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Ella FalconeSafebound Realty
Aerial view of Wellington: lakes, a golf course and planned neighborhoods, with riding arenas and barns in the lower corner

Relocation guide

Moving to Wellington & Palm Beach County

The official answers to the questions nobody asks until they need them, in one place.

Moving to Palm Beach County comes with a list of things you only learn once you’re here: which utility sends the water bill, when to file for homestead, what a wind-mitigation form is, and why your new address might say Lake Worth when you live in Wellington. I put this guide together so you have the official answers in one place, with a link to the agency that sets each rule.

Wellington is where I live, so it gets the most detail, but most of what follows applies anywhere in the county. Rules and dates change, so I date this guide and cite every source. It’s a guide, not legal or tax advice.

Updated .

1 · Choosing an area

Eight communities, eight different days.

I work across eight Palm Beach County communities, and they really are different places. Here’s the one-line version of each; every name opens the full guide.

  • Wellington

    Palm Beach County’s equestrian country: show grounds, polo fields, and planned neighborhoods built around parks and bridle paths.

  • West Palm Beach

    The county seat: a walkable waterfront downtown, historic 1920s neighborhoods, and suburban communities that stretch west toward the Turnpike.

  • Boynton Beach

    A coastal city between Delray and Lake Worth with a working marina, an ocean inlet, and neighborhoods that run from the beach to the edge of the Loxahatchee refuge.

  • Delray Beach

    A beach town built around Atlantic Avenue, with a public beach on A1A, a downtown arts district, and neighborhoods that range from cottages to canal-front homes.

  • Lake Worth

    Lake Worth Beach: a small downtown of 1920s storefronts, a public beach and pier, and cottage neighborhoods a few blocks from the Intracoastal.

  • Boca Raton

    The county's southern anchor: Mizner-influenced architecture, a downtown built around Mizner Park, oceanfront parks, and neighborhoods on both sides of I-95.

  • Palm Beach Gardens

    A golf-and-parks city north of West Palm Beach, laid out along PGA Boulevard, with gated club communities, newer neighborhoods to the west, and the beaches of Juno and Jupiter a short drive east.

  • Jupiter

    The northern end of the county, where the Loxahatchee River meets the ocean: a lighthouse, an inlet, beaches with open access, and neighborhoods from riverfront to ranchland.

In Wellington I go one level deeper, with guides to 11 individual neighborhoods built from the Village’s own records: which are gated, which have an HOA, and which sit inside the Equestrian Preserve.

One thing to know before you search: a mailing address isn’t a municipality. The Village’s street data places the Isles at Wellington and Versailles (ZIP 33449, a Lake Worth mailing address), Buena Vida (33411) and Rustic Ranches (33470, Loxahatchee) inside the Village of Wellington. Which government you live under decides your utilities, your rules and your services, so I check it for every address.

2 · Timing

Wellington runs on two calendars.

Show season. The Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International opens with Premiere Week on January 6–10, 2027, and runs into late March; daytime general admission is free Wednesday through Sunday, according to the official schedule. The Global Dressage Festival runs eight weeks, from January 13 to March 7, 2027. Polo at the National Polo Center has run from late December into early May. House-hunting in those months means busier roads around the show grounds, and seasonal rentals become part of the conversation.

Seasonal rentals. In Palm Beach County, rentals of six months or less are subject to the county’s 6% Tourist Development Tax plus state sales tax. Wellington requires a Vacation Rental Permit for homes offered more than three times a year for less than 30 days, and any residential rental in the Village, of any length, needs a Business Tax Receipt.

Hurricane season. The Atlantic season runs June 1 to November 30. You can certainly move in summer; just put insurance quotes and inspections early in your timeline, not at the end. More on that below.

3 · Utilities

Water, sewer and trash

Wellington Utilities provides drinking water and wastewater service around the clock to about 56,000 residents in its service area, and recycles treated water through the 30-acre Peaceful Waters Sanctuary wetlands. Not every Wellington community is on it, though: the Village lists Olympia, VillageWalk and Buena Vida as served by Palm Beach County Utilities. I confirm the provider for any address before closing, so you call the right office on day one.

In Wellington, garbage is collected twice a week from the Village’s gray automated cart, and recycling, vegetation and bulk pickup come once a week. According to the Village’s solid-waste page, the hauler has been FCC Environmental Services since December 30, 2021. Other cities set their own schedules; I’ll send you the right page for your address.

One more thing new owners notice: Palm Beach County property tax bills include non-ad valorem assessments, such as Solid Waste Authority fees, alongside the property taxes themselves.

The Wellington Amphitheater seen across its lawn, with palm trees and summer clouds, Wellington, Florida
Pictured: the Wellington Amphitheater lawn

4 · Hurricanes

Hurricane season and wind mitigation

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. For a home purchase, the part that affects your budget is wind mitigation.

  • Credits are required by law. Florida Statutes s. 627.0629 requires residential property insurers’ rate filings to include discounts or credits for wind-resistant features such as roof strength, roof-to-wall strength and opening protection.
  • The form that proves it. Those features are documented on the Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802), completed by an authorized inspector. It’s valid for up to five years if the structure hasn’t materially changed. Inspections on or after April 1, 2026 must use the Rev. 04/26 form; Citizens still accepts Rev. 01/12 forms completed within the five years before that date.
  • Ask for the seller’s copy. If a current form exists, it can go straight to your insurance agent. If not, I’ll help you schedule an inspection early in the contract.
  • Sign up for alerts. Wellington runs AlertWellington emergency notifications, and the Village’s emergency call center activates during storms.
  • Bringing horses? The Village’s equestrian hurricane guidance recommends storing 12 to 20 gallons of water per horse per day, keeping at least 72 hours of feed and hay (seven days is best), evacuating 48 hours before hurricane-force winds, and having a negative Coggins test to use a community shelter or cross state lines. More in my equestrian guide.

5 · Flood

Know the flood zone first

FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood maps, and you can search it by address. In Wellington, the Village also provides a free Flood Zone Determination letter for any property within Village limits. I pull both before we write an offer.

Sellers have obligations too. Under s. 689.302, Florida sellers must give a flood disclosure at or before the sale contract, covering flood insurance claims, known flood damage during their ownership, and flood-related assistance received, and stating that homeowners’ policies don’t cover flood. The requirement was expanded on October 1, 2025.

6 · Homestead

The deadline that pays you back

If the home will be your permanent residence, the homestead exemption is the date I’d circle first. Here’s how the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser describes it.

  • Who qualifies. You must be a Florida permanent resident, hold title, and make the property your permanent residence as of January 1. File by March 1, online, at one of the Property Appraiser’s five service centers, or by mail.
  • How much. $25,000 on the first $50,000 of assessed value, plus an additional exemption on assessed value above $50,000 (up to $25,722 for 2025). The additional exemption doesn’t apply to school taxes.
  • Save Our Homes. Once you have homestead, annual increases in the home’s assessed value are capped at 3% or the change in CPI, whichever is lower. For non-homestead property, the Property Appraiser’s FAQ lists a 10% annual cap.
  • Portability. Moving from another Florida homestead? You can transfer up to $500,000 of Save Our Homes benefit to the new one, as long as the new homestead is established by January 1 of the third year after you left the old one. File by March 1.

8 · Property taxes

Paying early earns a discount

Palm Beach County mails property tax bills by November 1. Paying early earns a discount: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February, with none in March. Taxes become delinquent on April 1.

At or before the contract, Florida buyers receive a property tax disclosure that begins “BUYER SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SELLER’S CURRENT PROPERTY TAXES.” Take it literally; your bill as the new owner can differ.

9 · Schools

Look up schools by address

School assignment in Palm Beach County goes by address, and boundaries change. The School District of Palm Beach County’s Find My School tool is the official lookup. I don’t publish school ratings; I point you to the source for any home we look at.

10 · Driver license

30 days and 10 days

According to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, new residents must get a Florida driver license within 30 days of establishing residency, and title and register their vehicles within 10 days.

Residency can be established by starting work here, enrolling children in public school, registering to vote, filing for homestead, or living here more than six consecutive months. Check the FLHSMV new-resident page for what to bring.

11 · Getting around

Airports and rail

Palm Beach International was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport, effective July 9, 2026. Its FAA identifier is DJT, and its IATA code changed from PBI to DJT after August 18, 2026, so older bookings and signs may still say PBI. It’s at 1000 James L. Turnage Boulevard in West Palm Beach.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is at 100 Terminal Drive and is run by Broward County’s Aviation Department, according to the county. Brightline serves six Florida stations: Orlando, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami. Its West Palm Beach station has a gateless 24-hour garage.

I don’t quote drive times on this site; they depend on the hour and the season more than the map.

Journal

Related reading

12 · Let’s talk

Tell me where you’re moving from, when, and what matters most, and I’ll come back to you personally with the communities I’d start with.

Already know the area? See how I work with buyers.

Planning a move to Palm Beach County? Let's talk.

Call or text

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or call Ella Falcone at (561) 693-7123

Sources

All sources viewed September 27, 2026.