leaving car up north
 

This has to have been discussed somewhere, but I can't seem to find it. We will be snowbirds starting this November. For at least this 1st year, we think we now want to leave one car in Ohio - could arrange for someone to start it up and drive it a little bit while we're gone, and can use it ourselves for a week or two in December.

Our big concern is that we will want 2 cars back here next summer, or at least want to see how it works out once we're both not working and in Ohio - we do a lot of different stuff and there are no golf cart paths here!

Anyway, we plan to be Florida residents and will be transferring the title and registering one of the cars in Florida. Can we legally be Florida residents if we leave one car registered in Ohio? We know we have to spend 1 day more than 6 mos. in Florida. We're both on the title of our Villages home. We are not married, and I am the titled owner of the car we hope to leave in Ohio.

Does anyone know or can point me in the right direction? I found the Florida website but not the section where it might cover this situation.

Don't know the rules but it would seem the bigger issue would be with Ohio -- will they allow you to register a vehicle there if you're no longer a resident of the state? I do know that some snowbirds have a vehicle here that they register in Florida even though their legal resident is up north.

Are you planning to maintain a residence in Ohio?

I would definitely check with Ohio on this, but something tells me as long as you have a residence in Ohio you may be OK, the important thing is that the state wants its $$$ and as long as there's an Ohio mailing address so they can send renewal notices they may not ask too many questions. You wouldn't be the only folks with both Ohio and Florida residences so they may get that question asked a lot.

MO
 

Don't know about Ohio, but I can tell you my experience with Missouri. We couldn't title our small pickup in Florida because it was in Missouri. We didn't have a garage big enough for two vehicles and a golf cart here. Missouri would not let us title it anymore or get insurance because we sold our property in Missouri. Our pickup was at a friends house. We ended up selling the pickup and getting a 2nd golf cart. Doesn't help your situation for needing a second car next summer, but that's what happened to us recently.

Why not just put Florida tags on both vehicles ? And leave one in OH ?

Perhaps you should check with your insurance carrier and ask about how the insurance can be done. If you have a insurance claim and the car is not registured/titled correctly to the insurance rules then they may not pay the clalim. For instance if you have Nationwide (as I did in Indy) and you have a car here with Florida title and plates you have a problem. Nationwide is not licensed in Florida and won't insure a car with Florida title/plates.

Just my thoughts.

We're snowbirds with our northern home in NY State. We have one car, the one which comes south with us, registered in Florida. The other two remain in NY. I checked with the NY State Police and was told the vehicle should be registered in the state where it spends most of its time. That's how I made my decision about where to register the vehicles. They are both insured through State Farm, the NY cars through a NY agent, the Fl car through a Florida agent.

leaving car up north
 

I am a perspective villager and a current resident of Pennsylvania. I Have neighbors in Pennsylvania who own in Florida and have chose to homestead in Florida.

Both of there cars a registered in Florida. There are many advantages to this.
Neighbor tells me his car insurance dropped from $3200 to $900.00 for full coverage. They are back and forth from Florida throughout the year (doctors). I am glad he is reaping the rewards of being a Floridian.

Although there are three states that don't tax pensions or SSI (Pennsylvania Florida and Nevada) I will not hesitate to homestead in Florida even if I keep the property in Pennsylvania for the auto insurance savings alone.

Big brother is not watching to see if you live 6 months and 1 day in any given location.

Another bonus is if your state taxes pensions, it is a no brainer. The only thing that can get you in trouble is if you register to vote in both states and vote in both states. That is a no no.

leaving car up north
 

Oh and most important I forgot. My Floridian neighbor has two cars and leaves one parked on the street while in Florida for months at a time and nobody would dare complain even though parking at times can be tight.

Cars have valid current Florida registration

Think about E-Check when renewing registration
 

Consider whether car(s) registered/plated in Ohio need to be taken in for E-Check in order to renew.

I am a legal resident of Florida but still maintain a home in Pennsylvania. I called the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation last week about the car I left in Pennsylvania and was told that unless I have a valid Pennsylvania drivers license, I can not register a car in Pennsylvania. I drove my second car down here this weekend to register it in Florida since I only have a Florida driver license.

You can get a "Florida Only" drivers license in Fla (a Fla DL is needed to register your car in Fla) and still keep your "up North" DL.

Don't know how the Florida Only DL would work if you made Fla your permanent residence tho.

Thanks all, for the advice. Ohio (or at least where we live in Columbus) has no E-check requirements. Right now we have Ohio Drivers' licenses. Renewal is due this month, so it looks like I can renew the plate for the one car that is staying in Ohio and we will register the car we're taking to Florida, in Florida. We do have a residence in Ohio for at least sometime into 2011, probably next fall.

Fortunately, our auto insurance co. covers both Ohio and Florida, will just advise of location of cars appropriately. Big decision will probably come next year, when we sell the Ohio house to Ohioboy's son (if all goes as planned).

Chuckinca - be careful. I think Florida has done away with the FL daypass. Check with DMV.

Indiana won't LET me registers cars.
 

I am an "official" Florida resident, with a Florida driver's license, but I also own a home in Indiana, and some cars and motorcycles that mostly stay in Indiana. For some reason, Indiana doesn't want my money.

Starting about 3 years ago, they refuse to register any vehicles that I buy. They will renew the ones that I bought and registered years ago, but not the ones I buy now, at least used ones, and probably not new ones.