Moving between states / Florida

Flag of New YorkNew YorktoFlag of FloridaFlorida, RN or LPN

Moving from New York to Florida as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in New York has to do to work in Florida, what the move does to your pay, and who in Florida is hiring from out of state.

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. New York is not in the compact, so your New York licence is single-state. Apply to the Florida board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because Florida is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Florida leaves you roughly $4,578 a year more than New York does, because Florida has no state income tax on wages.

SalaryNew York state taxFlorida state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,052$0+$3,052
$60,000$4,578$0+$4,578
$90,000$6,867$0+$6,867

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. In New York: New York City adds up to 3.876%. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: New York to Florida

Transfers by reciprocity. Your New York certificate stays on the New York State Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Department of Health); 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.

Electrician: New York to Florida

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 New York licenses locally through the City and county building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Florida journeyman exam.

CDL: New York 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 New York 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 New York 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: New York to Florida · Electrician: New York to Florida · Truck driver: New York to Florida · All licences: New York to Florida

From New York 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 New York

Vermont · Massachusetts · Connecticut · New Jersey · Pennsylvania

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

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

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