Florida

Florida is considered to be one of the more free states in the United States. It is not as free as New Hampshire, but it has many other benefits.

Taxes

Florida has a baseline 6 percent state sales tax. They also have a 6.95 percent tax on electricity sales, and a 5.5 percent tax on commercial real estate licensing/leasing.

On top of that, counties may charge a sales tax rate between .5 percent and 2.5 percent, meaning the maximum amount of sales tax you might be required to pay in Florida is 8.5 percent. New Hampshire by comparison, has no sales tax.

Like New Hampshire, Florida does not have a general income tax.

Politics

The Florida House of Representatives has 120 members, with each member representing about 180,000 people each. The Senate has 40 members, representing about 540,000 people each. This makes the Florida state government much more difficult to penetrate by pro-liberty candidates, compared to the New Hampshire (where House seats represent about 3,300 people and Senate seats represent about 54,000 people).

Gun Rights

Florida requires a permit to carry conceal carry handguns, and open carry is also infamously restricted to activities such as fishing, camping and hunting. They also have a waiting period of 3 days, and individual counties and cities have the right to extend this period to 5 days.

Although, on April 3, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB543 into law. Florida is the 26th state to pass a constitutional carry bill, allowing for people to carry handguns without a permit. This law allows for both residents and non-residents 21 years of age or older to carry handguns, and other weapons including knives concealed, without a permit. People may only conceal carry, as open carry of firearms is still illegal except for hunting, fishing, and camping, and going to and from these activities.

Florida also has "Red Flag" laws. This means that the state of Florida has granted themselves the right to seize your firearms without due process. Such actions are illegal violations of the New Hampshire constitution.

Since the Red Flag laws were implemented in Florida, they've been used over 6,000 times.

Weather

Florida generally has pleasant weather, but this isn't always the case. Hurricanes are a yearly occurrence in Florida, often requiring evacuations for safety concerns. With those comes flooding. These can be mitigated with advance planning and preparation. They do not experience snow, with yearly lows above 40°F. Summers can be very harsh and humid, with temperatures of 90 degrees an air-conditioning system is a requirement in this sub-tropical environment. There is not an Autumn in Florida.

Driving and Car Insurance

Florida is notorious for having some of the worst drivers in the country.

Population

The population of Florida is significantly higher than New Hampshire, meaning that libertarians are less effectively able to influence policy decisions. In New Hampshire, liberty reps make up around a quarter of the state house, but in Florida they make practically zero percent.

Cannabis Policy

Like NH, Florida has decriminalized marijuana for medical usage. Unlike NH, Florida is one of the 3 signatories of Solomon–Lautenberg amendment which means that if you smoke a joint you can lose your license for 6 months regardless if a vehicle was involved.