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

Direct answer

You move to Florida from New Jersey by establishing legal domicile in Florida, filing homestead, and unwinding New Jersey ties on a documented timeline. The single largest dollar item for most New Jersey retirees is property tax, not income tax. A 500,000 dollar home in New Jersey commonly runs 10,000 to 13,000 dollars a year. The same value in Sun City Center with homestead typically runs 4,000 to 5,000 dollars.

The tax swap, New Jersey versus Florida

The biggest single dollar difference for most New Jersey retirees is the property tax line. On a paid off 500,000 dollar home the annual swing is often 7,000 to 9,000 dollars a year in Florida's favor, every year you own the home, before any income tax savings.

The New Jersey exit tax, explained straight

The famous New Jersey exit tax is not a separate tax. When a nonresident sells New Jersey real estate the closing attorney withholds an estimated payment against the seller's New Jersey income tax on the sale. The withholding is the greater of 8.97 percent of the taxable gain or 2 percent of the total sale price. That number is a prepayment. You reconcile it on your final New Jersey nonresident return, and you get back anything overpaid. Almost every article gets this wrong. Plan the sale timing and file the final return promptly.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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. New Jersey buyers often qualify on asset depletion because retirement balances are large relative to visible monthly income.
• ◆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. Non contingent offers matter here. Sun City Center inventory moves quickly on well priced homes.
• ◆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 New Jersey

New Jersey audits departing residents aggressively, especially high income households and business owners. Assume the Division of Taxation will ask for a day count and supporting records for the year of departure and one or two years after. Keep a written domicile file: Declaration of Domicile, license issue date, voter card, homestead approval, primary physician transfer, and month by month location logs.

• ◆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 Newark is about 1,100 miles and 16 to 17 hours down I-95, usually split over two comfortable days. Nonstop flights to Tampa International run daily from EWR, and lower cost carriers operate from TTN Trenton Mercer and ACY Atlantic City seasonally. Household moves for a full three bedroom typically band 6,000 to 12,000 dollars depending on peak versus shoulder season. One car auto transport New Jersey to Tampa runs roughly 1,000 to 1,400 dollars.

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 New Jersey retirees pick Sun City Center

New Jersey retirees pick Sun City Center for the property tax reset first, the winters second, and the community third. A community that is walkable and cart legal, has a real hospital in town at HCA Florida South Bay, and puts Tampa International inside an hour is rare at Sun City Center price points. The value swap is measurable in dollars, not vibes.

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.