An estimated 1,327,057 veterans live in Florida, making up 3.2% of the state's population or the 19th-highest of the 56 U.S. states, inhabited territories and District of Columbia.
Florida Military and Veteran Income Taxes
Military Retiree Income Tax
No state income tax.
Active-Duty Income Tax
No state income tax.
Florida Veteran Property Taxes
Disabled veterans: Resident veterans with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability of at least 10% from wartime service can get a $5,000 deduction on their home's assessed value. An unremarried surviving spouse who had been married to the veteran for at least five years may also receive this exemption.
100% disabled veterans: Resident veterans with an honorable discharge and who are 100% permanently and totally disabled, along with quadriplegic veterans, are exempt from paying property tax on their residence. Unremarried surviving spouses may also be eligible.
Deployed service members: Service members may receive a property tax exemption if deployed during the previous calendar year outside the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii. The percentage of the exemption for the current year corresponds to the percentage of time deployed during the previous year.
Florida Military and Veteran Education Benefits
Military/Veteran Education
Recipients of the Purple Heart and higher combat decorations receive free undergraduate tuition at state institutions.
Honorably discharged veterans receive a waiver of out-of-state fees to state institutions while still establishing residency.
Active-duty members who reside inside or outside Florida receive a waiver of out-of-state fees.
Military Dependent Education
Dependent children and spouses of veterans who died from a service-connected disability, who are 100% service-connected permanently and totally disabled, or who were MIA/POW, may receive tuition benefits through the Scholarships for Children and Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans program.
Florida Military and Veteran Employment Benefits
Veteran Hiring Preference
Hiring preference: Disabled veterans with an honorable discharge and wartime veterans receive preference in hiring for government jobs.
Teaching certificate: Veterans without a bachelor's degree may be eligible for a five-year temporary teaching certificate if they have an honorable discharge, have 60 college credits with at least a 2.5 GPA, and pass a subject area examination. Veterans and their spouses may be eligible for a waiver of the fee to receive a teaching certificate.
Agriculture: The Veterans Florida Agriculture Program provides veterans and service members a paid six-month experience in the agriculture industry at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences research facilities.
Military Spouse Employment
Spouses and surviving spouses of totally disabled veterans receive preference in hiring for government jobs.
Veterans' spouses may receive a waiver of the fee to receive a teaching certificate.
Florida Veteran Housing and Veterans Homes
Veterans Homes
Florida's nine veterans homes include eight skilled nursing homes in Daytona Beach, Land O' Lakes, Orlando, Pembroke Pines, Panama City, Port Charlotte, Port St. Lucie and St. Augustine; and one assisted living facility in Lake City.
The Robert Jenkins Jr. Assisted Living/Domiciliary Home provides a combination of housing, individual services and incidental medical care. Veterans must be residents of Florida for one year prior to admission and have an honorable discharge. The cost is based on income.
Basic admission requirements for Florida's veterans homes include an honorable discharge, Florida residency for one year prior to admission, and certification of need of nursing home care by a VA physician.
Homeless Veterans
No state benefits.
Adapted Housing
No state benefits.
Florida Veteran Financial Assistance
No personal grant or loan programs.
Florida Veteran Legal Assistance
No state-funded legal services.
Florida Military and Veteran Recreation Benefits
Hunting/Fishing
Resident veterans who are 100% totally and permanently disabled receive free hunting and fishing licenses that are good for five years.
The Military Gold Sportsman's License is $20 for resident active or retired service members with a current military ID card. The license is available only at tax collectors' offices.
Parks/Camping
Honorably discharged veterans and active-duty members receive a 25% discounted annual pass to all state parks.
Honorably discharged veterans with service-connected disabilities receive a free-for-life Military Entrance Pass to all state parks, along with the surviving spouses and parents of service members who died in combat.
Florida Veteran Transportation Benefits
Permanently and totally disabled veterans may receive a Florida driver's license for free.
Florida Veteran Burial Benefits
Veterans Cemeteries
No state-run veterans cemeteries.
More Information
Visit the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs website for more information on any of these programs.
-- Additional reporting by Jim Absher.
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