Helpful Resources for Military Families

 

 

 Education

• Most answers to your questions will be found here, at the Florida Department of Education's website. Within the website you will find links to websites for individual school districts and a Military Families Assistance page. The site is very easily navigated and contains a wealth of information. Also, the Department of Education will be happy to answer any individual questions through email or by phone (please see the contact information page for appropriate numbers). It is recommended by the Florida Department of Education that incoming families should contact their local school district upon moving to Florida in order to obtain information in regards to registration.

http://www .fldoe.org *if the webpage fails to appear, try pushing the  refresh button*

• http://www.militarychild.org/index.cfm The Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) is working to solve the challenge of helping schools and military installations deliver accurate, timely information to meet transitioning parent and student needs, and in the development and education of children from military families. Our purpose is to share information in order to develop systems and processes to resolve transition issues for military students.

          Key Information for Military Families

• All military personnel and their dependents receive in-state tuition at any of Florida 's 11 state universities and 33 community colleges. This benefit is available to any military personnel living in Florida or in a contiguous county outside our state lines.

• Pay particularly close attention to Florida 's Bright Futures scholarship program. The scholarship can fund up to 100% of college tuition and military dependents are eligible if classified as Florida citizens.

• Military children in Florida public schools are given priority placement in gifted and special needs programs and voucher scholarships.

• Military children who transfer into Florida 's public school system as high school seniors are exempt from the exit exam requirement for graduation. Florida 's exam is based on our state standards, and may be unfair to students new to our system. They are allowed to substitute a standard assessment such as the SAT or ACT.

• Florida 's Prepaid Scholarship program provides a four-year college scholarship to sons and daughters of Florida service men and women who have given their lives in the war on terror. These scholarships are honored at all Florida public universities and community colleges.

Employment

• www.floridajobs.org is maintained by the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation and contains a wealth of information and services for job seekers and employers. Job searches, historical and current employment statistics, as well as information on filing for unemployment are three commonly referenced sections of the web site.

• http://www.employflorida.net/employees.htm

In addition to the Family Support Center at your military installation, the State of Florida has established local “One Stop Centers”, designed to equip you in your search for employment. Locations of thesecenters can be found at the link below. Employ Florida's website also contains a job search engine.

• http://www.hirevetsfirst.org Hire Veterans First website is an access portal for both employers seeking quality employee candidates and veterans looking for employment. It highlights the skills and competencies veterans bring to the workforce and encourages employers to consider these experienced individuals for their high standards and dependability as a way to enhance the value of their own organizations.

 

Housing

• Property Tax information can be found at this Florida Department of Revenue website:

  http://sun6.dms.state.fl.us/dor/property/

• Housing Resources from the Florida Department of Community Affairs. This site include links to apartment finders, information about public assistance programs, as well as much more valuable information.

          http://www.floridacommunitydevelopment.org/Housing/index.htm

Licenses

• http://floridaconservation.org/

  Information on boating requirements, hunting and fishing licenses can be found at this website, hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

• http://www.dot.state.fl.us/

  Information on driver licenses and vehicle registration can be found here, at the Florida Department of Transportation's website.

 

Climate

• Local radar and current information can be found here. http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/fl/fl.html
• Current information, as well has historic averages in temperature and precipitation. http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/normals.html
• The Florida Division of Emergency Management's Website provides citizens with information on how to handle potential natural disasters in Florida. http://www.floridadisaster.org

 

Miscellaneous

• Better Business Bureau http://lookup.bbb.org/   

           Find your local Better business Bureau at this web site.

• Visit Florida  http://www.flausa.com/

  Locations for camping, hiking and vacationing can all be found on Florida's Official travel-planning guide at the web site above. Look for something to do by region or by activity.
• Safety with Florida's Wildlife

           The links below are designed to answer questions about Florida's wildlife.

           Sharks : http://floridamarine.org/features/category_main.asp?id=1867

           Mosquitoes: http://floridadisaster.org/mosquito_smart.htm

           Alligators: http://www.wildflorida.org/gators/faq/lwa.htm

           Other Florida Animals: http://wildflorida.org/critters/default.asp

• Florida Tax Information

  • http://sun6.dms.state.fl.us/dor/

  The above web address links to the Florida Department of Revenue's website.   

• http://www.bankrate.com/brm/itax/edit/state/profiles/state_tax_Fla.asp Bankrate.com is a useful website in regards to tax information. The address above links to a section within Bankrate.com holding information on Florida's state taxes.

• Enterprise Florida

  Enterprise Florida's website www.eflorida.com holds a wealth of information; including:

• Population statistics

  (Go to Regions , select your region and then select Population )

• Cost of Living statistics

  (Go to Regions , select your region and then select Cost of Living )

• Food Stamps

  http://www5.myflorida.com/cf_web/myflorida2/healthhuman/ess/Foodstamps.html The above address links to a page within the Florida Department of Health and Human Services. The page serves as a general FAQ on food stamps.
• Veterans Affairs   

           http://www.floridavets.org/ 

This address links to the Florida Department of Veteran's Affairs; the site includes information on veteran's benefits as well as many other topics.

• How does one become a Florida resident?

You are considered a Florida resident . . .
when your true, fixed, and permanent home and principal establishment is in Florida. Filing a declaration of domicile, qualifying for homestead exemption, or registering to vote in Florida can establish residency. Other actions, such as obtaining a Florida driver's license, only indicate an intent to establish residency.