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So, you're thinking of moving to Florida?   Well, you're not alone.  Approximately 800 people are moving to the state each and every day!  Making Florida one of the four fastest growing states in the US. The current population stands at approximately 17,260,899, as of January 2004.  Approximately seventy percent (70%) of the population of Florida is not Florida born. Most newcomers come from the eastern and mid-eastern states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,  the District of Columbia, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Most of these newcomers become permanent year round residents, while others become "snowbirds".  (Those who only live in the state during the northern winter months and then return home to their primary residence state when summer comes.)
Two of the top reasons for moving to Florida are for the weather and recreation.

Cost of Living
Florida has less severe winters than many parts of the country, so  you can expect to spend less on winter clothing and heating fuel.  But otherwise, living costs are comparable to other states.  Prices are higher in the southern half of the state than in the northern.

This web site will give you some insight and knowledge about Florida living.  We will provide you with contacts for different relocation businesses; such as, Real Estate Agents, Builders, Moving Companies, and Newspapers.  And the best source of all for Florida moving information......the local area Chamber of Commerce.  Every county has at least one Chamber of Commerce and more popular areas might have one for every major area within the county.  By using this information wisely, you can save some of your hard earned money and possibly use it to take a vacation....maybe..... to another area of your new "Home State". There is plenty to see and explore!

FLORIDA FACTS

Taxes    Most Important....................NO STATE INCOME TAX!!!!
(This Link will take you to the Official Florida State Tax site)

But there is a State Sales Tax, Tangible Tax, and Intangible Property Tax.  Go to our Tax Page for more information or to the Official State Tax page above at Taxes.

Location
Florida is located in the southeastern U.S. and is technically approximately 100 miles north of the Tropics.  Sunshine is one of the state's most important resources, which attracts millions of vacationers annually, making tourism the number one industry in the state.

Area Codes
With the states' growing population, the telephone area codes are forever changing.
Click on this map for a bigger and better view.

Time Zone
Most of Florida is in the Eastern Time Zone. A small part of Florida does crossover to the Central Time Zone

Population
Over 17 million people call Florida "home" and this figure is expected to grow to over 18 million people by the year 2010.  Over twenty-three percent (23%) of the population are senior citizens (people 65 years of age and older). The counties with the largest percentage of senior citizens are:  Charlotte (35%),Citrus (32%), Highlands (33%), Hernando (31%), and Sarasota (32%).

Click here for registration information

Driver's License
New Residents are required to obtain a Florida driver's license within 30 days of gaining employment, enrolling children into school, registering to vote, of filing for the homestead exemption.  Full-time non-resident students are exempt from this requirement. Click here for license information.

Florida Department of Education (CLICK HERE FOR SCHOOL STATISTICS)
The DOE web site has listings for most of Florida's Counties School Districts (some have web sites and some don't), Junior colleges and four year Colleges and Universities web sites.

Florida Colleges
Go to this link for two year community colleges (37 Sites)
Go to this link for four year colleges    (62 Sites)

Weather
Sunshine has lured vacationers to Florida for  more that a century.   Summers are generally long and winters are short and mild.  Average annual temperatures during the summer are 80.5 (F) degrees (26.9 C) in north Florida and 82.7 (F) degrees (55.1 C) in south Florida.  Average annual winter temperatures are 53 (F) degrees (11.7 C) in north Florida and 68.5 (F) degrees (20.3 C) in south Florida.   Rain showers and coastal breezes make warm summer days more comfortable.  The highest recorded temperature was 109 (F) degrees (42.8 C) on June 29, 1931.  The coldest was 2 (F) degrees below zero (minus 18 C) recorded in 1899.  Average annual rainfall is 55 inches per year.  Ironically, the state is located in the same latitude as some of the worlds great deserts, the Sahara and Arabian.

Beaches
Florida has approximately 1,100 miles of sandy beaches along its 1,800 mile of coastline.  Four of Florida's beaches were rated among the top ten beaches in the U.S., they are  Fort De Soto Park, Caladesi Island State Park, Crescent Beach on Siesta Key and Cape Florida State Park. (All ten best beaches are listed here at this link.)

Tourism
The state's number 1 industry creates over 35 billion dollars a year.   Tourism employs more than one million Floridians.  Over 40 million visitors come to Florida each year.  Most Florida visitors (over 80%) are from the U.S., while the other twenty percent are international visitors.  Visitors from Canada lead the international market.

Camping
There are over 700 campgrounds offering more that 100,000 campsites.   Almost all feature facilities for recreational vehicles.  More than 5 million people camp in Florida each year. For Florida National Parks web sites click here.

Seaports and Cruising
The major seaports are:  Pensacola, Miami, Panama City, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, St Petersburg, Fort Pierce, Tampa, Cape Canaveral, Bradenton, Sanford, Fernandina Beach, and Jacksonville.  Over seven million cruise passengers pass through Florida ports every year.  The Port of Miami is the busiest cruise port in the world, followed by Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades.

Click here to visit our Golf Courses Page !
There are over 1,000 golf courses in Florida - more than any other state.

Pari-mutuel Betting Facilities
Greyhound Racing, Jai-alai, Thoroughbred Racing, Harness Racing and Horse Racing Tracks are located throughout the state.

Professional Sports
NFL Teams:  Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Arena Football Teams:  Orlando Predators and the Tampa Bay Storm.
NBA Teams:  Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.
Major League Baseball:  Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
NHL Teams:  Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers

Florida Trivia
State Capital - Tallahassee
State Song - "Old Folks at Home" , which is more commonly known as
                         "Suwannee River".
State Bird - Mockingbird
State Play - "Cross and Sword"
State Tree - Sabal Palm
State Reptile - Alligator
State Flower - Orange Blossom
State Stone - Agatized Coral
State Drink - Orange Juice
State Shell - Horse Conch
State Animal - Florida Panther
State Mammal - Manatee
State Freshwater Fish - Largemouth Bass
State Saltwater Fish - Sailfish

How to Establish Legal Residency
A person must establish a home or a permanent dwelling and demonstrate the intent to make Florida the place of permanent legal residence.  There is no waiting period.  Newcomers are urged to produce proof of intent by filing a sworn statement with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the new home is located.  A small fee and a Florida driver's license is required for the affidavit.

Fishing and Hunting License
To qualify for resident statewide licenses, the person must have resided continuously for six months in Florida.

Florida Department of Commerce - information on demographics, business climate, and business relocation services.    http://www.state.fl.us/commerce/