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The Daily Check

County program

Okaloosa County / City of Fort Walton Beach SHIP Owner Occupied Rehabilitation

Okaloosa County AND City of Fort Walton Beach are covered by this SAME plan (confirmed by the LHAP's own title and Section I.A, which lists 'Does this LHAP contain an interlocal agreement? Yes - City of Fort Walton Beach'). Whether Destin, Crestview and Niceville residents use this same county plan or a separate city program was NOT confirmed this pass - see unverified.

What it can pay for

Run by
Okaloosa County Housing Program, under a JOINT interlocal SHIP Local Housing Assistance Plan with the City of Fort Walton Beach
Where
Okaloosa County, Florida
Status
Call to check
Status note
Two directly conflicting signals found. (1) The county's own housing webpage (myokaloosa.com/housing), read 9/29/2026, states: 'The SHIP Purchase Assistance Program is temporarily closed, and we are currently not accepting applications' - but this sentence names Purchase Assistance specifically, not Owner Occupied Rehabilitation, so it may not apply to the repair strategy at all. (2) An official Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners Facebook post from within the last ~1-2 months (relative to 9/29/2026) says the county is 'Now accepting State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP)...' applications. A county Public Notice also shows that as of 7/1/2025 the county began accepting applications for 'Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation and Purchase Assistance' strategies under a new NOFA. These sources were not fully reconciled - call the Housing Program directly (850-651-7167) to get the current status before telling a homeowner this is open or closed.
Most it pays
$75,000
Terms
Deferred payment loan secured by a recorded mortgage and note. 0% interest. 5-year loan term, forgiven at the rate of 20% per year. No repayment required if the loan stays in good standing. Loan becomes due and payable in full on: sale/transfer/conveyance of the property, conversion to a rental, loss of homestead exemption status, or failure to occupy the home as primary residence. A SHIP-eligible heir may assume the loan if the owner dies during the term.
Who qualifies
Very low, low and moderate income are all served. The exact dollar income-limit table for the Okaloosa/Fort Walton Beach area was not extracted from the LHAP text available this pass (it references www.floridahousing.org's annually-updated HUD figures rather than printing a table in the body text read) - confirm current figures at floridahousing.org before quoting a number.
Other rules
All strategies serve households meeting Florida's 'Special Needs' definition (s. 420.0004(13), F.S.) FIRST, before very-low/low income set-asides, then essential service personnel. The county specifically names Okaloosa County Council on Aging as a partner agency for meeting its 20% Special Needs set-aside, with emphasis on 'home modifications and enhancements that will allow homeowners to remain independent and in their own homes.'
How to apply
Contact the Okaloosa County Housing Program to check current application status and be screened.
Official source
myokaloosa.com
Last checked
September 29, 2026