Florida essentials

The practical answers a Florida trip actually needs - which airport fits your region and how the interstates and Brightline connect them, getting around a driving state with tolls and walkable island cores, when to visit around the dry winter high season and the summer hurricane months, sales and lodging taxes and real costs, and staying safe with rip currents, storms, and wildlife.

Arrival

Arrival Getting to Florida Florida is a big state with many front doors. Most visitors fly into one of the major hubs - Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, or Tampa - then either drive or, on the southeast coast, take Brightline rail. Which airport you choose should follow the region you are visiting, because the peninsula is long and the drives between coasts and cities are real.

Getting around

Getting around Getting around Florida Outside the walkable historic cores of Key West, St. Augustine, and Ybor City, Florida is a driving state. A rental car is the default for most micro-zones, especially the Everglades, Sanibel, and the Gulf beaches. On the southeast coast, Brightline and local transit can cover some trips car-free, and tolls are common statewide.

Planning

Planning When to visit Florida Florida's calendar is the reverse of much of the country. The dry, mild winter from roughly November through April is peak season, with the best weather and the highest prices. Summer is hot, humid, and stormy with the lowest crowds, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Choosing dates is mostly about trading weather against cost and risk. Planning Money and costs in Florida Florida has no state income tax, but visitors pay sales tax, a county hotel or 'bed' tax, and often resort fees and tolls. Costs swing hard by season and region: winter on the Gulf islands and in Palm Beach is expensive, while summer and inland Florida are far cheaper. Budgeting is mostly about season, lodging taxes, and the extras.

On the ground

On the ground Staying safe in Florida Florida's risks are mostly natural and manageable: strong sun and heat, rip currents at the beaches, summer thunderstorms and lightning, hurricanes in season, and wildlife from alligators to jellyfish. None should keep you home, but each rewards a little local knowledge and respect for posted warnings and lifeguard flags.