How do I apply?
Interested persons should contact their local SHIP office for additional information and/or to apply for the program.
Program Background: The Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program (FL HOP) — created during the 2009 regular legislative session — provides $30 million in financial assistance to first time homebuyers eligible to receive the federal first time homebuyer tax credit established through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The FL HOP program will be administered through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program; offices are located in all 67 counties and 53 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement cities. Eligible FL HOP applicants can receive up to $8,000 in purchase assistance, which is expected to be repaid by the applicant upon receipt of his/her federal tax refund.
Program Update! The federal First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit (FTHBTC) program has been officially extended as of November 6, 2009. This extension allows for homebuyers that have an executed contract on a home on or before April 30, 2010 which is closed on or by June 30, 2009 to apply for the tax credit.
This affects the Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program (FLHOP) administered through SHIP for the fiscal year 2009-2010 due to the Legislative language for FLHOP providing that if the FTHBTC is extended, then FHLOP is automatically extended.
In the extension of the FTHBTC, provisions were added to allow for a tax credit of up to $6,500 for non-first time homebuyers and for higher income limits. These provisions do not apply to FHLOP due to the Legislative language restricting FLHOP funds to first time homebuyers and to the established income limits of $75,000 for a single tax filer and $150,000 for a joint tax filers.
If you have questions regarding this extension, contact your local SHIP office.
View the program one pager for a summary of this program and how it works.
Program Resources for SHIP Offices