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

Direct answer

You move to Florida from Nebraska by establishing Florida domicile and filing homestead. The unique feature of the Nebraska tax swap is inheritance tax. Nebraska is the only state where the county courthouse taxes your heirs. Children pay 1 percent above 100,000 dollars, remote relatives 11 percent above 40,000, others 15 percent above 25,000. Florida charges none of it.

The tax swap, Nebraska versus Florida

The biggest single dollar difference for most Nebraska retirees is the county collected inheritance tax on remote relatives and non family. A 500,000 dollar bequest to a niece or nephew can cost roughly 50,000 dollars at the Nebraska county courthouse. 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Nebraska does not audit departures aggressively at the state level. County treasurers do enforce inheritance tax filings tightly, but that is a death event, not a departure event. Keep standard domicile documentation and your file will carry any audit.

• ◆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 Omaha is about 1,450 miles and 21 hours, typically split over two to three days. Nonstop flights OMA to Tampa International run daily on major carriers. Household moves for a full three bedroom band 7,000 to 12,000 dollars, and auto transport Nebraska to Tampa runs roughly 1,100 to 1,500 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 Nebraska retirees pick Sun City Center

Nebraska retirees pick Sun City Center for the inheritance tax exit and the community feel. Sun City Center scale reminds Nebraskans of a small Midwestern town without the winters. HCA Florida South Bay is inside the community and Tampa International is 45 minutes north.

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.