Florida is a state located in the southeastern corner of the United States, just south of Georiga and Alabama. It is, as of this writing, one of the most popular states in the country to ship a vehicle from or to. Many auto transport companies, both brokers and carriers, are based in Florida, and it attracts people from across the country.
It is home to over 22.2 million residents, making it the third-largest state by population in the U.S. And yet, it is just 65,758 square miles, making it the 34th largest state by total area. In other words, it’s a fairly small state, but has a lot of people living in it. This raises the population density, especially in bigger cities such as Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
In fact, Florida’s major cities are all among the most popular cities in the country to ship a vehicle to or from, particularly Miami. The state is also where most snowbirds like to winter – that is, people who live up north in the summer and south in the winter, to get the best of both worlds. We’ll discuss snowbird shipping a bit further down as well.
A brief overview of Florida
As mentioned, Florida is the third-largest state in the U.S. by total population, and is a popular auto transport location as well. Much of what makes it popular is its weather; with a tropical climate, it’s sunny throughout the year, and even winters are warm. This draws a lot of attention from residents in colder northern states, who are known as snowbirds.
Snowbirds are the ones who live in the north during the summer and the south during the winter. They do this for a few reasons, but the main one is to avoid the extreme weather of both regions. In the north, winters are cold; in the south, summers are hot, and hurricanes are a real problem. Thus, they can avoid the worst of both – and get the best of both.
It’s not just snowbirds, though. Florida, located in the southeastern U.S., is a natural end point for both north-south and east-west interstate highways. This draws both customers and carriers to the area, as it’s a logical place for many shippers to set up shop and make their home. Between the dearth of carriers in the area, the ease of access, the size of Florida’s major cities, and its status as a major auto transport center for snowbirds, Florida is easily one of the most popular car transport hubs in the nation.
How auto transporters get around Florida
We mentioned how Florida has several major interstates running through it. The first, and perhaps the most heavily traveled, is I-95, running north out of Miami and clear up to the Canadian border in northeastern Maine. This highway is the main north-south interstate up the east coast and is a vital lifeline for goods and services.
Another major interstate through Florida is I-75 that runs from Tampa north to Detroit. I-75 is popular with carriers traveling through the eastern Midwest of the United States, as it runs through states like Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan, among others. This, along with I-95, makes it a lot faster and cheaper to move cars into and out of Florida.
The third major interstate is an east-west oriented one, I-10, that runs from Jacksonville to Los Angeles, California. The main east-west interstate in the southern U.S., I-10 is massively popular and a lifeline for states like Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico. Auto transporters run routes along this interstate and the others daily, so finding services to and from cities along those highways should not be difficult.
Auto transport to major Florida cities
Florida is home to several major cities including Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Orlando. Miami is located in the southeastern part of the state, with Tampa across the state to the west. Orlando is more central, while Jacksonville sits in the northeast. All of these cities are accessible via one of the major interstate highways noted above. Not only that, but I-4 connects Miami and Tampa across the swamps of southern Florida.
This means that auto transport to and from major Florida cities is relatively cheap and easy to find. Miami is one of the most popular auto transport locations in not just the southern U.S., but the entire country. Tampa, though smaller, also draws a lot of snowbird traffic from the northeast during the winter months.
And, with how the major cities of Florida are spread out, carriers can build routes on a number of different highways and still be able to get to all of them, for the most part. There are no massive workarounds or geographical hurdles to overcome; just straight shots down I-95 or I-75 or I-10 or I-4. This makes it so much easier for auto transporters that they can lower prices and still be competitive in the market, which is great for customers.
Auto transport to rural Florida
Now, let’s talk about rural Florida. It’s interesting because, while Florida definitely has rural areas, we don’t see many shipments to them – certainly not the way we see transport to other rural areas in other states. The why behind it isn’t clear, other than Florida being a state with a lot of big cities and sprawling metropolitan areas.
But even then, most rural areas of Florida – outside the southern tip of the state, which is very swampy – are easy for carriers to get to. With so many major cities – and many smaller metro areas as well – Florida is checkered with people, so going from one population center to the next isn’t hard. That said, there are still some rural areas that can be hard to get to for carriers.
For those locations, it’s often best to try to find pickup or delivery services from a larger town nearby. This makes it easier for carriers, which increases your chances of being dispatched to a carrier quickly. Not only that, but it often makes the shipment cheaper, as carriers don’t have to travel as far for one vehicle (thus saving money on fuel and mileage). If you have more questions about your specific pickup or drop off location, give us a call.
The role weather and seasons play
Florida is known for two major weather events: sunshine, and hurricanes. Of course, there’s plenty of other weather – all different kinds, naturally. But sunshine is a major part of Florida’s draw for a lot of people, while the hurricanes are a major drawback for others. Hurricanes are a major drawback for everyone, but we digress.
During hurricane season – which is roughly autum time – auto transporters keep a closer eye on the weather, but surprisingly they don’t impact auto transport services nearly as much as you might expect. When hurricanes make landfall they impact services, of course. But most carriers watch the weather during the fall months and know how to manage their routes without tempting fate.
During the rest of the year, though, the weather is often complimentary for auto shippers. Heavy rains are common, and humidity can be a bear, but those don’t have much of an effect on car shippers or their routes. Snow and ice are rare in Florida, unlike in the northern United States, which also contributes to the popularity of the state when it comes to car shipping companies – and car shipping customers.
Ship today with American Auto Shipping
If you are interested in shipping your vehicle to or from the state of Florida, we can help! At American Auto Shipping we understand what it takes to get a vehicle moved to or from anywhere in the U.S. So we know what it takes to move your vehicle to and from Florida.
Take a minute to fill out our online quote request form here on our website. It only takes a minute, but gets you a free quote to ship your vehicle directly from us. No hidden fees or price hikes – just a guaranteed quote to ship your vehicle. Our pricing system uses over 500 points of data in real time to keep up with all the auto transport price changes, so your price is always up to date.
If you’d rather speak to a representative over the phone, you can do that too! You can contact us any time at 800-930-7417 to speak to a live agent. They can answer your questions, give you a quote, book your shipment, and much more. So no matter what you’re shipping or where it’s coming from and to, we can help you get it moved.
Helpful Links for the State of Florida
- State of Florida Official Website
- State of Florida on Wikipedia
- The Florida Historical Society
- The Florida Museum of Natural History
- MyFlorida.com – Official Portal for the State of Florida
More Information About Cities in Florida by Urban Area
Miami Metropolitan Area
Miami | Fort Lauderdale | West Palm Beach | Boca Raton | Deerfield Beach | Jupiter
Tampa Bay Area
Tampa | St. Petersburg | New Port Richey
Orlando Metropolitan Area
Jacksonville Metropolitan Area
Jacksonville | Atlantic Beach | Jacksonville Beach
Fort Myers Metropolitan Area
North Port | Fort Myers | Sarasota | Bradenton | Venice | Cape Coral
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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