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Florida's State University System has 12 public universities: Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida Polytechnic University, Florida State University, New College of Florida, the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, the University of North Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of West Florida.
The Florida College System has 28 more colleges, among them Eastern Florida State College, Hillsborough College and Tallahassee State College; the Department of Education lists them all.
To pay in-state tuition, the student, or the parent of a dependent student, must have kept a legal residence in Florida for at least 12 months in a row right before the student first enrolls, to make a real home here and not only to go to school. A dependent student goes by the parent's residence. The student shows at least two documents, at least one from the state's list: Florida voter registration, a Florida driver license or ID card, a Florida vehicle registration, proof of a permanent Florida home, a homestead exemption, Florida high school transcripts from several years, or 12 months of full-time work in Florida. A homestead exemption counts on its own.
The Bright Futures scholarship is for Florida residents who earn a standard Florida high school diploma, enroll for at least 6 credit hours at an eligible Florida college or university, have no felony conviction, and apply through the state's Office of Student Financial Assistance by its deadline.
Florida's youngest counties are its two big college towns. Leon County, around Tallahassee, home to Florida State and Florida A&M, and Alachua County, around Gainesville, home to the University of Florida, have a median age of about 32, the lowest in the state by the Census Bureau's latest five-year figures.
Read the answer →Start with the school, because in Florida the address decides it. The state grades its public schools and every school district from A to F each year; for 2025-26, 34 of the 67 districts were graded A, 23 B and 10 C, and none D or F. A district graded A still has schools graded lower, so look up the grade of the exact school assigned to the address before you make an offer.
Read the answer →Population 285,492. Typical home sale price $322,620 in the three months ending June 2026; typical condo $165,000 in May 2026. Median household income $61,949; 15.3% of residents are 65 or older. (Source: Redfin; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, published January 2026)
Open the county guide →Population 297,542. Typical home sale price about $318,900 from March to May 2026; typical condo $187,000 in May 2026. Median household income $66,287; 14.8% of residents are 65 or older. (Source: Redfin; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, published January 2026)
Open the county guide →Not necessarily. A will signed in another state, other than a handwritten or spoken one, is valid in Florida if it was valid where it was signed.
Start with Employ Florida, the state's online job listings at employflorida.com, which you can search before you move.
Most of Florida is on Eastern time. The western Panhandle is on Central time, an hour earlier.
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