Dan Orange County, Florida: A Homeowner’s Guide Orange County is the most populous county in Central Florida, and it’s really thirteen separate cities plus a large unincorporated area, each governed a little differently, taxed a little differently, and in a few specific cases regulated differently depending on exactly where a property sits. Short version: Orange County … Read more
“We’re moving to Florida” isn’t really a decision, it’s the start of one. Florida runs 447 miles from the Georgia line to Key West, and Pensacola to Key West is 792 miles by road. Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Pensacola have very little in common beyond the state line: different costs, different weather, different job … Read more
Updated 09.14.2026 Two homes worth the same amount, one in Orange County and one in Polk County, can carry meaningfully different tax bills, and it has nothing to do with the house itself. Florida has no state property tax, every dollar comes from local millage rates set independently by counties, school boards, cities, and special … Read more
Water follows much the same pattern as sewer and septic. Where public water is available, most properties connect to it. Where it isn’t, you need a private well, and that comes with a permitting process most people underestimate the first time they look into it. Short version: Well construction in Florida falls under Chapter 373, … Read more
Connection Rules, Permits, and Central Florida’s Springs Protections Whether a property uses public sewer or its own septic system usually isn’t your choice. It depends on what service is available nearby, and Florida layers specific rules on both options. In parts of Central Florida, springs protection laws add another layer on top. Short version: If … Read more
HVHZ, Wind-Borne Debris Regions, and What Applies in Central Florida It’s tempting to think of Florida’s wind code as organized by county, but mostly it isn’t. It’s organized by mapped design wind speeds and by distance from large bodies of water. County lines just happen to cross those maps in different places. That’s why two … Read more
What Needs One, Owner-Builder Rules, and Inspections Florida has a single statewide building code, which many states don’t. But a uniform code doesn’t mean a uniform process. Every county and city still runs its own building department, with its own forms, fees, and way of handling the gray areas. That’s where most of the real … Read more
Florida Short-Term Rentals: Licensing, Local Rules, Taxes, and HOA Limits Central Florida, and especially the area around Kissimmee and the theme parks, is one of the busiest vacation rental markets in the country. That’s partly because Florida’s rules are unusual: the state limits how far cities and counties can restrict short-term rentals, while private associations … Read more
Repairs, Deposits, Lockouts, and Retaliation The same law that governs landlords, Florida Statutes Chapter 83, Part II, reads very differently from the tenant’s side. Florida is generally seen as landlord-friendly on procedure, but the protections tenants do have are real and enforceable. They’re also often broken by accident, by landlords and tenants alike who simply … Read more
Florida Landlord Basics: Deposits, Disclosures, Notices, and the Homestead Trap You might buy a property as a rental, keep a home you’re not ready to sell, or rent out a room in the house you live in. Any of these makes you a Florida landlord, and the state’s rules apply the same way whether you … Read more
