Your first 30 days in Florida

Buy Florida auto insurance^1,2

You need a policy from a Florida-licensed agent before you can title and register the car. The legal minimum is $10,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 of property damage liability. Keep it continuous: a lapse can suspend your license or registration, and reinstatement costs $150 to $500.

Photograph the whole unit on move-in day³

Take dated photos and video of every room, appliance and flaw before you unpack. Florida law gives the landlord 15 days after you move out to return your deposit, or 30 days to send written notice by certified mail of any deduction. You then have 15 days to object in writing. Your move-in photos are your proof. A landlord who misses the 30-day notice loses the right to make a claim.

Buy renter's insurance

The landlord's policy covers the building, not your belongings or your liability. Renter's insurance is usually inexpensive. Add contents flood coverage if you're in a flood zone: it's a separate policy.

Plan to leave for every hurricane evacuation order^4,5

Counties treat mobile homes differently from houses. Volusia County says mobile-home residents must evacuate for every evacuation level, wherever they live; Miami-Dade says to leave whenever any hurricane evacuation order is issued, whatever your zone. Pick a place to go now: a friend's sturdy house inland, a hotel, or your county shelter. Check your own county's rule on the Numbers page.

Look up your evacuation zone and flood zone⁶

They're two different maps. Your evacuation zone says when officials will tell you to leave; your flood zone drives your insurance. Write both on your Numbers page.

Know your rights after storm damage and for repairs^7,8,9,10

If a storm or other casualty makes the unit substantially unusable, Florida law lets you end the lease and leave right away, or stay in the usable part and pay less rent. The landlord must keep the building and plumbing in repair and, in apartment buildings, provide pest control, locks, garbage removal, heat, and running and hot water, unless the lease says otherwise in writing. Before withholding rent over a repair, you must give written notice naming the problem and wait 7 days. For repairs, the landlord must give 24 hours' notice and enter between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., except in emergencies.

Note: Withholding rent has strict rules and can lead to eviction if done wrong. Talk to a local legal aid office or attorney first.

Check the year built and wind zone on the data plate^11,12,13

FEMA treats homes built before July 13, 1994 as older homes built to weaker wind rules; nearly two-thirds of Florida's mobile homes predate 1994, and in Hurricane Ian older homes in one Punta Gorda-area park were largely destroyed while newer ones mostly held up. Federal rules put Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Miami-Dade, Franklin, Gulf, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Manatee, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota in Wind Zone III (built for 110 mph) and the rest of Florida in Zone II (100 mph). The home's data plate, usually inside a kitchen cabinet or closet, shows its zone.

Get the park's prospectus and lot-rent terms in writing¹⁴

Florida's mobile home park law requires the park to give each homeowner written notice at least 90 days before any lot-rent increase, cut in services or rule change, with the dollar amounts. Homeowners can name a committee of up to five to meet with the owner, and can petition for state mediation if a majority think an increase is unreasonable. Keep every notice and your prospectus.

Change your address everywhere

Postal forwarding, banks, Social Security or Medicare, retirement accounts, employers, insurance and subscriptions.

Title and register your car^1,15,16

Due within 10 days of becoming a resident. Bring ID for every owner, proof of Florida insurance, your out-of-state title (or your lienholder's details), form HSMV 82040, and a VIN verification by a police officer, licensed Florida dealer or tax collector employee. Expect a one-time $225 initial registration fee unless the car replaces one already registered in Florida. If you bought the car out of state within the last six months, Florida sales tax is due, with credit for tax already paid.

Note: Some county tax collector pages say 30 days. The state's own page says 10. Go by 10.

Price flood insurance now, not when a storm is coming¹⁷

A new federal (NFIP) flood policy usually takes 30 days to take effect, so buying it when a storm is forecast is too late. Standard homeowner and renter policies do not cover flood. Renters can buy contents-only flood coverage for their belongings.

Find out what the association's insurance covers

The association insures the building under its master policy; your own condo policy covers what the master policy doesn't. Ask for the master policy summary, the deductible, and how a hurricane deductible would be split among owners. Ask for the latest milestone inspection and reserve study too.

Register for special-needs shelter help, if anyone needs it

Counties keep a registry for people who'd need medical help or transport in an evacuation. Register before storm season; registration closes once evacuations start. Your region's number is on the Numbers page.

Have the tie-downs and anchors inspected¹¹

FEMA advises inspecting anchors and straps every 2 years within 3,000 feet of the coast and every 5 years farther inland. Replace rusted parts with galvanized ones and tighten loose straps. Even well-anchored older homes aren't safe to stay in during a hurricane.

Find doctors and move prescriptions

Many practices fill up in winter when seasonal residents arrive. Book a new-patient visit early and move prescriptions to a local pharmacy before you run low.

Get your Florida driver license¹

Due within 30 days of becoming a resident. Apply in person at a tax collector or state driver license office; most take appointments. A first Class E license costs $48, and most offices add a $6.25 service fee. You hand in your out-of-state license.

Update your voter registration^1,18

Register at your new Florida address. Your county Supervisor of Elections handles it, and the state Division of Elections answers questions. Registering to vote also counts as establishing residency, which starts the car and license clocks.

Declare the home real property (if you own the land)¹⁹

If the home sits permanently on land you own, file Department of Revenue form DR-402 with the county property appraiser, then take the approved form to the tax collector for an RP decal. The home and land are then taxed together, and you can apply for homestead. RP decals don't expire as long as the home isn't moved.

Register the home and get its decal¹⁹

A mobile home on a rented lot is registered with the county tax collector, which issues its decal. Without active registration, the property appraiser taxes it as personal property.

Consider filing a Declaration of Domicile (optional)²⁰

A short sworn statement, filed with the clerk of court in your county for a small fee, that Florida is now your permanent home. It's optional, but it's one more piece of proof if your old state questions whether you really moved.

Get a boating safety card if you'll drive a boat^21,22

Needed to run a boat with a 10-horsepower or larger engine. Take an approved course; the card lasts for life. A course certificate covers you for 90 days while you wait.

Apply for the homestead exemption²³

If you own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on January 1, apply to your county property appraiser by March 1 of that year. Miss March 1 and you lose it for the year. It takes $25,000 off the first $50,000 of assessed value, plus an inflation-adjusted second exemption (about $25,722 in 2025) that doesn't apply to school taxes. It also turns on the Save Our Homes cap, which holds yearly increases in assessed value to 3% or inflation, whichever is lower. Bring Social Security numbers for owners and spouses, your Florida driver license, and proof such as Florida car registration or voter registration. Ask about portability if you're moving from another Florida homestead. A mobile home qualifies only once it's declared real property on land you own (see the mobile-home step).