Moving between states / Florida

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Moving from Ohio to Florida as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Ohio has to do to work in Florida, what the move does to your pay, and who in Florida is hiring from out of state.

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Ohio certificate stays on the Ohio Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Florida leaves you roughly $1,470 a year more than Ohio does, because Florida has no state income tax on wages.

SalaryOhio state taxFlorida state taxDifference a year
$40,000$980$0+$980
$60,000$1,470$0+$1,470
$90,000$2,205$0+$2,205

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 Ohio: most cities add a 1 to 2.5% municipal income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: Ohio to Florida

Works on day one. Both Ohio and Florida are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Ohio 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.

Electrician: Ohio 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 Ohio licenses locally through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (contractors) and city building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Florida journeyman exam.

CDL: Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Going the other way? Ohio has Hamilton Talent Attraction Program. See moving from Florida to Ohio.

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 Ohio 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

RN or LPN: Ohio to Florida · Electrician: Ohio to Florida · Truck driver: Ohio to Florida · All licences: Ohio to Florida

From Ohio 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 Ohio

Michigan · Indiana · Kentucky · West Virginia · Pennsylvania

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

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