Franklin County, Florida: A Local Guide for Home Buyers and Homeowners

Franklin County covers 544.98 square miles of land where the Apalachicola River reaches Apalachicola Bay, with St. George Island out front, and about 13,000 people call it home. Every November the county seat hosts the Florida Seafood Festival, billed as Florida’s Oldest Maritime Event.

Here’s what we’d walk you through if you called us about a home in Franklin County: the towns and the island, how the loan limits work, which county and state programs can help with the down payment, homestead and the courthouse offices, storm prep, and the calls to make after you move.

Every source for this guide is listed at the bottom of the page.

  • County seatApalachicola
  • FoundedFebruary 8, 1832
  • PopulationAbout 13,000
  • Land area544.98 sq mi
  • Named forBenjamin Franklin
  • FHA limit, 1 unit$541,287 in 2026
  • Conventional limit, 1 unit$832,750 in 2026
  • School districtFranklin County School District

Cities and communities across Franklin County

Franklin County has two cities, Apalachicola and Carrabelle. Eastpoint and St. George Island are census-designated places, and Lanark Village is an unincorporated community. The county was created on February 8, 1832, and named for Benjamin Franklin. Building permits for the whole county are searchable online at citizenserve.com/franklin.

Apalachicola

Apalachicola is the county seat, with the Franklin County Courthouse at 33 Market Street holding the Property Appraiser, the Tax Collector and the county offices. Battery Park, downtown at the mouth of the Apalachicola River, is where the Florida Seafood Festival sets up each fall, and the Apalachicola Margaret Key Library has served the town for more than 100 years.

Carrabelle

Carrabelle is the county’s other city, about 25 miles east of Apalachicola. The Tax Collector’s Carrabelle Annex is at 912 N.W. Avenue A, so east-end owners can handle county tax business without driving to the courthouse.

Eastpoint

Eastpoint is a census-designated place that holds two county offices: the Franklin County School District at 85 School Road and the Board of County Commissioners at 243 US Hwy 98.

St. George Island

St. George Island is the barrier island in front of Apalachicola Bay. Its east end is Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park, with miles of undeveloped Gulf beach on one side and bayside marsh on the other.

Lanark Village

Lanark Village was built after World War II out of former Army officers’ quarters. During the war the Army used much of Franklin County for amphibious and jungle training.

Buying a home in Franklin County, and how the loan limits work

Franklin’s homes sit in a handful of very different settings: Apalachicola at the river mouth, Eastpoint, Carrabelle and Lanark Village to the east, and St. George Island out in front of the bay. A county this size records only a few sales a month, so prices bounce around and any figure we printed here would mislead you within weeks. Tell us the street, the island or the town and we’ll pull the sales that match it.

If you’re renting in Apalachicola, Eastpoint or Carrabelle, call 888-601-8344 and we’ll show you what the same monthly money could carry as a mortgage on a home in Franklin County.

Franklin County’s SHIP plan also supports community land trust homes, which come with 99-year ground leases and resale restrictions on what the home can later sell for. Ask us about one if you find it; the land trust rules shape the loan.

The FHA and Conventional limits for Franklin County are in the table below. HUD and FHFA set new ones every January, and the table updates itself when they do.

Loan limits in Franklin County for 2026 Maximum loan
FHA, single-family home $541,287
FHA, two-unit home $693,050
FHA, three-unit home $837,700
FHA, four-unit home $1,041,125
Conventional, single-family home $832,750

HUD sets the FHA limits and FHFA sets the Conventional limits for every county, and both change each January. This table refreshes itself from HUD's published figures.

Here’s the FHA minimum as an example: buy a $325,000 home and 3.5% down is $11,375, and down payment assistance can cover part or all of that. Call or text us at 954-816-8820 with the address, on the island or in town, and we’ll run the payment with taxes and insurance built in.

Down payment help for Franklin County buyers

Franklin County has its own SHIP purchase program, and Florida Housing’s statewide programs work here too. They don’t all open and close on the same calendar, so the best move is to look at the county and state options together before you shop.

Franklin County SHIP Purchase Assistance

Franklin County’s SHIP plan gives first-time buyers down payment and closing cost help on new or existing homes, community land trust homes included. It’s a 0% deferred loan that’s forgiven a piece at a time over its term while you live in the home, and the amount steps up as household income goes down. You need a first mortgage approval and an accepted contract before you apply.

Franklin’s SHIP office opens and closes its application window as state funding and its own systems allow, and it posts a public notice on the county SHIP page when files are being taken. Before you put in an offer in Apalachicola or Eastpoint, we check that page and the current award amounts for you. Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll tell you where Franklin SHIP stands for your purchase.

Franklin County SHIP page

Franklin County SHIP help for current owners

The same SHIP plan covers owners too: owner-occupied rehab, emergency repairs, demolition and reconstruction on a long-term deferred loan, and disaster recovery grants after a declared disaster.

Repair money follows the same funding cycle as purchase help. If a roof or a repair can’t wait on a county opening, call 888-601-8344 and we’ll see whether a cash-out refinance on your Franklin home can pay for it now.

Franklin County SHIP plan (PDF)

Florida Hometown Heroes (statewide)

Hometown Heroes is a Florida Housing program for buyers who work full time for a Florida-based employer in health care, K-12 schools, first response, public safety, the courts or licensed child care. Active-duty military qualify with any employer at all; veterans, Reserve and National Guard members need a full-time job with a Florida-based employer, on the coast or off it. Remote jobs, part-time jobs and offer letters don’t count.

You get a 30-year fixed first mortgage plus a 0% second for down payment and closing costs. The second has no monthly payment and gets repaid when you sell, refinance or pay off the home, or stop living there; it isn’t forgiven. Plan on a homebuyer education course, which can be taken online, and on moving in within 60 days.

Florida Housing assistance is once in a lifetime, so it’s worth spending on the right house on the bay or the island with the right lender behind it. Florida Housing reserves the money loan by loan and its limits vary by county, so call 888-601-8344 before you shop Franklin County and we’ll check what Hometown Heroes will do here.

Official program page

FL Assist, HLP and HFA Preferred (statewide)

Each of these needs a Florida Housing first mortgage. FL Assist is a 0% deferred second with no monthly payment, paid back when you sell, refinance, transfer the home or move out, and it works with FHA, VA, USDA and the Conventional HFA Preferred and HFA Advantage firsts. The HLP second is repaid with a small fixed payment each month across 30 years. HFA Advantage PLUS adds a second to a Freddie Mac Conventional first that Florida Housing forgives over 5 years while the Franklin house is your home.

Florida Housing counts you as a first-time buyer if you haven’t owned a primary residence in the past 3 years; veterans with a DD-214 can be exempt. Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll tell you which Florida Housing second does the most for you on a Carrabelle or Apalachicola purchase.

Official program page

We also offer FHA 100% financing, a 96.5% FHA first mortgage with a down payment assistance second behind it, so the down payment doesn’t have to come from your savings. Call 888-601-8344 before you put in an offer in Franklin County, and we’ll check which of these programs is funded that week and how it lines up with your loan.

Property taxes and your homestead exemption

The Franklin County Property Appraiser takes homestead applications from owners who make the home their primary residence. The exemption can take as much as $50,000 off your taxable value: the first $25,000 applies to every property tax, and the additional amount applies to non-school taxes.

Florida sets homestead by who owns the home on January 1, and the application (Form DR-501) is due March 1 of the year after you buy. Both the Property Appraiser and the Tax Collector work out of the courthouse at 33 Market Street in Apalachicola, so one trip covers both.

Once you’re homesteaded, Save Our Homes keeps your assessed value from climbing more than 3% a year or the change in CPI, whichever is lower. Sell later and buy another Florida homestead, and portability can move some or all of that difference to the new house.

Most buyers with a mortgage pay property taxes through escrow, and we’ll build that into the payment we quote you.

Franklin County Property Appraiser

33 Market Street, Suite 101, Apalachicola, FL 32320

Phone: (850) 653-9236

Homestead filing and property search: franklincountypa.net

Tax bills and payments: Franklin County Tax Collector, 33 Market Street, Suite 202, (850) 653-9323, and the Carrabelle Annex at 912 N.W. Avenue A, (850) 275-9890

Storms, flood zones and insurance on the bay

When Hurricane Michael came ashore as a Category 5 in October of 2018, the National Weather Service put southwestern Franklin County under an Extreme Wind Warning. With a barrier island, a river mouth and miles of bay shoreline, check the flood zone on every Franklin County purchase.

The county’s Planning and Building office posts flood protection information for property owners, and it’s worth reading before you shop. Franklin County Emergency Management works out of 28 Airport Road in Apalachicola.

  • Read the county’s flood protection information and check the home’s flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center before you make an offer. A home on the bay or the island that maps into a high-risk zone, one starting with A or V, needs flood insurance for an FHA, VA or other federally backed loan.
  • Line up a homeowners quote before you’re under contract, and ask whether a wind mitigation inspection can lower the premium on a coastal house.
  • Search past permits on the house at citizenserve.com/franklin to see what work has been done since the last storm.
  • Save Franklin County Emergency Management’s contact: 28 Airport Road, Apalachicola, (850) 653-8977, franklinemergencymanagement.com.

Jobs, schools and getting around

Timber and fishing are Franklin County’s long-standing industries, and tourism has grown alongside them. The seafood heritage shows up every November at the Florida Seafood Festival in Apalachicola, and the county’s history shows up in Lanark Village, built from Army officers’ quarters after World War II, when much of the county served as an amphibious and jungle training ground.

Schools and colleges

Public schools are run by the Franklin County School District, with its office at 85 School Road in Eastpoint.

Gulf Coast State College’s Gulf/Franklin Campus, next door in Port St. Joe, serves Franklin County students.

Getting around

Carrabelle is about 25 miles east of Apalachicola. The county commission office is on US Hwy 98 in Eastpoint, the school district office is on School Road there, and Emergency Management is at 28 Airport Road in Apalachicola.

Island, bay and the seafood festival

St. George Island State Park

Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park has miles of undeveloped Gulf beach, bayside marshes for wading birds and fishing, scrub and pine trails, a boat ramp and a kayak launch at 1900 E. Gulf Beach Drive. Check the park page for which facilities are open before a weekend trip.

Florida Seafood Festival

The Florida Seafood Festival fills Battery Park in Apalachicola in early November, and it bills itself as Florida’s Oldest Maritime Event. Expect oyster eating and oyster shucking contests, Blue Crab Races, a parade and the 5K Redfish Run.

Apalachicola River and Bay

The Apalachicola River reaches the bay right at downtown Apalachicola, and the bay’s marshes support wading birds and saltwater fish. Tate’s Hell State Forest reaches into the county too.

Apalachicola Margaret Key Library

The Apalachicola Margaret Key Library is an independent library with more than 100 years of service in town.

Lanark Village

Lanark Village was built after World War II out of former Army officers’ quarters. During the war the Army used much of Franklin County for amphibious and jungle training, and the village grew out of that wartime footprint.

Moving to Franklin County: your first-month checklist

  • Electric and water: ask the seller which providers serve the house, and set up service before closing day.
  • Tax Collector: Apalachicola office at 33 Market Street, Suite 202, (850) 653-9323, or the Carrabelle Annex at 912 N.W. Avenue A, (850) 275-9890.
  • Homestead: take Form DR-501 to Suite 101 at the courthouse by March 1 of the year after you close.
  • County government: franklincountyflorida.com, Franklin County Courthouse, 33 Market Street, Apalachicola, (850) 653-8861.
  • Notifications: sign up for county alerts at franklincountyflorida.com/franklin-county-notifications.
  • Hurricane season: Franklin County Emergency Management, (850) 653-8977.

Buying or refinancing in Franklin County with AAA Capital Funding

Buying a home

FHA is the loan most of our Franklin County buyers use: 3.5% down, flexible credit guidelines, and it pairs with the down payment programs above. Eligible veterans can use a VA loan with no down payment, and we also write Conventional loans, Hometown Heroes, FHA 100% financing and DSCR loans for a rental on the island or in town.

AAA Capital Funding has been a licensed Florida mortgage broker since 1997, and we lend in all 67 Florida counties statewide, from Apalachicola and Carrabelle to Key West. We take your file to multiple wholesale lenders and tell you what you qualify for before you fall for a house on the bay.

Refinancing the home you have

A refinance on a Franklin County home can lower the payment, raise cash for a roof or hurricane shutters, clear higher-interest debt, or buy a relative or co-owner off the title.

Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll lay your current payment next to the new one, with the cash out and the closing costs, so you’re choosing from real figures on your own house.

Franklin County questions we hear a lot

What is the FHA loan limit in Franklin County, Florida?

Franklin’s current FHA limits for one to four units, along with the one-unit Conventional limit, are in the table on this page. HUD and FHFA reset them every January, and the table updates when they publish.

Is there down payment assistance in Franklin County?

Yes. The county runs SHIP purchase assistance, and Florida Housing’s Hometown Heroes and FL Assist work here too. The county posts a notice on its SHIP page when it’s taking applications, so call us and we’ll check what’s taking applications for your address before you write an offer.

Can I use SHIP to buy a community land trust home in Franklin County?

Yes. Franklin County’s SHIP plan covers community land trust purchases, which come with a 99-year ground lease and resale restrictions.

When do I file for homestead in Franklin County?

By March 1 of the year after you buy, with the Franklin County Property Appraiser in Suite 101 at 33 Market Street. Ownership on January 1 sets the year, so whatever month you close, the filing is due the following March 1.

Do I need flood insurance in Franklin County?

When FEMA maps the house in a high-risk zone, a federally backed mortgage requires flood coverage. Outside those zones it’s optional, but on an island and bay county it’s worth getting a quote either way.

Sources for this guide (19)
  1. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Franklin County, FL
  2. Franklin County, Florida (Wikipedia, history and economy)
  3. Franklin County government
  4. Franklin County SHIP
  5. Florida Housing: Franklin County SHIP plan
  6. Florida Housing: Hometown Heroes
  7. Florida Housing: Homebuyer programs
  8. Florida Department of Revenue: Homestead exemption brochure
  9. Florida Department of Revenue: Property tax exemptions
  10. Franklin County Property Appraiser
  11. Franklin County Tax Collector
  12. National Weather Service: Hurricane Michael
  13. Franklin County Emergency Management
  14. Franklin County: Flood protection information
  15. Florida Department of Education: school districts
  16. Gulf Coast State College: campus locations
  17. Florida State Parks: Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island
  18. Florida Seafood Festival
  19. FEMA Flood Map Service Center

AAA Capital Funding, Inc. NMLS #374739. Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700. Licensed Florida mortgage broker serving Franklin County and all 67 Florida counties since 1997. Equal Housing Opportunity.

You work with the same person from start to finish, in every county in Florida.

We've been closing Florida loans since 1997, in all 67 counties. If you want to know what's possible in Franklin County, call 888-601-8344 or text 954-816-8820. One call, under ten minutes. No application needed to start.

AAA Capital Funding, Inc. · NMLS #374739 · Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700