A state with a diverse history and varied population; the first inhabitants of the peninsula date back over 14,000 years. In 1514, Ponce de Leon of Spain led the first European expedition of Florida. In the ensuing years, Florida traded hands between the Spanish, French, British and Americans several times, leading to numerous cultural influences throughout the area that are obvious to this day. The territory was ceded to the U.S. from Spain in 1821 after it was determined a drain on resources. Made into an American territory in 1822, Florida was granted statehood in 1845, becoming the nation’s 27th state. The nineteenth-century population of Florida was roughly half enslaved African-Americans, who were working on plantations, cultivating cotton and sugar. The state is also famous for housing marooned Africans, living freely at the same time. These enclaves became known as the Black Seminoles. The state’s population under went further diversification as a result of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, which led to an influx of Cuban migration to southern Florida.
Today the population of Florida, which exceeds 18 million, is 23 percent Hispanic and 16 percent African-American. The economy, which has shifted many times since its inception; driven by the nineteen metropolitan areas falling within the states boundary, tourism, biomedical, life sciences, health-care research and retirement are the state’s most prominent industries.
The veteran population of the state is roughly 1.5 million, ranking it with California and Texas as the states with the highest concentration of veterans.
Bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the 4th most populous state in the country. With 237 sunny days a year, tropical weather, and pristine beaches, residents often say, “Florida has it all.” For many people, living in Florida is like being on vacation every day. In addition to the stunning natural beauty of the state, there are also several major metropolitan areas, including Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
Popular tourist destinations in the state include the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orland Resort, Busch Gardens, and SeaWorld. Approximately 60 million tourists travel to Florida annually.
A great place to purchase a home using a VA home loan, Florida provides property tax exemptions to disabled veterans meeting certain criteria. A $5,000 exemption is available to veterans with a service-related disability of 10 percent or more. Those who suffer a permanent and complete disability are entitled to a total exemption.
The cost of living in the Sunshine State is 1.3 percent lower than that of the national Average. The unemployment rate of 5.7 percent is also below the American average, and the state has experienced job growth of over three percent.
Flordia is an appealing destination for veteran homeowners because of the array of great deals that can be found on properties, including short sale and foreclosed homes. If you’re planning to buy a home in Florida using a VA home loan, a termite inspection is required. Heating systems are not required in a number of the south Florida counties, including Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dad, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Monroe and Palm Beach. Additional guidelines include the fact that Staff Appraisal Reviewers can change the appraiser’s estimate of value (but rarely will), and refinancing of new construction condominiums may not be eligible. Buying a new construction condo is permitted, but the condo has to be approved by the VA and the borrower can’t receive a gift, grant, down payment assistance or a loan from a family member to cover closing costs. Attached new construction PUDs are also required to meet a 50 percent presale requirement.
Florida Home Loan Limit Information
The loan limits below are the maximum 2022, $0 down VA loan amount set for each county.
- Alachua County: $647,200
- Baker County: $647,200
- Bay County: $647,200
- Bradford County: $647,200
- Brevard County: $647,200
- Broward County: $647,200
- Calhoun County: $647,200
- Charlotte County: $647,200
- Citrus County: $647,200
- Clay County: $647,200
- Collier County: $647,200
- Columbia County: $647,200
- Desoto County: $647,200
- Dixie County: $647,200
- Duval County: $647,200
- Escambia County: $647,200
- Flagler County: $647,200
- Franklin County: $647,200
- Gadsden County: $647,200
- Gilchrist County: $647,200
- Glades County: $647,200
- Gulf County: $647,200
- Hamilton County: $647,200
- Hardee County: $647,200
- Hendry County: $647,200
- Hernando County: $647,200
- Highlands County: $647,200
- Hillsborough County: $647,200
- Holmes County: $647,200
- Indian River County: $647,200
- Jackson County: $647,200
- Jefferson County: $647,200
- Lafayette County: $647,200
- Lake County: $647,200
- Lee County: $647,200
- Leon County: $647,200
- Levy County: $647,200
- Liberty County: $647,200
- Madison County: $647,200
- Manatee County: $647,200
- Marion County: $647,200
- Martin County: $647,200
- Miami-Dade County: $647,200
- Monroe County: $710,700
- Nassau County: $647,200
- Okaloosa County: $647,200
- Okeechobee County: $647,200
- Orange County: $647,200
- Osceola County: $647,200
- Palm Beach County: $647,200
- Pasco County: $647,200
- Pinellas County: $647,200
- Polk County: $647,200
- Putnam County: $647,200
- Santa Rosa County: $647,200
- Sarasota County: $647,200
- Seminole County: $647,200
- St. Johns County: $647,200
- St. Lucie County: $647,200
- Sumter County: $647,200
- Suwannee County: $647,200
- Taylor County: $647,200
- Union County: $647,200
- Volusia County: $647,200
- Wakulla County: $647,200
- Walton County: $647,200
- Washington County: $647,200
Military Bases In Florida
There are over 20 military installations in the state of Florida.
They include:
- Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC)
- Blount Island Command
- Camp Blanding
- Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center
- Eglin Air Force Base
- Hurlburt Field
- Integrated Support Command (ISC) Miami
- MacDill Air Force Base
- Naval Support Activity Panama City
- Naval Warfare Center
- Naval Air Station Jacksonville
- Naval Air Station Key West
- Naval Air Station Pensacola
- Naval Air Station Whiting Field
- Naval Station Mayport
- Naval Hospital Jacksonville
- Patrick Air Force Base
- Tyndall Air Force Base
- USCG Air Station Clearwater
- USCG Auxiliary 7th District