Your first 30 days in Pensacola.

A practical checklist for everything that has to happen after the moving truck pulls away — driver's license, voter registration, homestead filing, utilities, trash days, and the hurricane-season prep that nobody warns you about. Save this page; share it with anyone you know moving down.

• Transfer your driver's license

  Bring proof of identity, two proofs of Florida address, and your out-of-state license. Book an appointment at the Escambia or Santa Rosa Tax Collector office — walk-ins fill up fast.

• Register your vehicle & get FL plates

  You'll need the out-of-state title, a VIN verification (often done at the tax collector), proof of FL insurance with state-minimum coverage, and the registration fee.

• Switch your auto insurance to Florida

  Florida requires Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability. Call your insurer the day you move; most can issue a Florida policy overnight.

• Register to vote in Florida

  Online registration is open to Florida residents with a valid FL license or ID. The Supervisor of Elections sites below also handle address updates.

• Escambia County Supervisor of Elections

  Voter registration, polling place lookup, and absentee ballots for Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, and Perdido Key.

• Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections

  Voter registration and polling info for Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Milton, and Pace.

• Why it matters

  Florida's Homestead Exemption reduces your assessed value by up to $50,000 on your primary residence and caps annual assessed-value increases at 3% under Save Our Homes. On a Pensacola median home, that's often $700–$1,200 a year — recurring.

• Escambia County Property Appraiser

  File online once you've moved in. You'll need your FL license, vehicle registration, and voter registration showing the new address.

• Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser

  Same drill, different office — file online or in person.

• Electric

  Most of the metro is served by Florida Power & Light (former Gulf Power) or Escambia River Electric Cooperative (rural Escambia & Santa Rosa).

• Water & sewer

  ECUA serves most of urban Escambia. City of Milton and Santa Rosa County each run their own utility districts — check the appraiser parcel for the right provider.

• Natural gas

  Pensacola Energy in city limits; propane is common elsewhere.

• Internet

  Cox, AT&T Fiber, Mediacom, and Wave Wireless cover most neighborhoods. Fiber availability changes by street; check service maps before you sign a 24-month plan.

• Escambia County waste services

  Pickup schedules, bulk pickup days, and storm-debris rules by address.

• Santa Rosa County waste services

  Curbside and convenience-center info for unincorporated areas.

• City of Pensacola sanitation

  Inside city limits, sanitation is billed on your city utility bill.

• Look up your evacuation zone

  Every coastal address falls into Zone A, B, C, D, or E (or none). Know yours before the first named storm of the year.

• Sign up for county alerts

  AlertEscambia and CodeRED Santa Rosa push storm warnings, boil-water notices, and shelter info to your phone.

• Build the kit early

  Water, non-perishable food, batteries, flashlights, a battery bank, medications, important documents in a waterproof bag, cash, and a full tank of gas. Don't buy plywood the day before — it's gone.

• Confirm your insurance before June 1

  Florida insurers stop binding new wind/hurricane coverage once a named storm enters the Gulf. Get your homeowners + flood + wind coverage locked in well before hurricane season.

• Look up your zoned schools

  Both districts use address-based zoning. Confirm the zoned elementary, middle, and high school before you tour your first home.

• Read the full Schools reference

  Plain-language overview of how Escambia and Santa Rosa work, plus official state data.

• Pick a primary care provider

  Baptist Medical Group, Ascension Sacred Heart, and West Florida Medical Group each run large primary-care networks. New-patient waits run weeks, so book early.

• Pet licensing

  Escambia and Santa Rosa both require dog licensing and current rabies tags. Your local vet usually files it for you.

• Library card

  West Florida Public Libraries (Escambia) and Santa Rosa County Library System both issue free cards to residents — bring proof of address.

• Walk Palafox Street downtown

  Saturday morning Palafox Market for produce and coffee; then dinner in the Belmont-DeVilliers district.

• Pensacola Beach & Fort Pickens

  Cross the Bob Sikes Bridge and head west into Gulf Islands National Seashore for the quieter sand.

• National Naval Aviation Museum

  Free admission; one of the best aviation museums in the country.

• Blue Wahoos baseball

  Bayfront stadium downtown — cheap tickets, sunset over the bay.