Moving between states / Florida

Flag of ArizonaArizonatoFlag of FloridaFlorida, Electrician

Moving from Arizona to Florida as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in Arizona has to do to work in Florida, what the move does to your pay, and who in Florida is hiring from out of state.

Exam likely. Florida licenses at state level through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board and reciprocates with other state boards, but Arizona licenses locally through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Florida journeyman exam.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Florida leaves you roughly $1,500 a year more than Arizona does, because Florida has no state income tax on wages.

SalaryArizona state taxFlorida state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,000$0+$1,000
$60,000$1,500$0+$1,500
$90,000$2,250$0+$2,250

Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Arizona to Florida

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Arizona certificate stays on the Arizona State Board of Nursing (CNA and LNA certification); to work in Florida you apply to the Florida Board of Nursing (CNA certification by endorsement) for reciprocity. Endorsement for an active CNA from another state registry; Florida runs its own background screening before it certifies you. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: Arizona to Florida

Works on day one. Both Arizona and Florida are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Arizona is valid in Florida the day you arrive. Once Florida is your primary residence, apply there for a Florida multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

CDL: Arizona to Florida

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Florida resident you surrender the Arizona CDL at a Florida driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in Florida. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

No statewide program in Florida pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.

Openings filed in Florida

297 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Florida employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Arizona to Florida

Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for Florida employers.

Plan my move to Florida

Same move, by trade

CNA: Arizona to Florida · RN or LPN: Arizona to Florida · Truck driver: Arizona to Florida · All licences: Arizona to Florida

From Arizona to the states next to Florida

Georgia (flat 5.19% state income tax) · Alabama (progressive, top rate 5%)

To Florida from the states next to Arizona

California · Nevada · Utah · Colorado · New Mexico

Everything about working in Florida · All moves between states · All 50 states

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