidomo for leading on this legislation and look forward to the support it will provide to Florida families.”

“Providing safe, quality and affordable housing for families in Florida continues to be the mission of Governor DeSantis, the Florida Legislature, and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation,” said Mike DiNapoli, Executive Director of Florida Housing Finance Corporation. “As the state’s housing finance agency, we appreciate Senate President Passidomo’s continued dedication to this issue and are honored to be entrusted with the resources to serve Floridians with their housing needs."

“When I moved here to Naples almost 43 years ago, the community was talking about the lack of housing for our workers,” said Senate President Kathleen Passidomo. “It was a problem then and remains a persistent problem in many areas of our state – that changes today! The Governor and Speaker are amazing partners in this effort. Together, we are shutting down affordable housing stereotypes and creating attainable housing options needed by the majority of our workforce, the backbone of Florida’s economy. It is clear that the broad appeal of the free state of Florida has impacted our population and our housing needs. Countless families and business owners have fled high tax, lockdown states in search of a better life. As our state continues to grow, our Live Local Act will make sure Floridians can live close to good jobs, schools, hospitals, and other critical centers of our communities that fit comfortably in their household budgets, no matter the stage of life or income.”

“The affordable housing package signed by Governor DeSantis will enable hardworking Floridians to put down roots in the communities they serve,” said House Speaker Paul Renner. “This is groundbreaking legislation that will provide Florida’s families, seniors, and workers with a safe and affordable place to live. I commend Senate President Kathleen Passidomo for her passion and tireless work to ensure affordable housing is attainable for all Floridians.”

“Today is a new day for workforce housing in the free state of Florida,” said Senator Alexis Calatayud. “The biggest housing concern we hear from young people is that there is no place for them to raise their own families in communities they grew up in, where their extended families have lived for generations. That changes today. Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, President Passidomo, and Speaker Renner, our Live Local Act is going to help bridge the gap in a meaningful way with market-driven, short-and long-term solutions that improve options for both homeownership and affordable rental units in communities across our state.”

“As our state continues to grow, we must ensure hardworking Floridians can find affordable housing near good jobs, schools, hospitals, and other critical community centers,” said Representative Demi Busatta Cabrera. “I want to thank Governor DeSantis for signing this legislation and I proud to have worked alongside Senator Alexis Calatayud, President Passidomo, and Speaker Renner to address the housing affordability crisis in our state.”

This legislation invests a record $711 million for housing projects and assistance through the Florida Housing and Finance Corporation (FHFC) to create or build upon housing programs. This includes:

• $259 million for the SAIL program to provide low interest loans to developers building workforce housing.

• $150 million of these funds are recurring for certain specified uses such as redevelopment of underused property and projects near military installations.

• $252 million for the SHIP program to provide local governments with incentives to build partnerships with developers who are preserving available housing or producing more housing.
• $100 million for the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time home buyers with a focus on law enforcement, first responders, teachers, active duty military, and military veterans.
• $100 million for FHFC to implement a loan program to alleviate inflation-related cost increases for FHFC-approved housing projects.

Additionally, this bill builds upon efforts to help Floridians afford to purchase their first home by codifying the Hometown Heroes program and increasing the borrowing limit per loan to $35,000 or 5% of the total loan amount. This bill will also broaden FHFC’s ability to invest in affordable housing for those that are currently in the foster care system or who are aging out of the system and expands eligibility for the Job Growth Grant Fund to authorize public infrastructure projects that support expanding housing opportunities.

This legislation also creates a new tax donation program to allow corporate taxpayers to direct certain tax payments to the FHFC, up to $100 million annually, to help fund the SAIL program and increases the amount of tax credits available through the Community Contribution Tax Credit Program from $14.5 million to $25 million annually. Additionally, the bill provides a sales tax refund of up to $5,000 on building materials for housing units funded through FHFC.

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[Tallahassee, Fla.] - Florida Housing Finance Corporation's upcoming Board of Directors' Meeting will be held tomorrow, Friday, March 10 at 8:30 a.m. at the Turnbull Center in Tallahassee. To view additional meeting information and board package materials, please click here.

Event Details:
Who: Florida Housing's Board of Directors
What: Board Meeting
When: Friday, March 10, 2023, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Turnbull Center
             555 W Pensacola St
             Tallahassee, FL 32306
   
For more information on this Board Meeting, please contact Sheila Freaney, Board Liaison, at 850-488-4197 or via email at Sheila.Freaney@floridahousing.org.

Tallahassee, FL - At a meeting this morning, Florida Housing Finance Corporation’s Board of Directors formally approved the appointment of Michael DiNapoli to the role of Executive Director of the Corporation. DiNapoli was recommended to the Board by Governor Ron DeSantis.

“I am honored to have received the Governor’s nomination and support from the Board to serve as the next Executive Director of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation,” said Mike DiNapoli. “I look forward to continuing the great work of Florida Housing already underway to leverage every available resource to expand workforce and affordable housing across our state.”

DiNapoli previously served as the Director of Small and Minority Business Capital for DEO, where he oversaw key business lending programs, venture capital, and small and minority business programs. He was also responsible for the Homeowner Assistance Fund, and the Emergency Bridge Loan program when activated through Executive Order by the Governor. In addition to his role at the agency, DiNapoli serves as Chairman of the Florida Development Finance Corporation, and board member for the First Housing Development Corporation of Florida.

“With more than 25 years of experience and leadership in both finance and government agency roles, we are confident that Mike is the right fit for Florida Housing and the families that we serve,” said Mario Facella, Chairman of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board. “I look forward to working with him to further Florida Housing’s mission of providing safe, quality and affordable housing for the hardworking citizens who make up this great state.”

Prior to joining DEO in 2017, DiNapoli was Senior Vice President for Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and UBS Financial in New York. DiNapoli received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Manhattan College in 1991.

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Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) was created by the state Legislature more than 40 years ago to serve as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA) that administers state and federal resources to help provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for the citizens of Florida.

[Fort Lauderdale, Fla.] - Florida Housing Finance Corporation's upcoming Board of Directors' Meeting will be held on Friday, February 10, 2023, 10:00 a.m. at the Marriott North in Fort Lauderdale. To view the meeting agenda and board package materials, please click here.

Event Details:
Who: Florida Housing's Board of Directors
What: Board Meeting
When: Friday, February 10, 2023, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Fort Lauderdale Marriott North
             6650 N Andrews Ave
             Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
 
To phone into the meeting, please use the information below:
Call in Number: 888-585-9008
Passcode: 357 546 738
 
For more information on this Board Meeting, please contact Sheila Freaney, Board Liaison, at 850-488-4197 or via email at Sheila.Freaney@floridahousing.org.

Additional Resources and Links
Meet Florida Housing's Board of Directors

Tallahassee, FL - This week, Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled his Framework for Freedom budget proposal, including more than $500 million for workforce and affordable housing and full funding of the state’s affordable housing programs, with more than $402 million dedicated to the State and Local Government Housing Trust Funds, and $100 million to continue the Hometown Heroes program, which provides down payment and closing-cost assistance for community heroes, including law enforcement, first responders, nurses, military and veterans, and educators.  Funding at this level demonstrates the Governor’s continuous commitment to providing Floridians with safe and affordable housing, a must have for our workforce and families.

“Providing safe, quality and affordable housing for families in Florida continues to be the mission of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation,” said Mario Facella, Chairman of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors. “Since taking office, Governor DeSantis has been a strong advocate for Florida’s affordable housing programs, recognizing that these funds help us meet critical housing needs for the folks that make up this great state, and in turn provide significant economic impact to our communities.”

As the state’s housing finance agency, Florida Housing successfully implements both state and federal affordable housing programs. State funding for programs such as the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) Program leverages millions of dollars in resources to incentivize developers to build more affordable rental developments statewide. The State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program provides funds to local governments to create partnerships that produce and preserve affordable homeownership and multifamily rental housing.

The Framework for Freedom Budget includes the following funding recommendations for Florida Housing’s largest affordable housing programs:

• $121.7 million for the SAIL Program.
• $281 million for the SHIP Program.
• $100 million for the second year of the Hometown Heroes Housing Program. This program makes homeownership affordable for eligible frontline community workers such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, healthcare professionals, childcare employees, and active military or veterans, by providing down payment and closing cost assistance to first-time, income-qualified homebuyers so they can purchase a primary residence in the community in which they work and serve.

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Florida Housing Finance Corporation (Florida Housing) was created by the state Legislature more than 40 years ago to serve as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA) that administers state and federal resources to help provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for the citizens of Florida.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 25, 2023
CONTACT: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Communications@eog.myflorida.com 

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Hometown Heroes Program Reaches Milestone $50 Million Awarded for Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Hometown Heroes housing assistance program has awarded more than $50 million in down payment and closing cost assistance to Florida’s hometown heroes. The program assists individuals such as law enforcement officers, educators, healthcare professionals, and active military personnel or veterans in purchasing their first home in Florida. The Hometown Heroes housing assistance program launched in June 2022 and has since assisted nearly 3,500 hometown heroes in purchasing their first home in the community that they serve.

“Law enforcement officers, first responders, veterans, nurses, and other hometown heroes have dedicated their lives to serving their communities, and deserve our thanks,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud that in just over six months we have been able to help nearly 3,500 hometown heroes purchase their first home.”

“This milestone highlights the importance of the Hometown Heroes program to so many of Florida’s hardworking families,” said Mario Facella, Chairman of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors. “In just six months, we have assisted thousands of Floridians that play an essential role in our state’s workforce in purchasing their first home. We’re grateful to Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for their dedication to housing efforts and look forward to continuing to see the positive impacts of this program."

The Hometown Heroes program provides Florida’s frontline community workers in more than 100 eligible professions with down payment and closing cost assistance to help purchase a primary residence in the communities where they work. Eligible homebuyers will receive up to 5% of their first mortgage loan amount (up to a maximum of $25,000) in down payment and closing cost assistance in the form of a 0%, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage. To qualify for this program, homebuyers must connect with one of Florida Housing’s participating loan officers, have a minimum credit score of 640, provide certification for one of the eligible occupations, and meet the income threshold for their county.

$100 million was allocated in the Freedom First Budget, signed by Governor DeSantis, for the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program. The Hometown Heroes Housing Program is available to Floridians including law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, healthcare professionals, childcare employees, and active military personnel or veterans. In July 2022, the Governor announced that the program had provided more than $12 million in down payment assistance to Florida’s hometown heroes since launching on June 1, 2022

For more information on the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program, please visit www.floridahousing.org/hometownheroes.

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[Sandestin, Fla.] - Florida Housing Finance Corporation's upcoming Board of Directors' Meeting will be held on Friday, January 27 at 8:30 a.m. at the Hilton Sandestin Resort. To view the meeting agenda and board package materials, please click here.

Event Details:
Who: Florida Housing's Board of Directors
What: Board Meeting
When: Friday, January 27, 2023, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Hilton Sandestin Beach
             4000 Sandestin Boulevard South
             Miramar Beach, FL 32550
 
To phone into the meeting, please use the information below:
Call in Number: 888-585-9008
Passcode: 357 546 738
 
For more information on this Board Meeting, please contact Sheila Freaney, Board Liaison, at 850-488-4197 or via email at Sheila.Freaney@floridahousing.org.

Additional Resources and Links
Meet Florida Housing's Board of Directors

Sent on behalf of Florida Housing Board Chair Mario Facella

It is with both sadness and gratitude that we must announce Harold L. “Trey” Price will be resigning as Executive Director of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, effective February 1, 2023.

Trey joined Florida Housing as Executive Director in March 2017 and since his appointment has played a critical role in the development and success of the Corporation. Please join us in recognizing just a few of the outstanding contributions that occurred under Trey’s leadership as he worked to advance Florida Housing’s mission of providing safe, quality, and affordable housing to all Floridians:

• With the leadership and support of Governor DeSantis, Florida Housing received full funding for the affordable housing trust funds in 2022 and with supplemental additions, the largest state allocation to housing initiatives ever - totaling over $512 million.
• Launched the Hometown Heroes Housing program with $100 million of assistance available to help eligible frontline community workers such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, health care professionals, and active military or veterans purchase a home in Florida. The Hometown Heroes program quickly became Florida Housing’s most popular homeownership program and has provided 3,228 homeowners with more than $48 million in down payment and closing cost assistance to date.
• Worked alongside state and local leaders to assist Floridians with long-term housing solutions in response to multiple catastrophic storms including Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Michael, and Hurricane Ian, in addition to other disasters.

• Following Hurricane Michael, Florida Housing established the Hurricane Michael Recovery Loan Program, which assisted more than 1,000 families by providing first mortgage assistance at record low interest rates, along with up to $15,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance. Florida Housing also financed the development of 12 new multifamily rental properties with 962 total units to replace those that were destroyed in the storm and establish new housing for low and moderate-income families in the region. This equates to a $90 million total commitment dedicated to helping the community recover from such a devastating disaster.
• Although more assistance is underway for families impacted by Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole, Florida Housing was able to award $5 million to local SHIP offices in six of the hardest hit counties in Southwest Florida to help residents whose homes were damaged in paying their costly home insurance deductibles.

• Oversaw the implementation of the Construction Housing Inflation Response Program (CHIRP) to support and work with property owners and developers to protect projects in Florida Housing’s development pipeline that were experiencing cost increases related to market inflation. Without this program more than 65 projects representing 7,400 units would have been at risk. Instead, developments received supplemental funding to fill the gap and will begin construction over the coming months to help meet the statewide demand for affordable rental units.

Prior to joining Florida Housing, Trey had his own firm, Price Point Strategies, and had previously represented Florida Realtors in Tallahassee for more than 14 years. In this capacity, he served as the liaison to Florida Housing, regularly communicating and interacting with leadership to help ensure issues regarding affordable housing were considered and included in critical discussions.

All of us on the Board, as well as Florida Housing staff, are extremely grateful for Trey’s leadership and service to the people of Florida and wish him the best of luck in future endeavors.

Trey’s last day will be February 1, 2023. During this time of transition, the Florida Housing team will continue their excellent work on all programs and initiatives that provide safe, quality, and affordable housing to thousands of Florida families each year.

Mario Facella

Chairman of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors