Our standards
How we check facts
Every fact in the manual has a numbered footnote. Here is what stands behind those footnotes.
Where the facts come from
- People, income, home values and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024, and Census QuickFacts.
- Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, through the National Weather Service or Wikipedia's tables drawn from them.
- Hospitals: CMS Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospitals that report 24-hour emergency services.
- Phone numbers: county, city and utility websites, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management's county directory.
- Rules and deadlines: Florida statutes and the state and county offices that run them (FLHSMV, tax collectors, property appraisers).
- Storm and safety steps: FEMA, the National Weather Service, the CDC, Florida agencies and UF/IFAS Extension.
- History, places and local lore: mostly Wikipedia and state park pages. Lore is labeled as lore.
How each fact is checked
- We open the source page itself, not a search snippet.
- We check the fact against what the page actually says, and cut or rewrite anything it doesn't support.
- We record the date. The whole manual was last checked 2026-11-05.
- Phone numbers from the state's directory are labeled "state directory", so you know to confirm them with your county.
This manual was researched and written with the help of AI tools. Every fact was then checked by opening the source it cites, and each one carries a footnote so you can check it yourself.
What the numbers can't tell you
- Census figures for small towns are estimates with wide margins of error.
- Distances to hospitals and airports are straight-line; driving is longer.
- Phone numbers and rules change. Check anything that matters with the office named in the footnote.
Corrections
Found something wrong? Tell us. We fix it in the next update and list it here.
| Date | Where | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-05 | Panhandle profile | Said you gain an hour crossing from Gulf into Calhoun County. Both are on Central Time there. Now: crossing the Apalachicola River on I-10, from Gadsden into Jackson County. |
| 2026-11-05 | Southwest Florida profile | Named Caspersen Beach for shark teeth; we couldn't confirm it at a source. Now: Venice's beaches, which the source supports. |
| 2026-11-05 | Florida Keys profile | Jobs line named fishing as a leading industry without a source. Rewritten to what the source supports. |
| 2026-11-05 | Monthly cost page | Said a lender will usually require flood insurance. FEMA's wording is "may be required" in high-risk zones; changed to match. |