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Moving to Florida

Everything a move to Florida involves, in the order it happens.

Sixty-seven counties, six regions, the dates the state holds you to, and twenty first steps you can tick off as you go. Every figure on this page names the office it came from.

Start My PlanOpen a county guideStart the twenty steps
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Get the blank relocation checklist

Fifty-one checks, from the first decision through your first month here. Free, and yours to print.

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Start here

My Plan: three counties that fit you, and your plan for the move.

Answer a few questions, one screen at a time. My Plan gives you three Florida counties that fit, with the reasons, and your plan: what to see, where to stay and the local help you need.

Start My Plan

Tools for the move itself: Moving Guide · Relocation Checklist · Moving Worksheet

Or browse by region:

What Florida asks of a new resident

Six dates and figures the state holds you to.

Each one was read from the office that sets it, and the office is named on the card. Press a card to read the page it came from.

Driver license30 daysto get a Florida driver license after you establish residency.Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles ↗Vehicle registration10 daysto title and register your vehicles, with insurance from a Florida-licensed agent.Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles ↗Homestead exemptionMarch 1to file with the county property appraiser, for a home you owned and lived in on January 1. In 2026 it takes as much as $51,411 off the assessed value.Florida Department of Revenue ↗Personal income taxNoneFlorida does not impose a personal income tax, an inheritance tax or a gift tax.Florida Department of Revenue ↗Sales tax6% + countyon most retail sales. A vehicle brought in within six months of buying it owes the 6% use tax.Florida Department of Revenue ↗Hurricane seasonJune 1 to Nov 30with the peak on September 10 and most activity from mid-August to mid-October.National Hurricane Center ↗
Then the county

Sixty-seven counties, and what each one has.

67

Counties

Every one with its own guide: cost, schools, storms, work, daily life.

Open the county guides
310

Beaches

By county, with the water quality page for each.

See the beaches
808

Places to go

Parks, museums, attractions and towns, by county.

See the places
The first twenty steps

Twenty starting steps from first idea to Florida resident.

These twenty steps get you started. The full 51-item Relocation Checklist is further down this page.

90+ days before

Choose the right part of Florida

60–90 days before

Price the complete move

30–60 days before

Verify the exact property

2–4 weeks before

Transfer the essentials

First 30 days

Complete Florida setup

Personal moving budget

Price more than the truck.

Enter planning estimates for your household. The figures stay on this device and are not sent to 1stFlorida.

Before you sign

Verify the address, not only the county.

Flood zones, evacuation routes, insurance availability, association rules, school assignments and commute times can change within a few miles. Use official sources and qualified local professionals for the exact property.

Current public information

Finish the checklist at the official source.

These are live public sources for changing requirements and county-level facts. Open them before making a final decision.

Property & taxesFlorida county property officialsFind a county official ↗SchoolsFlorida school report cardsOpen school reports ↗HealthFlorida county health dashboardOpen health data ↗Flood & insuranceFlorida insurance consumer resourcesOpen insurance guidance ↗Storm readinessFlorida disaster-preparedness mapsOpen preparedness maps ↗Work & economyFlorida economic and labor dataOpen economic data ↗New-resident setupFlorida driver and vehicle requirementsOpen new-resident steps ↗
When you need somebody local

One business per service, per county.

Fourteen services. Pick the county, press the service, and you get the business that holds that position or the questions to ask the one you find.

Find local help in your county
Tools for the move itself

This page is the start. These four go further.

GuideThe ten-stage Moving GuideOpen →WorksheetThe Moving WorksheetOpen →ChecklistThe 51-item Relocation ChecklistOpen →SourcesThe official sources deskOpen →

Ready to narrow it down?

Choose a county and open its complete relocation guide.

Choose My County
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