Florida domicile

Florida Domicile is a specific legal concept.
One's “domicile” and your “residence” are not necessarily the same thing. One may have more than one residence in more than one state but, for tax purposes, can have only one domicile. A person's domicile is principally a matter of intent; it is where one intend the home base to be; it is a person's true, fixed and permanent state of residence.
Factors to prove intent
Some factors to show evidence of intent to create a new domicile include:
* File a Declaration of Domicile with the Clerk of Courts in the Florida county where you now or plan to reside. A sample Declaration of Domicile that you would get from the Clerk of Courts is available.
* Spend as much time in Florida as is practical (typically more than 180 days per year)
* Own or lease and occupy a residence in Florida, or register at hotels as a resident of Florida.
* Obtain a Florida driver license, and register a car in Florida. Register your automobile(s) and obtain a Florida license plate at the Tax Collector’s Office in the county of residence. The owner should drive the automobile you are registering to the Tax Collector’s office, as a tax official must physically inspect the automobile’s serial number.
* Register to vote in Florida after notifying the Voting Registrar in your former state to remove your name from their voting records. This can be done at most of the Florida Driver License Bureau offices (through the Motor-Voter Program), or in your county’s Supervisor of Elections Office, Florida secretary fo State, or a public library.
* Transfer financial assets (i.e., securities, bank accounts, brokerage accounts, etc.) to institutions in Florida or Florida offices of financial institutions used in your former state. That may also inlcude the maintainance of a safe deposit box in Florida
* Transact business in Florida and declare Florida to be your state of domicile in all written communications concerning your principal residence.
* File Federal income tax returns from Florida, and use an out-of-state tax fomr where necessary.
* Estate planning documents, such as wills, trusts, living wills and powers-of-attorney, should state a domicile is in Florida. Have existing documents reviewed by a Florida attorney to make sure they conform to Florida law.
* Establish memberships in social and religious organizations in Florida.
* make a change of address to a Florida address, even if onyl seasonally
* Transfer personal property to Florida.
* File for a homestead exemption. This may also qualify for the "Save Our Homes Amendment," a component of the Homestead Exemption and places a cap of three percent on the annual assessed value of your home. This should be done at the Property Appraiser’s Office in the county where the real estate is located.
Students
A student seeking Florida residency classification must demonstrate that he or she has established bona fide domicile in Florida, rather than maintaining a temporary residence that is incidental to being enrolled in a Florida university. To establish domicile, a student should begin by taking the steps discussed below.

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