Florida VA Loans. Done right, the first time.

Mike Certo · Cornerstone First Mortgage · NMLS #260555 · Updated May 23, 2026

Program figures verified July 2026 — details change; confirm your scenario with us.

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Florida VA loan specialists for Veterans at every stage, from Pensacola to the Keys. Retired and settling into a forever home in The Villages, or twenty years past service and using your benefit for the first time near Jacksonville? PCS to NAS Jacksonville, MacDill, or Eglin in 60 days? A disabled Veteran trying to claim Florida's F.S. 196.081 homestead exemption in Duval or Hillsborough County? VA-specific questions that civilian loan officers in Miami and Tampa fumble through? We do this every day across all five Florida bases. Direct line: (480) 296-6513.

Get pre-approved → Talk to Mike first →

What makes a VA loan different

A VA loan isn't an exotic product — it's a standard 30-year fixed (or 15-year, or ARM) mortgage with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs backing 25% of it. That backing is what puts a Pensacola sailor or a retired Duval County Veteran into a home with the features below. And it's a lifetime benefit: separated last month or back in 1985, your eligibility in Florida never expires.

• $0 down payment For borrowers with full entitlement
• No PMI (private mortgage insurance) — the VA guarantee replaces it
• Competitive interest rates Relative to conventional 30-year financing
• Lenient credit standards: most lenders accept 580+ FICO; some go lower
• No prepayment penalty
• Assumable: a qualified buyer can take over your VA loan at its original terms (huge value in a rising market)
• VA funding fee: a one-time fee (1.25% to 3.30% of loan amount, depending on down payment and use) that goes to the VA. Waived entirely for 10%+ disability rated Veterans.

The VA also imposes some unique requirements:

• Certificate of Eligibility (COE): proof of VA loan eligibility. Mike pulls this for you in 24-48 hours.
• Minimum Property Requirements (MPR): VA appraisers flag health and safety issues. Florida-specific MPR pitfalls run to end-of-life shingle and tile roofs (which also drive insurance denials), pool safety-barrier compliance, active termite or wood-destroying-organism damage, and standing-water or drainage problems in low-lying lots. See the base pages for details.
• Residual income guideline: the VA's secondary qualification check beyond DTI. Confirms you have enough left over after monthly obligations to cover family basics. For most FL families this is easy; for stretch borrowers it can be the back-stop check.

Full eligibility breakdown →

What's new in 2026

Three things changed in 2026 that affect every Florida VA buyer — covered with the local depth we bring to every file: base-by-base markets, county tax math, and the state programs that pair with a VA loan.

1. Florida's disabled-Veteran property-tax exemption

One of the strongest Veteran benefits in the country. A 100% permanent-and-total service-connected Veteran pays no ad valorem property tax on a Florida homestead. A 10%-or-higher rating earns a $5,000 assessed-value reduction, and a Veteran 65 or older with a combat-related disability gets a percentage discount on the tax bill equal to the disability rating.

For a 100% rated Veteran, eliminating the property-tax bill can mean thousands of dollars a year in retained income. Apply with your county property appraiser by March 1. Full pillar with county-by-county application instructions →

2. Florida insurance and condo-safety rules affect what you can afford

Homeowners and (in a FEMA flood zone) flood insurance are required to close, and Florida premiums run high; Citizens Property Insurance is the state's insurer of last resort. For condos, the post-Surfside law requires a milestone structural inspection and a Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS), and lenders now want adequate reserves and no major deferred maintenance.

Practical implication: budget insurance early, and on a condo confirm the building's reserves and inspection status before you write an offer. We can place non-warrantable condo financing when a building doesn't meet agency rules.

3. 2026 VA conforming loan limit raised to $832,750 statewide

Normal VA loans follow conventional limits: $832,750 in 2026 in nearly every Florida county (Monroe County, the Keys, goes up to $990,150). What matters more: a Veteran with full entitlement can finance any priced home with $0 down using a VA jumbo. We finance VA jumbo loans over $5M for full-entitlement Veterans with no money down. Full loan limits guide →

What we do

We handle the full VA loan menu from Pensacola to the Keys:

• Purchase loans: Active-duty at MacDill or Eglin, retired, surviving spouse. $0 down standard, funding fee waived for 10%+ disability ratings.
• VA jumbo: Loans above the $832,750 county limit for full-entitlement borrowers, common in Miami-Dade, the Keys (Monroe, $990,150), and coastal South Florida.
• IRRRL (Interest Rate Reduction Refinance): the VA streamline refi. No income docs, no appraisal, no funding fee for disability-waiver Veterans; useful for a Jacksonville homeowner when the market improves.
• Cash-out refi: Pull equity for debt consolidation or home improvement, often to fund hurricane hardening on an older Panhandle or Space Coast home.
• Disability rating refunds: If your VA rating posts after closing, you may be owed a funding-fee refund. The VA and your servicer process it — start at va.gov's funding fee page.
• Surviving spouse loans: Full benefits for qualifying surviving spouses, plus we flag the F.S. 196.081 homestead exemption that can carry to you. We handle the COE and entitlement paperwork.

For buyers without VA eligibility — military spouses, civilians — Mike also originates conventional, FHA, and Florida Hometown Heroes financing through Cornerstone's full menu.

Pick your base

Not tied to a base? A large share of the Florida Veterans we work with are retired or long-separated — buying a forever home in The Villages, right-sizing near Sarasota, or using the benefit for the first time on the Space Coast. Start with the retiring-in-Florida guide instead.

Every base gets its own deep page. Not a paragraph. Not a templated stub. 4,500-8,000 words per base covering BAH by rank, neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown, school districts, commute by gate, on-base housing waitlist reality, base-specific MPR pitfalls, and a 45-day PCS timeline. Start with NAS Jacksonville — it's the largest section and serves as the model.

Tools

The BAH calculator actually accounts for FL summer utility reality. $300-$450 a month in July-August for a Miami home. It's built into your number, so the house you pick is one you can comfortably afford. Run your numbers →

• BAH Calculator: Pick your base, pick your rank, see what BAH actually covers (including FL summer utility reality).
• VA Loan Limits 2026: County-by-county limits plus VA jumbo guidance.
• Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption (Florida disabled-Veteran property-tax exemption): Full pillar including county application instructions.
• Eligibility Guide: COE process, surviving spouse rules, reservist eligibility, entitlement restoration.

How we work

A few things that should be true of any Florida lending team, and aren't always:

• Direct line, real human. Call (480) 296-6513 during business hours and you reach the person who owns your file — usually Mike. Whether you're closing in Duval County or the Panhandle, our team calls you back within 5 minutes during business hours. No call center, no rotating representatives.
• Built for Florida underwriting. We plan for the two things that blow up Florida closings: homeowners-wind insurance and, in a FEMA flood zone, flood coverage. We line up quotes early so a Tampa or Jacksonville appraisal doesn't stall on an uninsurable roof. We never sell your contact information.
• Honest about pricing. We quote your real number for your actual scenario, factoring Florida insurance and the disabled-Veteran homestead exemption where it applies. If another offer genuinely beats ours and the math holds, we tell you to take it.
• Documented. Every decision in your file gets a paper trail. If a condo's post-Surfside reserve study or a wind-mitigation report snags underwriting, you'll know exactly why and what we're doing about it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if I'm eligible for a VA loan?

Eligibility turns on three things: qualifying service (active duty 90+ days wartime, 181+ days peacetime, or 6+ years National Guard/Reserve — including Florida guardsmen out of Camp Blanding); an honorable or general-under-honorable discharge; and enough remaining entitlement for the Duval, Hillsborough, or Escambia County home you want. The Certificate of Eligibility confirms it, and Mike pulls it from the VA in 24-48 hours. Full eligibility guide →

Can I use a VA loan more than once?

Yes — entitlement is restorable. Pay off a prior VA loan and the entitlement comes back in full. Keep an out-of-state home as a rental and buy a second one near MacDill or NAS Pensacola, and partial entitlement applies against the $832,750 Florida county baseline. Mike runs the used-versus-remaining math before you write the offer.

Do I need a 20% down payment?

No — that's a conventional rule, not the VA rule. With full entitlement, $0 down is the Florida standard. Some buyers still put 5-10% down to trim the funding fee, and in Florida that extra cash sometimes goes instead toward a stronger insurance escrow or wind-mitigation upgrades. Mike models both so you keep reserves for hurricane season.

What's a VA funding fee and is it waived for me?

The VA funding fee is a one-time fee (1.25%-3.30% of the loan, depending on down payment and whether it's your first VA use) that keeps the program self-funding. It's waived entirely for borrowers with a 10% or higher VA disability rating. On a typical Florida purchase near Jacksonville or Tampa, that waiver is a $5K-$15K savings — and a 100% rated Veteran can stack it with the F.S. 196.081 homestead exemption.

Can I use a VA loan to buy a second home or investment property?

No. The VA requires the home to be your primary residence, occupied within 60 days of closing — so a Keys vacation place doesn't qualify. The exception is a 2-4 unit property where you live in one unit and rent the others, still a primary residence in the VA's eyes. For a straight Florida rental, conventional or DSCR financing applies.

Talk to Mike

If you've read this far, you've likely decided whether a Florida VA loan fits your move. The next step is a free 30-minute call, and our team calls you back within 5 minutes during business hours. No pressure, no script, no follow-up sales calls.

Bring your orders if you're PCSing to MacDill or NAS Jacksonville, your latest LES or pay stub, and any questions about base, neighborhood, insurance, or the disabled-Veteran homestead exemption. We'll walk through your actual Florida numbers.

(480) 296-6513 · mcerto@cfmtg.com · NMLS #260555

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Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. This site is educational and not a commitment to lend. Loans subject to buyer and property qualification. Florida lending is conducted under Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855.

Tax, legal, and property assessment information on this site (including Florida disabled-Veteran property-tax exemption coverage and county-by-county application notes) is provided for general information purposes only. Mike Certo is a mortgage loan originator, not a tax professional or attorney. Consult a licensed Florida CPA, enrolled agent, or attorney for tax or legal advice specific to your situation. All cited statutes, agency forms, and program rules are linked to original sources for verification.