Moving from New England to Florida

It depends on your state, but the savings are real for most households. Families from Connecticut (up to 6.99 percent), Massachusetts (up to 9 percent with the surtax), Rhode Island (up to 5.99 percent), and Vermont (up to 8.75 percent) eliminate their state income tax entirely, and even New Hampshire and Maine families drop a steep effective property tax rate near or above 1 percent down to Florida's ~0.8 percent. A typical family could save $8,000–$15,000+ per year in combined taxes, and $80,000–$150,000+ over 10 years.

Plan to do both early. Florida requires a new resident to get a Florida driver license within 30 days of establishing residency, and to register and title an out-of-state vehicle within 10 days under Florida law, though some county offices describe it as 30 days. You must carry Florida-compliant auto insurance from a licensed Florida agent before you can register.

Florida is a no-fault state. To register a car with four or more wheels you must carry at least $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability (PDL). PIP covers 80 percent of necessary medical expenses regardless of fault, but you must seek treatment within 14 days of a crash to use it. Bodily injury liability is not required for most drivers, though many families carry it anyway, and rates here are among the highest in the country, so budget accordingly.

If the home is your permanent residence, you own it, and you are a Florida resident as of January 1, the homestead exemption removes up to $50,000 of assessed value from your property tax bill: the first $25,000 applies to all taxes including school taxes, and a second $25,000 applies to value between $50,000 and $75,000 but not to school taxes. The Save Our Homes amendment then caps the annual increase in assessed value at the lesser of 3 percent or inflation, keeping bills predictable. Apply with your county property appraiser, generally by March 1 of the tax year.

A standard Florida homeowners policy includes windstorm and hurricane coverage, usually with a percentage deductible of 2 to 10 percent of your dwelling value, and it generally covers interior water damage only if wind first opened a roof or window. Flooding from storm surge or rising water is never covered by a standard policy, so most buyers add separate flood insurance, which has a 30-day waiting period, so buy it well before hurricane season, which runs June 1 through November 30. Know your evacuation and flood zones, and remember insurers freeze new policies once a storm is named, so don't wait.

Distances range from about 1,400 miles from Hartford, Connecticut (roughly a 20 to 21 hour drive or a 3-hour nonstop) to about 1,600 miles from Portland, Maine and Burlington, Vermont (about a 24-hour drive, with Vermont usually requiring a connection). Boston, Providence, and Manchester sit in between at roughly 1,435 to 1,480 miles, with nonstops of about 3 to 3.5 hours. Wherever you start, I-95 runs the entire route, and Florida's three airports make the return trip a long weekend.