[WonderingWhere]

After all these years, I can finally leave the northeast and join you folks in Florida. I leave by the end of this month.

I bought an older but nice small motorhome and this is what I will reside in until ......

My question really has most to do with dealing with Obamacare and changing states. I have been trying since Oct 1 to get covered. I am now waiting for the second "specialist" to call me because there were so many glitches in their system that my application is messed up.

Can I get a Florida legal address now, get Florida vehicle insurance now, and apply as a Florida resident until I get there in about 3 weeks? If I do those...address and vehicle insurance, would I be okay/legal if I had an accident or anything I am not thinking of? I would still have a PA driver's license and registration.

I wish I could get the address now, get vehicle insurance now, and apply for Obamacare as a Florida resident, as I will be shortly.

How does your Florida law look at Florida vehicle insurance and address with out of state license and registration (at least temporarily if something should happen)?

What about voter registration? Can I do that from here? I most certainly intend to be a Florida resident. Clay county, to be exact. By the way, any information at all about Clay county also welcome.

Any thoughts or guidance on where I can get reliable information will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[d4g4m]

Answers to your questions is -NO!!!
To be a resident of Florida, you must-
File a declaration of domicile with the County Clerk of the County where you will reside
OR
be living in Fl to
Get a Florida drivers license. You will need your driver lic., orig. or cert. copy of birth certificate, SS Card, 2 pieces of util bills.
Register your vehicle [have title for transfer]
register to vote
register children for school
transfer any bank account to a Florida branch
File Federal income tax with Florida address
The only way a 'motor home' MIGHT qualify as a residence is if you are registered in a legit park on a pad with electric, water and have mail delivered to the park address. THEN you can do all the above.

[WonderingWhere]

Thank you for the info, d4g4m. I will be working on all of those. I appreciate your list to refer to so I don't miss anything.

I do believe you can use one of the mailing services as your legal address in Florida, for the purposes of license, registration and I guess everything?

I see the declaration of domicile is very important. Thanks for that.

[lynxville]

Transferring your vehicle title, getting plates, Fl drivers license and auto insurance is expensive. You don't need a vehicle in Fl to be a resident. But the drivers license is a must and you can register to vote at that time. Before you go through that expense you might want to make sure your going to stay in Fl. Once your sure than transfer the title etc.

[beachmouse]

To vote down here, you now need a picture id. List of acceptable ids down at the bottom, and I wouldn't be surprised if they asked you to cast a provisional ballot if your passport was your only acceptable ID and it still showed a PA address.

Voting Information - Florida Division of Elections - Department of State

Driver's license is going to be problematic for you due to REAL ID anti-terrorism BS. Here's a site explaining what you need, and it sounds like you'll have problems with the 'two things showing your address' bit.

Gather Go Get the FLORiDA Card: Index

[WonderingWhere]

Originally Posted by lynxville

Transferring your vehicle title, getting plates, Fl drivers license and auto insurance is expensive. You don't need a vehicle in Fl to be a resident. But the drivers license is a must and you can register to vote at that time. Before you go through that expense you might want to make sure your going to stay in Fl. Once your sure than transfer the title etc.

Hi lynxville. Thank you for your response. Yes, I have found registering a vehicle, etc. is expensive down there. I wish I did not have to do all of this at the same time. I have all the forms for everything, including declaration of domicile, which after submitting that, you have 30 days to register your vehicle.

Can you have a driver's license and be a voter, without registering your vehicle?

I need to be a bona fide resident because I enrolled in Obamacare as a Florida resident, which I plan to be before the end of the year. I have a legal Fla address now, and was planning on submitting the declaration of domicile within days. Then get my driver's license once I arrive. As far as staying...well, I need to be somewhere and I believe Florida has a lot to offer as my permanent residence. It has so much natural beauty I want to explore. I am a little scared of the heat and humidity that others speak of, but then, it is now 12 degrees where I am, and will be cold for months to come. And gray and gloomy. So which would I rather?

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by WonderingWhere

Hi lynxville. Thank you for your response. Yes, I have found registering a vehicle, etc. is expensive down there. I wish I did not have to do all of this at the same time. I have all the forms for everything, including declaration of domicile, which after submitting that, you have 30 days to register your vehicle.

Can you have a driver's license and be a voter, without registering your vehicle?

I need to be a bona fide resident because I enrolled in Obamacare as a Florida resident, which I plan to be before the end of the year. I have a legal Fla address now, and was planning on submitting the declaration of domicile within days. Then get my driver's license once I arrive. As far as staying...well, I need to be somewhere and I believe Florida has a lot to offer as my permanent residence. It has so much natural beauty I want to explore. I am a little scared of the heat and humidity that others speak of, but then, it is now 12 degrees where I am, and will be cold for months to come. And gray and gloomy. So which would I rather?

I believe newcomers to Florida have to pay a one time fee of $400? to get their cars registered in Fla.
Living in a van in Floridas summer heat? you better have a good air conditioner or that rv will turn into an oven.

[WonderingWhere]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

To vote down here, you now need a picture id. List of acceptable ids down at the bottom, and I wouldn't be surprised if they asked you to cast a provisional ballot if your passport was your only acceptable ID and it still showed a PA address.

Voting Information - Florida Division of Elections - Department of State

Driver's license is going to be problematic for you due to REAL ID anti-terrorism BS. Here's a site explaining what you need, and it sounds like you'll have problems with the 'two things showing your address' bit.

Gather Go Get the FLORiDA Card: Index

Hi beachmouse. You give a lot to ponder here, thanks. Not only changing states, I recently changed my name. To change my name on my current state's driver's license, I had to produce a number of original documents. I read your link to gathergoget and you are right, I may have some kind of issue. I will be working on all of it and doing whatever they require.

The two things showing your address: I changed banking address today, and my main bank is on the same block as my new address, so that is one. Happy I have a national bank. Need to read up on the rest. Thanks for that. I also read something about if you have address issues, you can describe your motor home, etc., and that will suffice. I intend to buy a house at some point, but until then, I will go by the instructions.

I am doing everything required. Who knew there was this much...

[WonderingWhere]

Originally Posted by jambo101

I believe newcomers to Florida have to pay a one time fee of $400? to get their cars registered in Fla.
Living in a van in Floridas summer heat? you better have a good air conditioner or that rv will turn into an oven.

Yes, jambo101. That is what I have learned. Ouch. $225 original registration fee, around $70 for tags, and something about a charge by vehicle weight. I was also told around $400.

I actually have a small motorhome, class B. It has roof air, but I need a big generator or to be plugged in to work it. I really can't afford most campgrounds, so I don't know what my moves are going to be.

I really want to head out to Arizona but I need to be a resident somewhere and Florida is a good place. After I pay the fees, though, $ is going to be too tight for another 2,000 miles travel.

I need to be legal somewhere for health insurance. Maybe I should just head out to Arizona anyway instead. I can keep my PA status, I suppose. But I really don't want to stay here.

I have a decent social security income and have a life insurance license. I plan on marketing final expense/burial insurance to seniors, and I do believe Florida is a great place for this. I am also licensed in Florida.

Thanks for your response.

[RMD3819]

You might want to ask around in an RV forum about this.

South Dakota and Montana are popular states tax-wise to declare residency in while you travel around. I don't know the particulars.

That said, when I moved here in 1981 the first thing I did was file a Declaration of Domicile. That is official, legal proof and for me starting the clock ticking for in state tuition. Decades later I used that document for my daughter's college tuition rate.