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

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Wakulla County covers 606 square miles of national forest, rivers and Gulf coast, and about 38,000 people live here. It’s named for the Wakulla River, and Wakulla Springs, one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs, stays at about 70 degrees.

This page is for anyone buying in Crawfordville, Sopchoppy or along the coast, or refinancing a home here. It covers the towns and coastal communities, where the loan limits are, where down payment help comes from, homestead, what Hermine, Idalia and Helene did to the coast, and the offices you’ll call after you move in.

Every source used for this guide appears at the bottom of the page.

County seatCrawfordville (unincorporated)
Founded1843, from Leon County
PopulationAbout 38,000
Land area606 sq mi
Main highwaysUS 319, US 98, SR 61
FHA limit, 1 unit$541,287 in 2026
Conventional limit, 1 unit$832,750 in 2026
School districtWakulla County School District

Cities and areas
Homes and loan limits
Down payment help
Property taxes
Storms and insurance
Jobs, schools, commute
Parks and local favorites
Moving checklist
Buying or refinancing

Crawfordville, Sopchoppy and the Wakulla coast

Crawfordville is the county seat, but it’s unincorporated. Sopchoppy is the largest municipality in Wakulla County. Other communities include St. Marks, Panacea, Medart, Shadeville, Newport and Shell Point.

Wakulla was created from Leon County in 1843. The name may come from a Timucuan word meaning “spring of water” or “mysterious water,” though the origin is disputed. The county’s three main rivers are the Wakulla, the St. Marks and the Ochlockonee. Port Leon, once a Wakulla County town, was destroyed by a hurricane.

Crawfordville

Crawfordville sits on US 319 (Crawfordville Highway), about 18 miles south of Tallahassee International Airport. County government, the Property Appraiser and the school district office all have Crawfordville addresses, and the rail-trail’s main trailhead is at 1358 Old Woodville Road.

St. Marks

St. Marks sits at the southern end of the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail, with seafood restaurants, fishing and San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park. Its waterfront is a small commercial seaport.

Panacea and Ochlockonee Bay

Panacea and Ochlockonee Bay support small commercial fishing fleets, and seafood is one of the county’s main local businesses.

Sopchoppy

Sopchoppy is the county’s largest municipality and home of the Worm Gruntin’ Festival. Ochlockonee River State Park is here too, where the Ochlockonee and Dead rivers meet.

Shell Point Beach

Shell Point Beach is a coastal community where a USGS sensor measured Hurricane Helene’s surge at 6.53 feet above mean higher high water in 2024.

Buying in Wakulla, and the loan limits

Wakulla homes fall into two broad groups. Inland, Crawfordville is the county seat on US 319, with communities such as Medart and Shadeville nearby, and Wakulla holds a big piece of Apalachicola National Forest. On the coast, St. Marks, Newport, Shell Point, Panacea and Ochlockonee Bay sit near the water, and Sopchoppy is home to Ochlockonee River State Park. Wakulla is part of the Tallahassee metro, and Tallahassee International Airport is about 18 miles north of Crawfordville.

If you rent in Crawfordville or Medart, call 888-601-8344 and we’ll set your rent next to what a mortgage payment on a Wakulla home would run.

The FHA and Conventional limits for Wakulla County are in the table below. HUD and FHFA reset them every January, and the table takes its numbers from HUD’s published list.

Loan limits in Wakulla 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.

On a $225,000 purchase, FHA’s 3.5% minimum down payment is $7,875, and down payment assistance can cover part or all of that. Call or text us at 954-816-8820 with the house you like, whether it’s off Crawfordville Highway or near Shell Point, and we’ll work out your payment and cash to close.

If you’re shopping near the water, pull the flood zone before you make an offer. Idalia’s flooding in 2023 put water under raised beachfront homes, and flood insurance changes the monthly payment.

Down payment help for Wakulla County buyers

Wakulla buyers can look to the county’s SHIP affordable housing program and to Florida Housing’s statewide programs, which work on a home anywhere in the county. Each program has its own income rules and its own funding calendar, so we describe what each is here and check the rest by phone.

Wakulla County affordable housing (SHIP)

Wakulla County runs a SHIP affordable housing program with an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee that reviews how the county uses its state housing money. The county doesn’t post its purchase terms on its home page, so the details come from the county office at (850) 926-0919.

Whether SHIP sets aside money for buyers, and how much, depends on the county’s plan and that year’s state funding. Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll ask the county in Crawfordville whether any SHIP purchase money is available before you write an offer.

County housing notice

Florida Hometown Heroes (statewide)

Florida Hometown Heroes covers a home anywhere in Wakulla County. It pairs a Florida Housing 30-year fixed first mortgage with a 0% down payment and closing cost second that has no monthly payment and is repaid, not forgiven, when you sell, refinance, pay off the first or stop living in the home. At least one Wakulla buyer has to 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 service members in Wakulla qualify with any employer; veterans and Reserve or National Guard members qualify by working full time for a Florida-based employer. You also complete a homebuyer education course and apply through a participating lender or broker. Florida Housing help is once in a lifetime, so save it for the right Wakulla home and the right lender. Call 888-601-8344 first and we’ll confirm Hometown Heroes is reserving funds and what it pays on your purchase.

Official program page

FL Assist and HFA Preferred / HFA Advantage (statewide)

Florida Housing’s first mortgage is what these ride behind: FHA, VA, USDA or Conventional HFA Preferred or HFA Advantage. Florida Assist is a 0% deferred second with no monthly payment, repaid on sale, refinance, transfer or when you move out. The FL HLP second carries a small fixed monthly payment over 30 years, and HFA Advantage PLUS adds a second that’s forgiven over 5 years while you live in the home.

Florida Housing reserves these loan by loan, and they can run out. Text us at 954-816-8820 with the St. Marks, Panacea or Crawfordville address and we’ll tell you which one is funded and which one works best for that purchase.

Official program page

With FHA 100% financing, a 96.5% FHA first mortgage and a down payment assistance second together cover the price, so the down payment doesn’t have to come out of your savings. Call us before you write an offer in Wakulla and we’ll check which programs have funds that week and how each one stacks with your loan.

Property taxes and your homestead exemption

Once the Wakulla home is your primary residence, file for the Florida homestead exemption with the Property Appraiser’s office on Crawfordville Highway. The exemption trims up to $50,000 from your taxable value, the Save Our Homes cap then limits how fast the assessment can rise, and some or all of that savings can be carried to your next Florida homestead.

File by March 1 of the year after you buy. Ownership on January 1 decides the tax year, and missing the date can mean a full year’s tax bill without the exemption.

Buyers with a mortgage usually escrow their taxes, and the servicer sends the payment to the Tax Collector each year.

Wakulla County Property Appraiser

3115-A Crawfordville Hwy., Crawfordville, FL 32327

Phone: (850) 926-0500

Property search: qPublic for Wakulla County

Tax bills and payments: Wakulla County Tax Collector

Hurricanes and storm surge on the Wakulla coast

Hurricane Hermine came ashore in 2016 just east of St. Marks, near the Wakulla-Jefferson line, as an 80 mph Category 1. It was the first hurricane landfall on the Apalachee Bay coast since 1966, and preliminary estimates put Wakulla’s storm surge at 4 to 6 feet of inundation.

Hurricane Idalia in 2023 knocked out power to nearly half of Wakulla’s electric customers. Minor to low-end moderate coastal flooding closed numerous roads and put water under raised beachfront homes.

A year later, in 2024, Hurricane Helene pushed 5 to 7 feet of surge above ground from the Econfina River west to the Ochlockonee River. The water reached 6.53 feet above mean higher high water at Shell Point Beach and 2 to 3 feet at St. Marks, and Wakulla saw minor to moderate structural damage.

If you’re offering on anything in Panacea, Shell Point or St. Marks, pull up the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center first. When FEMA shows a high-risk zone, an FHA, VA or other federally backed loan comes with a flood insurance requirement.
Use Florida’s Know Your Zone lookup to see a Wakulla address’s evacuation zone.
Get a homeowners quote early, and earlier still for a home on the coast. The roof’s age is a big part of what you’ll pay, and a wind mitigation inspection can bring the premium down.
Sign up for Alert Wakulla, run by the Sheriff’s Office emergency management.

Work, schools and getting around

Seafood is one of Wakulla’s main local businesses. St. Marks is a small commercial seaport, and Panacea and Ochlockonee Bay support small fishing fleets. The 1930s lodge at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park operates as a full-service hotel, and Talquin Electric Cooperative keeps an office in Crawfordville.

Schools

Public schools are run by the Wakulla County School District, with its office at 69 Arran Road in Crawfordville, (850) 926-0065. Ask the Arran Road office which schools are zoned for an address before you write an offer.

Getting around

US 319, Crawfordville Highway, is the main north-south road through Crawfordville, and State Road 61 joins it from the south. US 98 runs through the county, and the Florida National Scenic Trail meets the rail-trail at US 98.

Tallahassee International Airport, about 18 miles north of Crawfordville, is the closest commercial airport.

Springs, refuges and worm gruntin’

Wakulla Springs

Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park holds one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater springs, at about 70 degrees, with manatees and a diving platform. The 1930s Spanish-style lodge still has its original elevators and painted ceilings.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

Established in 1931, the refuge covers more than 86,000 acres along about 43 miles of Gulf coast in Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties. The historic St. Marks Lighthouse stands inside it.

San Marcos de Apalache

The Spanish began a fort here in 1679 where the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers meet, and English, American and Confederate forces held it later. The museum shows pottery and tools found near the original fort, and Tucker’s Point is a known spot for redfish and speckled trout.

The rail-trail

The Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail runs 16 paved miles to St. Marks, with a horse trail alongside. The railroad ran from 1836 to 1983 and carried cotton to the coast for mills in England and New England. It’s a National Recreation Trail on the Big Bend Scenic Byway, and the Munson Hills and Twilight mountain-bike trails in the national forest are reached from its main trailhead.

Ochlockonee River State Park

Ochlockonee River State Park in Sopchoppy has restored longleaf pine forest, red-cockaded woodpeckers, a boat ramp and campsites.

Worm Gruntin’ Festival

Sopchoppy’s Worm Gruntin’ Festival celebrates the local art of grunting earthworms up out of the ground. It comes around every April at 33 Rose Street, and it’s been running for more than a quarter century.

Bay scallops

St. Marks falls in FWC’s Franklin through northwestern Taylor County scallop zone. FWC sets that zone’s summer season, so check its bay scallop page for the dates before you load the boat.

Apalachicola National Forest

Florida’s largest national forest dates to 1936, and Wakulla holds the second-largest share of its land, after Liberty County.

Moving to Wakulla County: your first-month checklist

Electric, water and sewer: Talquin Electric Cooperative provides electric, water and wastewater service and has an office in Crawfordville. Ask the seller whether Talquin serves the house, or which provider does, before closing.
County government: Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners, 3093 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville, (850) 926-0919, or mywakulla.com.
Tax bills and tags: the Wakulla County Tax Collector.
Homestead: apply at 3115-A Crawfordville Hwy. by March 1 of the year after your closing.
Storm alerts: sign up for Alert Wakulla.
Schools: Wakulla County School District, 69 Arran Road, Crawfordville, (850) 926-0065.

Buying or refinancing in Wakulla County with AAA Capital Funding

Buying a home

Most of our Wakulla County buyers use FHA: 3.5% down, flexible credit guidelines, and on a Wakulla home it can be paired with Florida Housing’s down payment programs. Eligible veterans can use VA with no down payment, and we also close Conventional loans, Hometown Heroes and FHA 100% financing.

We’ve held our license as a Florida mortgage broker since 1997, and we lend statewide in all 67 Florida counties, Wakulla included. We shop your loan with multiple wholesale lenders and tell you what you qualify for before you start looking in Crawfordville or out on the coast.

Refinancing the home you have

Refinancing a Wakulla home can lower your monthly payment, fund storm repairs or a new roof with cash out, pay off higher-interest debt, or buy someone else off the title.

Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll lay out what the new payment would be, how much cash you’d take out and what it costs to close, all on one sheet.

Wakulla County questions we hear a lot

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

The FHA and Conventional limits for Wakulla are in the loan limit table on this page. HUD and FHFA reset them every January, and the table reads HUD’s published figures so it stays right from one year to the next.

Is there down payment assistance in Wakulla County?

The county runs a SHIP affordable housing program, and Florida Housing’s statewide programs, including Florida Assist and Hometown Heroes, work anywhere in Wakulla. Program money comes and goes, so call us and we’ll check what’s funded before you count on any of it.

When do I file for homestead in Wakulla County?

The Wakulla County Property Appraiser at 3115-A Crawfordville Hwy. takes applications through March 1 of the year after you buy. Ownership on January 1 sets the year.

Is Crawfordville a city?

No. Crawfordville is the county seat, but it’s unincorporated. Sopchoppy is the largest municipality in Wakulla County.

Do I need flood insurance in Wakulla County?

A federally backed mortgage on a home in one of FEMA’s high-risk zones does require it. Hermine, Idalia and Helene all pushed surge onto this coast between 2016 and 2024, so get a flood quote on any home near the water, even outside the high-risk zones.

Sources for this guide (24)

AAA Capital Funding, Inc. NMLS #374739. Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700. Licensed Florida mortgage broker serving Wakulla 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 Wakulla County, call 888-601-8344 or text 954-816-8820. One call, under ten minutes. No application needed to start.

Get Started Call 888-601-8344 Text 954-816-8820

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