Moving to Florida
Becoming a Floridian is a set of dated actions, not a feeling and not a day count. These guides answer the questions people ask before and after the move, one at a time, each through someone in the same spot: what the old state keeps checking, what Florida actually requires, the deadlines that bite in the first year, and what to redo once you are here. 39 guides by Arthur Simpson, Esq., CIPS, Attorney and REALTOR.
A retiree with a pension, a remote worker whose employer is in New York, a snowbird who never quite decided, a family with a student, a widow moving near her children, a Canadian couple, a foreign buyer: each is a different question with a different answer. Every person named in these guides is a composite, not a client. When you want the answer for your own move, the strategy call is free, and the home value tool and live MLS search are one click away.
Moving to Florida? Learn which out-of-state estate documents hold up under Florida law and which ones need updating. Attorney & REALTOR® Arthur Simpson explains.
Terry's move to DeLand shows how homestead protection, creditor shields, and estate benefits make Florida residency worth doing right, even on a modest income.
A Florida attorney-REALTOR® explains how a widow can change her domicile to Florida while her husband's estate stays in Massachusetts probate. Real answers.
Moving to Florida before college? Learn how F.S. 1009.21 governs in-state tuition, whose residency counts, and what documents UCF actually wants.
Can a snowbird become a Florida resident while still spending summers up north? Arthur Simpson, Esq., explains domicile, homestead, and Ohio's contact rules.
New to Florida? Learn how the two-of-five-year rule under IRC §121 affects your old home sale and what deadline you may be racing against.
Does your old state keep taxing your pension after you move to Florida? A Florida attorney-REALTOR® explains the federal source rule, Social Security, and more.
Want Florida's tax benefits without leaving your home state? Attorney & REALTOR® Arthur Simpson explains why that plan fails and what actually works.
New to Florida? Learn exactly what must be retitled right away, vehicles, boats, trailers, golf carts, and what can wait. Deadlines, fees, and real answers.
Florida has no income tax, but New York's convenience-of-employer rule can still reach your wages. Learn what remote workers must do to protect their paycheck.
Relocating to Florida? Learn how nurses, contractors, teachers, and other licensed professionals transfer credentials before the moving truck arrives.
Moved to Florida mid-year? Learn how part-year returns work, what income stays in your old state, and what your first April looks like as a new Floridian.
One spouse moves to Florida while the other stays in New Jersey? Learn how split domicile, homestead exemption, and state tax rules work for couples in transition.
Florida's Save Our Homes cap resets at every sale. Learn why new buyers like Omar in Deltona pay more in property taxes than the seller did, and what to do about it.
Florida has no fiduciary income tax. Learn how to move a trust's situs and domesticate or register a foreign LLC in Florida, with a real-world example.
A phase-by-phase checklist for Florida home buyers: what to do 90 days before, move week, and the first 60 days after arriving in Volusia County.
Can a service member at NAS Jacksonville become a Florida resident, and can the spouse choose independently? Arthur Simpson, Esq., CIPS explains SCRA, MSRRA, and homestead.
Florida Medicaid has no durational residency requirement, but waitlists, income caps, and case transfers create real gaps. Here's what families need to know.
New York audits high-income movers to Florida. Learn the five domicile factors, the statutory residency trap, and exactly which records protect you.
Tom, Anita, and Bill moved to Flagler Beach. Here's how NJ, CT, and MA residency audits differ, and what each neighbor had to do differently.
Leaving California or Illinois for Florida? Learn when state income tax stops following you, how stock options are taxed, and how to time your move right.
Moved to Ormond Beach but keeping a home up north? Learn how Florida residents protect their domicile while holding onto property in another state.
Owning Florida real estate grants no immigration status. Attorney & REALTOR® Arthur Simpson explains what foreign buyers must know before closing.
New to Florida? Learn the March 1 homestead exemption deadline, who qualifies, what it's worth, and what happens if you miss it, explained for new homeowners.
Moving into a Florida HOA community? Learn what surprises buyers from other states, estoppel letters, fines, assessments, and Chapter 720 rules explained.
Florida's zero estate tax saves families real money at death, but only if domicile is airtight. See how the Feldmans' move from Long Island changed everything.
New to Florida? Learn exactly what documents you need for a Florida driver license, what gets rejected, and how to avoid multiple trips to the tax collector.
New to Florida? Learn the 10-day and 30-day deadlines for vehicle registration, driver license, and voter registration, in the right order.
Florida domicile auditors check your doctor, golf club, and pet's vet. Learn what the near-and-dear test means for new Florida residents like Herb.
Filing Florida's Declaration of Domicile is a strong first step, not a finish line. Learn what the sworn form does, where to record it, and what must follow.
Owning a Daytona Beach condo doesn't create Florida residency. Attorney & REALTOR® Arthur Simpson explains what the deed actually does, and doesn't, prove.
New to Florida? Your out-of-state auto policy won't cut it. Learn PIP minimums, registration deadlines, motorcycle rules, and what Brian did right.
Canadian snowbirds face two separate residency systems. Learn how U.S. immigration limits, the substantial presence test, and Florida domicile rules affect your status.
Moving to Florida? Learn which financial changes prove your new domicile to the IRS, your old state, and any future auditor. A practical checklist for new residents.
Received a residency questionnaire from New York or another state? Learn exactly which records prove your Florida domicile and how to organize them.
Florida has no 183-day rule for residency. Learn what domicile really means, whose rules count the days, and how to document your move the right way.
Moving to Florida? Here is how to properly establish residency and domicile — driver's license, declaration of domicile, homestead, and cutting old-state ties.
Step-by-step guide to establishing Florida domicile legally and quickly. Covers §222.17 declarations, driver's licenses, homestead, and Volusia County specifics.
Florida has no state income tax — but what about property tax, sales tax, and establishing residency? A clear tax overview for people moving to Florida.