How to Move to Florida From Delaware (Sun City Center Retiree Guide)

Direct answer

You move to Florida from Delaware by establishing legal domicile, filing homestead, and unwinding Delaware ties. The tax swap is real: 6.6 percent on IRA and pension withdrawals over 12,500 dollars per person becomes zero. The honest counterweight is Florida charges a 6 percent state sales tax and Delaware charges none. On a 100,000 dollar retirement draw the income tax swing still nets 5,000 to 6,000 dollars a year in Florida's favor.

The tax swap, Delaware versus Florida

The biggest single dollar difference for most Delaware retirees is income tax on IRA and pension withdrawals above 12,500 dollars per person. On a 100,000 dollar joint draw the annual swing is roughly 5,000 to 6,000 dollars a year in Florida's favor, net of the Florida sales tax you now pay on retail purchases.

Tax disclaimer

Tax information is general and for educational purposes only. It is not tax advice. Rates, exemptions, and thresholds change and vary by county and by individual circumstance. Verify current figures with the Delaware Department of Revenue and consult a licensed CPA or tax attorney before making relocation decisions. Tax data verified July 2026.

The seven step move

• ◆Decide snowbird or outright move. Most Delaware retirees start with one winter rental in Sun City Center before buying.
• ◆Line up Florida financing before you list at home. Get fully underwritten so you can write a non contingent offer once you are ready.
• ◆Pick your neighborhood category: Sun City Center Proper for detached single family, Kings Point for gated condo and villa living, or Renaissance for the higher end.
• ◆Sequence the sale and purchase. Options include buy first with bridge or asset based financing, sell first with rent back, or overlap with a short term rental.
• ◆Establish Florida domicile and document it. See the checklist below.
• ◆Move the household. Full service movers, container pods, or auto transport for one vehicle plus a fly down are the three common patterns.
• ◆File Florida homestead by March 1 of the year after you close. Miss that date and you lose the exemption for a full year.

Establishing Florida domicile from Delaware

Delaware audits departures at a low to moderate rate. Standard domicile documentation carries almost every case. Keep the file: Declaration of Domicile, license issue date, voter card, homestead approval, physician transfer, and a monthly location log.

• ◆File a Declaration of Domicile with the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court.
• ◆Get a Florida driver license and surrender the license from your former state.
• ◆Register vehicles in Florida and cancel the old state registration.
• ◆Register to vote in Hillsborough County.
• ◆Update your address on federal tax returns, Social Security, and Medicare.
• ◆Move primary banking and brokerage relationships to Florida addresses.
• ◆Transfer primary physicians and specialists to Tampa Bay providers.
• ◆Update wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health directives to Florida law.
• ◆File Florida homestead by March 1 to lock the exemption and the Save Our Homes 3 percent cap.
• ◆Count and document days present. Keep flight receipts, EZ Pass records, and credit card geolocation.

Logistics: drive, flights, and moving

The drive from Wilmington is about 1,000 miles and 15 hours down I-95, usually split over two comfortable days. Nonstop options from ILG are limited, so most Delaware retirees fly through PHL which has multiple daily nonstops to Tampa International. Household moves for a full three bedroom band 5,000 to 10,000 dollars, and auto transport Delaware to Tampa runs roughly 900 to 1,300 dollars per car.

Financing from out of state

Get fully underwritten before you list at home. That means income, assets, and credit verified so your Florida offer can go in without a financing contingency. Travis works multiple retiree friendly programs. Asset depletion qualifies buyers on brokerage and retirement balances instead of monthly income. Social Security and pension income qualification gets you the gross up boost most lenders miss. Kings Point condos need non warrantable condo programs, and Travis has relationships that lend where big banks decline. See the full financing overview. Travis Penny is a licensed mortgage broker, NMLS 1649161, and this is not an offer to lend. Loans are subject to underwriting approval.

Why Delaware retirees pick Sun City Center

Delaware retirees pick Sun City Center for the IRA tax line and the winter. Sun City Center January highs run 20 to 25 degrees warmer than Wilmington and the community is cart legal, walkable, and has HCA Florida South Bay inside. Tampa International is 45 minutes north and Gulf beaches 30 minutes west.

Call Rex

Ready to plan the move? Call Rex, your 24/7 concierge, (813) 576.3131. Rex hands warm calls to Dewey for real estate and Travis for financing during business hours, and takes messages the rest of the time.