Florida Hard Money Lenders: Private Real Estate Financing from Miami to Jacksonville

Florida is not a single market — it’s a dozen distinct investment ecosystems stacked on top of each other. South Florida operates at institutional speed with prices to match: Miami-Dade median multifamily values exceed $400K per unit in stabilized deals. Tampa and Orlando represent the demographic growth story, with both metros ranking in the top 10 nationally for in-migration from 2022 through 2024. The Panhandle and Gulf Coast secondary markets — Fort Myers, Sarasota, Naples — blend tourism-driven short-term rental demand with retiree-led long-term rental growth. Jacksonville anchors the northeast with some of Florida’s strongest DSCR fundamentals and lowest institutional lender competition.

MKK Capital arranges asset-based commercial financing across Florida. Florida transactions are brokered through our network of private capital sources. No income verification. No tax return requirements for collateral-based programs. We underwrite the deal, not the borrower’s employment file.

Florida’s Insurance Environment and What It Means for Private Lending

Florida’s property insurance market is a real underwriting consideration that most out-of-state lenders handle poorly. Following the 2022–2023 insurer exits and premium restructuring, carrying costs on Florida investment properties — particularly in coastal zones — have risen materially. For private lending purposes, this matters because higher insurance costs affect DSCR calculations and bridge loan exit underwriting. Our capital sources are familiar with Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance system, excess and surplus lines markets, and how to properly model carrying costs for coastal, inland, and Panhandle properties differently. This is not a one-size-fits-all insurance state, and we don’t treat it like one.

Short-Term Rental Financing in Florida: What Qualifies and What Doesn’t

Florida is one of the top short-term rental markets in the country, and many investors approach us specifically to finance Airbnb and VRBO-eligible properties. The landscape for financing these assets has shifted. Destin and Panama City Beach STR properties with documented 12-month revenue history can qualify under specialized DSCR programs that use trailing STR income rather than long-term lease comparables. Key West and Miami Beach condos present additional complexity due to HOA rental restrictions and local ordinances — deal-by-deal review is required. We do not finance properties where STR activity is prohibited by HOA rules or municipal ordinance.

Florida Loan Programs: What We Arrange and Who They Serve

• Florida Hard Money Loans Fast-close acquisition and renovation financing for Florida residential and commercial investment properties. Underwritten on the property’s current value and after-repair value — no income documentation. Best suited for fix-and-flip, bridge-to-perm, and time-sensitive acquisitions in markets where conventional lenders can’t keep up with deal pace. Typical use: Buying a distressed duplex in Tampa’s Seminole Heights, renovating, and refinancing into long-term financing at stabilization.
• Florida Multifamily Bridge Loans Short-term apartment acquisition financing for Florida value-add and stabilization plays. Unlike permanent multifamily financing, bridge loans are sized around where the property is going, not where it is today. A 16-unit building in Orlando’s Lake Nona area at 70% occupancy doesn’t qualify for agency financing — but it qualifies for a bridge loan if the pro forma stabilized value supports the exit LTV. Loan terms: 12–24 months, interest-only.
• Florida Commercial Bridge Loans Transitional capital for retail centers, office conversions, industrial buildings, and mixed-use properties across Florida. Heavy use case: commercial condo conversions in Miami’s Wynwood and Edgewater neighborhoods, retail repositioning in Tampa’s South Howard corridor, and industrial acquisitions in Jacksonville’s Westside. These deals rarely fit bank boxes because of lease-up risk, transitional occupancy, or unusual property types.
• Florida DSCR Loans Long-term (30-year) rental property financing based on the property’s income — not the borrower’s tax returns or employment. Florida’s strong rental demand makes DSCR underwriting favorable in Jacksonville (cap rates 5.5–6.5%), Orlando suburbs, and Hillsborough County. Miami DSCR deals require higher loan amounts and tighter LTV underwriting due to compressed cap rates. No DTI requirement. Minimum DSCR typically 1.0x.
• Florida Foreign National Loans International buyer financing for Florida investment properties — one of the most active foreign national markets in the United States. South American, European, and Canadian investors are consistently active in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County. No U.S. Social Security number, no U.S. credit history required. Passport and international bank statement documentation accepted. Property types: condos, single-family rentals, and small commercial buildings.
• Florida Stated Income Loans Alternative income documentation for self-employed Florida investors — real estate agents, business owners, hospitality operators, and contractors whose tax returns show losses or minimal income. Programs use 12–24 months of business or personal bank statements, or CPA-prepared P&L statements. Well-suited for the large segment of Florida’s investor community operating in tourism, hospitality, and construction industries with variable income patterns.
• Florida Commercial Rehab Loans Acquisition-plus-renovation financing for Florida commercial properties sized to the after-repair value. Particularly relevant for Opportunity Zone projects in Miami-Dade, Duval (Jacksonville), and Hillsborough counties, and for Gulf Coast storm-damaged commercial properties seeking renovation capital.

Florida Markets and Active Investment Corridors

We arrange financing for Florida investment properties across the state’s most active markets: Miami (commercial bridge, foreign national, multifamily), Orlando (DSCR, bridge, multifamily), Tampa (hard money, bridge, commercial rehab), Jacksonville (DSCR, hard money), Fort Lauderdale (commercial bridge, foreign national), West Palm Beach (DSCR, foreign national), Naples (DSCR, stated income), and Sarasota (DSCR, hard money, short-term rental programs).

Florida Investor FAQ

Can I use a DSCR loan for a condo in Miami?

Miami condos present specific challenges for DSCR financing. Many condo associations have rental restrictions that limit the number of rentals per building or impose minimum lease terms — this directly affects whether the condo qualifies as an investment property from a lender’s perspective. Buildings with more than 50% investor ownership, significant deferred maintenance, or pending litigation may be considered non-warrantable, which restricts conventional financing options. Private DSCR programs may still be available depending on the building’s warrantability status and the borrower’s profile. A case-by-case review is needed for Miami condo financing.

My Sarasota rental property was damaged in a recent storm. Can I get renovation financing?

Storm-damaged properties can qualify for commercial rehab loans if the property is structurally sound and the damage is quantifiable with a licensed contractor’s scope and estimate. The loan is sized based on the after-repair value, which requires an ARV appraisal. Insurance proceeds factor into the financing structure — in some cases, the insurance settlement reduces the required loan amount significantly. Properties with active insurance claims in progress are reviewed case by case; properties with settled claims and a clear scope of work are generally easier to finance.

How do Florida property insurance costs factor into DSCR qualification?

Insurance is included in the DSCR denominator as part of the total housing expense (PITIA). Because Florida insurance premiums — particularly for coastal properties — have increased substantially since 2022, this has compressed DSCR ratios on properties that may have qualified easily two years ago. For DSCR underwriting, we use actual insurance quotes, not national averages. This means a Fort Lauderdale oceanfront property and a Jacksonville inland rental will have very different DSCR calculations even at the same purchase price and rent level.

What’s the minimum loan size for Florida commercial bridge loans?

Most capital sources in our network look for commercial bridge loan minimums of $500K in Florida, with deal sizes ranging up to $20M+ for major multifamily or commercial acquisitions. Smaller residential bridge and hard money transactions (under $500K) are available for single-family and small multifamily properties through separate programs. The right minimum varies by property type, location, and lender — submit your scenario and we’ll match it to the appropriate capital source.

Submit Your Florida Scenario

Send us the property address, loan amount needed, purchase price or current value, and a brief project summary. We respond with preliminary terms within 24–48 hours. No upfront fees to receive a term sheet. Florida’s deal volume is high — the faster you submit, the faster we can structure.