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

Direct answer

You move to Florida from Kentucky by driving I-75 south, establishing Florida domicile, and filing homestead. The income tax swap is modest. The inheritance tax swap can be large if your heirs are nieces, nephews, or non family. Kentucky taxes non immediate heirs from the first 500 to 1,000 dollars. Florida takes none of it.

The tax swap, Kentucky versus Florida

The biggest single dollar difference for Kentucky retirees whose heirs are not immediate family is the inheritance tax. Nieces, nephews, and non family heirs pay Kentucky inheritance tax from the first thousand dollars. A 500,000 dollar bequest to a niece can cost roughly 50,000 to 75,000 dollars in Kentucky inheritance tax, and Florida charges zero.

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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. This is a true one day drive down I-75. Many Kentucky retirees drive their own household in a rental truck.
• ◆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 Kentucky

Kentucky does not audit departures aggressively. 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 for the departure year.

• ◆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 Lexington is about 850 miles and 12 to 13 hours, straight down I-75 to the Sun City Center exit. Nonstop flights SDF and CVG to Tampa International run daily on major carriers. Household moves for a full three bedroom band 5,000 to 9,000 dollars, and auto transport Kentucky to Tampa runs roughly 800 to 1,200 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 Kentucky retirees pick Sun City Center

Kentucky retirees pick Sun City Center because I-75 makes it a one day drive and the inheritance tax on non immediate heirs quietly disappears. Sun City Center is walkable, cart legal, has HCA Florida South Bay inside the community, and puts Tampa International inside an hour. It is the easiest state to state retirement move on this list.

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.