Best state for residence

We live in the great state of Texas but we have a home in Fla.(half)  and Kinfolk in Michigan. So which one would be best to call home? We are going to sell in Tx. and the taxes, health Insurance and MH insurance would be cheaper in Fla. my guess? And we should have a stick house mailing address to keep cost down?I would hate to lose my lifetime fishing license in Tx. And plan on going everywhere with the three states mentioned the most often. Your thoughts please.

If you want to stay a Texas resident, join the Escapees RV Club in Livingston and open a mail forwarding account with them.  They've been through the battles and having a mailing address with them lets you establish Polk County domicile and you can base your voting, drivers license, vehicle registration and health insurance there.

Check our Library above under Fulltiming for the differences in both states.

Checked library and read them both and Wanderlust too. Thanks I wonder if possible to go dual? Texas/Fla. We own property in both for now.

William52 said:

Checked library and read them both and Wanderlust too. Thanks I wonder if possible to go dual? Texas/Fla. We own property in both for now.

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William


Either state would love to have you but both will expect you to meet their vehicle requirements, pay their taxes, and live with any other domicile requirements. To insure you can answer any demands by another state you need to prove you are a bonifide resident of your first choice. That generally means banking, voting, vehicle and driver's license, etc.

William52 said:

Checked library and read them both and Wanderlust too. Thanks I wonder if possible to go dual? Texas/Fla. We own property in both for now.

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Nope.

Choose one or the other, but not both. Where you own property means nothing WRT primary residence.  Where you mostly live, even if renting mostly in a different state than you own the property in, makes where you're renting your primary residence and that is where you should register to vote and have you're driver's license from and such. There can be some exceptions, such as if you work across a state line. Where you have the most ties is then your primary residence and where you work is a big one as you're going to that other state almost every day. IOW, you're not going to avoid CA state income tax by living just across the boarder from where you work.

BTW, I own property in CA and NV. I switched my primary residence from CA to NV. I am now  registered to vote in NV and have a NV driver's license and NV concealed carry permit. But it's really where you spend most of the year.

I even got ALL of my CA state income tax back for one year while I still had a CA driver's license as I spent most of that year here in NV.

-Don-  Reno, NV

Update... and for what it's worth Florida looks like the winner. We will have a physical address there and more breaks for seniors and Vets. Is Fla. the only state that gives a 25% discount to vets at State parks? So carry that DD214 folks when in the Sunshine State. And if you're a lifetime license holder in Texas you can go anywhere and your license is good as long as yore alive.

William52 said:

Update... and for what it's worth Florida looks like the winner. We will have a physical address there and more breaks for seniors and Vets. Is Fla. the only state that gives a 25% discount to vets at State parks? So carry that DD214 folks when in the Sunshine State. And if you're a lifetime license holder in Texas you can go anywhere and your license is good as long as yore alive.

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Do you have to be a Florida resident for the discount?

Wendy said:

Do you have to be a Florida resident for the discount?

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  Yes you do and as well for most resorts aka Disney and others.    https://www.floridastateparks.org/content/annual-pass-information

William52 said:

Update... and for what it's worth Florida looks like the winner. We will have a physical address there and more breaks for seniors and Vets. Is Fla. the only state that gives a 25% discount to vets at State parks? So carry that DD214 folks when in the Sunshine State. And if you're a lifetime license holder in Texas you can go anywhere and your license is good as long as yore alive.

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Is the VA card accepted in lieu of the DD214?

Some unrelated places accept only one, but not the other, such as for the HD vet discount they only accept the VA card, but the NV DMV (NV puts "VETERAN" right on the driver's license) will only accept the DD214. The fact that the DD214 is required to get a VA card is irrelevant to NV DMV.

-Don-  SSF, CA

You can get a copy of your DD214 from the Feds HERE

Clay L said:

You can get a copy of your DD214 from the Feds HERE

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Thanks for that info. But I have several copies of my DD214. It's just that I had to drive back home to get my DD214 because NV DMV would not accept my VA card (which requires the DD214 to get).

And when I get "VETERAN"  on my driver's license, I can then get license plates like this one.

I purchased that 1971 BMW R75/5 with the money that was difficult to spend in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

73, -Don-  AA6GA, SSF, CA

Check Disabled Vet benefits in each state you are considering too.  They vary greatly.  Fitz

I retired to SW Arizona, and you can go in most any Lowes, Home Depot, type store and you will not find a snow shovel anywhere!  You know you like that!




The information is out there, all you have to do is let it in.

There are obvious advantages to becoming a Florida resident. The first, and most well-known, is?Florida has no state income tax.
Full-time RV living in Florida has become a lifestyle choice for increasing numbers of modern-day nomads and Florida is a popular destination. Improvements in RV amenities and the scarcity of affordable housing are a few of the reasons that some people take their home to the open road permanently. Since home-schooling options have become more widely available, even families with young children can be full-time RV residents. Improvements in technology have made it possible for full-time RV residents to telecommute, pay bills, and stay in touch with friends and family while on the road.
How do you become a Florida Resident?
A lot of identity verification rules have been put in place since we hit the road, adding some additional hoops to getting a driver?s license in any state. Which means you need to start your process a month or so before getting your driver?s license to make sure you have everything you need.
Here?s the steps we recommend after going through the process ourselves:
 Get quotes for your health and auto insurance and check into registration fees, so there will be no surprises.
 Establish your new domicile address at least a month before you anticipate applying for your driver?s license or ID card. Do your research as to which is best for you ? rates for insurance (vehicle & health) can vary widely at different zip codes. Vehicle insurance rates are very reasonable in Okaloosa County.
 I recommend Good Sam Mail Service https://www.goodsammailservice.com/ in Florida. They?ve been in business for many years serving the cruising, RVing and traveler communities, and we?ve heard nothing but glowing recommendations. They were easy to work with, sign-up was handled all online, and they provided all of the forms and instructions. They quickly answered our questions, including verifying that you could use our new address for our businesses without needing any additional occupancy license. Very impressed with their high tech scanning solution that actually lets you see the outside of incoming mail as soon as it arrives, and for a small extra fee they will even open your mail and scan the contents on request!
 As with any mail forwarding service, you?ll need to fill out a Postal Form 1583 to authorize the service to forward mail to you. The form must be notarized, and you must send copies of 2 forms of identification for each person along with it.
 Make sure your SSN card shows your name exactly as you want it to appear on your license.
 Start changing your address with banks, credit cards and insurance companies.

Why Florida over other states?
- Very little red tape in Florida making it an easy transition.
- Some of the most beautiful RV Resorts in the country.
- The obvious, no state income tax.
- Driver?s license is good for 8 years plus it?s easy to renew online wherever you?re at.
- No annual vehicle inspections like Texas. This is big because you have to move your RV to the inspection station every year.
- In Florida you only need a Class E driver?s license for any size RV. In some states you?ll need a special non-commercial Class A or B driver?s license.
- Florida is highly regarded by a few RV Club?s for mail forwarding https://www.goodsammailservice.com/? Florida has far more resources for mail forwarding. 
- No pension tax in Florida
- No astronomical fees for vehicle registration, Florida is very reasonable.