MoveCheck

Moving from Florida

Florida took in about 637,000 people from other states in 2023 and sent about 511,000 the other way, so the outbound side of the ledger is large even in a state that gains population overall.

  • The paperwork on the way out is short but easy to get wrong, and one of the steps can suspend your license if you do it in the wrong order.
  • This page covers every Florida-origin route we track.
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Florida at a Glance

Taxes

State income taxNone
State sales tax6%
Property tax (eff.)0.78%

Climate

Avg annual temp71°F
Annual precipitation54″

Subtropical with warm temperatures year-round, high humidity, and frequent summer thunderstorms.

Cost of Living

COL index100.7 (US=100)
Avg electric bill$156/mo

Why People Move from Florida

Where Florida residents go is mostly a Southeast story.

  • Georgia received about 55,000 people from Florida in 2023, Texas about 51,000, and North Carolina about 40,000.
  • New York and Virginia follow at roughly 25,000 each, then Tennessee at about 21,000.

That cuts against the idea that leaving Florida means going back north.

  • Moves to New York are large, but Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina each take more.

Popular Routes Moving from Florida

Florida → AlaskaFlorida → North CarolinaFlorida → New JerseyFlorida → ConnecticutFlorida → IllinoisFlorida → MichiganFlorida → OklahomaFlorida → PennsylvaniaFlorida → VirginiaFlorida → AlabamaFlorida → ArkansasFlorida → ArizonaFlorida → CaliforniaFlorida → ColoradoFlorida → Washington D.C.Florida → DelawareFlorida → GeorgiaFlorida → HawaiiFlorida → IowaFlorida → IdahoFlorida → IndianaFlorida → KansasFlorida → KentuckyFlorida → LouisianaFlorida → MassachusettsFlorida → MarylandFlorida → MaineFlorida → MinnesotaFlorida → MissouriFlorida → MississippiFlorida → MontanaFlorida → North DakotaFlorida → NebraskaFlorida → New HampshireFlorida → New MexicoFlorida → NevadaFlorida → New YorkFlorida → OhioFlorida → OregonFlorida → Rhode IslandFlorida → South CarolinaFlorida → South DakotaFlorida → TennesseeFlorida → TexasFlorida → UtahFlorida → VermontFlorida → WashingtonFlorida → WisconsinFlorida → West VirginiaFlorida → Wyoming

Before You Leave Florida

Surrender the Florida plate before you cancel the insurance

The plate belongs to the state. Turn it in at a motor vehicle service center or a Tax Collector office before you drop Florida coverage. You can also mail it in with a request to cancel and recycle it. If you drop the insurance while the plate is still active, you face financial responsibility sanctions and a suspended driving privilege. Keep the receipt. If you paid the initial registration fee on that vehicle, the receipt can be credited toward a future registration.

Source: FLHSMV, License Plates and Registration

Keep the Florida policy alive until the new registration exists

Florida tells departing residents to keep coverage until the vehicle is registered in the new state or all valid plates and registrations are surrendered. If you stay with the same insurer, it can switch the coverage to your new state when you change the registration. A lapse can suspend your driving privilege for up to three years. There is no hardship license for insurance suspensions.

Source: FLHSMV, Florida Insurance Requirements

There is no final Florida income tax return

Florida has no personal income tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, or tax on intangible personal property. Leaving creates no part-year state return and no final filing.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue GT-800025

Tell the county property appraiser you are no longer a permanent resident

Homestead exemption ends when the property stops being your permanent home, and you must report it. An appraiser may later find that you got the exemption in any of the previous 10 years without being entitled to it. The property then owes the exempted taxes plus a penalty of 50 percent of the unpaid taxes for each year. It also owes 15 percent interest per year, enforced through a recorded tax lien. Contact the appraiser in the county where the property is as soon as you establish residency elsewhere.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 196.161

Florida DMV & Registration

Two things about leaving Florida trip people up, and both involve sequence.

  • The license plate belongs to the state, so you turn it in at a motor vehicle service center or Tax Collector office, or mail it in with a request to cancel and recycle it.
  • Do that before you cancel your Florida insurance.
  • Cancelling coverage while the plate is still active triggers financial responsibility sanctions and can suspend your driving privilege for up to three years, and there is no hardship license for an insurance suspension.
  • Keep the surrender receipt: if you paid the initial registration fee on that vehicle, the receipt can be credited toward a future Florida registration.
Official Florida DMV →
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Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do with my Florida license plate when I move out of state?

Surrender it.

  • Florida license plates belong to the state and must be returned if the decal is unexpired and you are not keeping insurance on the vehicle.
  • You can hand it in at a motor vehicle service center or a Tax Collector office, or mail it in with a request to cancel and recycle the plate.
  • If the plate is lost, destroyed, or stolen, FLHSMV has an affidavit for that instead.

Can moving out of Florida get my license suspended?

Yes, if you cancel the insurance before you surrender the plate.

  • FLHSMV tells departing residents not to cancel Florida coverage until the vehicle is registered in the new state or all valid plates and registrations have been surrendered.
  • Failing to surrender a valid plate when insurance lapses suspends your driver license, and the suspension can run up to three years with no hardship option.

Do I have to file a final Florida income tax return?

No.

  • Florida does not impose a personal income tax, an inheritance tax, a gift tax, or a tax on intangible personal property, so there is no part-year return and no final filing on the way out.
  • Your new state may want a part-year return covering the months you lived there, but nothing flows back to Florida.

What happens to my homestead exemption when I leave Florida?

It ends when the property stops being your permanent residence, and you are the one who has to report that to the county property appraiser.

  • If an appraiser later determines the exemption was granted for any year in the prior 10 years when you were not entitled to it, the property owes the exempted taxes plus a penalty of 50 percent of the unpaid taxes for each year and 15 percent interest per year, collected through a recorded tax lien.

What states do most people move to from Florida?

Using Census ACS 2023 state-to-state flows, the top destinations are Georgia (about 55,000 people), Texas (about 51,000), and North Carolina (about 40,000).

  • New York (about 25,000) and Virginia (about 25,000) come next, followed by Tennessee (about 21,000).

Can I keep my Florida insurance policy after I move?

Usually you keep the carrier, not the Florida policy.

  • If you are staying with the same insurer, they can convert the coverage to your new state of residence at the moment you change the registration.
  • The thing to avoid is a gap: keep the Florida policy in force until the vehicle is registered elsewhere or the plate is surrendered.