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Moving to Florida? Guide for New Residents 🌴 DMV, Car Registration, Retiring, Pets, SunPass - YouTube
Channel: Melanie Loves Tampa Bay
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I know that there are a lot of people OUT
THERE planning on moving to Florida or planning
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on buying a second home here.
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If you WANT TO Establish your residency in
THE SUNSHINE STATE, stay tuned for some practical
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tips!
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HI EVERYBODY, MELANIE ATKINSON HERE, REALTOR
WITH SMITH & ASSOCIATES IN BEAUTIFUL TAMPA
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BAY FLORIDA AND TODAY WE ARE GOING TO TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THE NON-GLAMOROUS, BUT NECESSARY,
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THINGS YOU NEED TO DO WHEN BECOMING A NEW
RESIDENT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
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YES, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE DMV…
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BEFORE I GET STARTED I WILL GIVE MY STANDARD
Disclosure…I am a Realtor…
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I help people buy and sell houses...I am not
an attorney or accountant.
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A lot of the things I am going to talk about
are pretty complicated, so if you have any
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questions please consult a licensed professional.
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This video is meant to be a guideline because
so many people I talk to and work with have
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these questions.
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I am also providing links in the description
so you all can find out more information.
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Establishing Florida Residency:
You are considered a Floridian when your true,
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fixed, & permanent home is in Florida.
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This can be established in a couple of different
ways.
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First, if you do not own real estate in another
state and you purchase or rent a home or apartment
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in Florida you can establish your residency
by doing all of the things that you would
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normally do when you move…change your driver’s
license, register you kids for neighborhood
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schools, have employment in Florida, register
to vote, and more.
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By doing all of those things you are establishing,
by your actions, that you are a permanent
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resident of Florida.
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If you own property in another state and you
want to keep that property but you also want
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to own a home here and change your residency
to the state of Florida, this is where things
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get a little more complicated.
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I highly recommend you consult an attorney
if this is what you are trying to do.
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This is a very common occurrence though because
a lot of part-time residents want to take
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advantage of the lower taxes in Florida.
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What you need to be aware of is the State
you are leaving doesn’t really want you
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to change your domicile because then they
lose out on those tax dollars, so it is up
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to you to make sure you are following all
of the steps to properly establish yourself
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as a Florida resident.
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You will need to file a Declaration of Domicile
with the State of Florida to show that you
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intend to make Florida your primary place
of residence.
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In order to get that Declaration approved,
you not only have to have a place to live
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in Florida, but you also have show that you
intend to stay & be a resident.
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You need to get that State of Florida driver’s
license, voter registration, establishing
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Florida bank accounts, filing tax returns
with your Florida address.
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Showing you “intent to stay” is the complicated
part.
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Do your research and hire a professional if
you have questions.
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Driver’s License & Vehicle Registration:
If you are a new resident you must get your
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Florida driver’s license within 30 days
of establishing residency in the State of
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Florida.
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You will need to bring in a primary identification
document, other than your out of state driver’s
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license, like a birth certificate or passport,
plus proof of address documentation, and social
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security documentation.
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It’s a lot and you don’t want to show
up without all of the appropriate documentation
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so please check the description to this video
for the DMV link.
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Also, if you can, make an appointment!
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The wait can be long if you don’t have one!
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Regarding car title transfer to the state
of Florida and vehicle registration, the government
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website is really unclear and confusing.
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I did put it in the description, but it may
be easier just to call one of the offices
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in the county that you are moving to.
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I actually did call the tax collector’s
office just to get clarification.
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Regarding car title transfer, it depends on
the state that your car is currently titled
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in.
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You may or may not have to transfer it.
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You also have to register your vehicle within
30 days of establishing residency in the State
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of Florida.
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To register your vehicle you do have to show
proof of Florida car insurance, so get that
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car insurance taken care of first.
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You also need your Driver’s License, proof
of Title, and your fees are higher because
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it is an initial application.
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They need to do a VIN verification as well.
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The good news is that you should be able to
get your Driver’s License, Title transfer
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& Registration done in the same day.
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You may have to go to multiple windows & it
may take a while, but it is better than going
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twice.
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I recommend calling the tax collector’s
office before going in for any of this just
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to make sure you are doing it correctly.
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And make that appointment so it doesn’t
take as long.
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While you are at the Tax Collector’s office
don’t forget to register to vote!
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Pet Registration
A Florida pet license is required for all
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pets.
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Florida pet registration forms are available
at any local veterinarian.
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Both dogs & cats over 4 months old must have
a pet license, and all are required to have
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rabies inoculations or booster shots.
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After a Florida pet registration form is filled
out and a rabies shot administered, a pet
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license tag will be given to you.
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All Florida pet registration fees will vary
from county to county, so check your county’s
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website.
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Homestead Exemption
If you own a home in Florida and you have
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established residency, you can apply for a
Homestead Exemption.
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Doing so will give you a discount on the assessed
value of your home.
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It also caps the amount that your assessed
value can go up each year to only 3%.
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This is a great tax benefit that Florida homeowners
enjoy.
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Your deadline each year for registering is
March 1st, so don’t forget!
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You will do this through your County Property
Appraiser office or website.
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Epass or Sunpass
Florida has a lot of toll roads and a lot
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of them don’t have pay booths.
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If you live in an area with toll roads or
plan on doing a lot of exploring in Florida,
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you will want to get a SunPass or an E-Pass.
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They are called different things in different
cities but both will work on all toll roads
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in Florida.
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You can pick up a sticker or moveable transponder
in any grocery store, convenient store or
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gas station.
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Once you have one you can set up an account
online.
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You can attach it to a credit or debit card
and have automatic replenishment or you can
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just add money as
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you go.
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Finding Employment
I get this question a lot and honestly, I
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wish I could help you guys out more on this
one.
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Unfortunately, employment services are not
my area of expertise.
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However, I did consult a friend of mine who
is an IT recruiter and he said that people
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should start online by putting your resume
up on websites like Indeed, Careerbuilder,
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Monster.com, and Linked In.
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Recruiters are always looking for perfect
people to fill jobs for their clients.
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Service industry jobs are listed on these
websites too, so do a job search and see what
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comes up.
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If you interested in a government job with
the State of Florida there is a website in
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the description that will allow you to search
for those jobs.
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Please remember that if you are in the medical
field or an educator, we always need you own
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here in Florida!
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Retiring to Florida
If you are planning on retiring to the Sunshine
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State there is a website for the Department
of Elder Affairs that actually provides a
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lot of useful knowledge.
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On that website there are a ton of links,
including a link to 55+ communities by county,
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info on assisted living facilities, veteran
affairs, and a link to the Older Floridians
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Handbook.
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This handbook provides a whole bunch of important
information, I highly recommend you download
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it.
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I put the link in the description.
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Check it out if you are coming to our beautiful
state to retire.
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Moving to a new state can be a stressful process…I
hope this helps relieve that stress just a
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little bit.
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Remember, if you are looking to buy or sell
a home in the Tampa Bay Area, give me a call,
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I am happy to help.
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If you are looking for something else to watch
on my channel, check out my video called Worst
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Things About Living in Florida…just to make
sure you are moving here with your eyes wide
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open.
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Thanks for watching, I’ll see you next time.
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With Love, Melanie
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