Escapees mail forwarding in Florida: how the Bushnell address works
If you pick Florida as your home state with Escapees, you end up with two addresses: a Texas one in Livingston for everyday mail and packages, and a Florida one in Bushnell, Sumter County that you use only for state paperwork like your license, plates and voter registration. This page explains how that works, what it costs, and what Florida asks a full-timer for. Everything was checked on 25 Oct 2026 from Escapees’ pages and Florida state and Sumter County pages. It is not legal advice.
New to RV mail? RVers start here: the step-by-step checklist. Comparing states? See Escapees in Texas and Escapees in South Dakota.
How the Florida address works
From the Escapees Domicile & Residency pages and their mail service FAQ (checked 25 Oct 2026):
- All Escapees mail is processed in Livingston, Texas. Florida customers are also given a Texas address that looks like
101 Rainbow Dr, # xxxxx, Livingston, TX 77399. - Escapees calls the Florida location a satellite center in Bushnell, FL. Through its “Escapees: Home” option, members who have sold their house can use it as their physical address for state documents: driver license, voter registration and vehicle registration. That puts you in Sumter County.
- Escapees asks Florida customers to use the Florida address only for state and domicile mail, which its FAQ lists as driver licenses, vehicle registration, insurance and voter registration. Everything else goes to the Texas address.
- State mail sent to Florida is forwarded to you through Livingston at $1 per piece. Packages that arrive at the Florida address are returned to sender, so order everything to the Texas address.
- You can’t sign up at the Florida location; you join the mail service through Livingston. Your address isn’t assigned until Escapees has your forms (including USPS Form 1583, see Form 1583 and notary) and payment.
Florida vs Texas with Escapees
| Florida (Bushnell) | Texas (Livingston) | |
|---|---|---|
| Addresses you get | Two: Texas for everyday mail, Florida for state paperwork | One, in Livingston |
| State paperwork | Florida address only, $1 extra per piece, forwarded through Livingston | Same Livingston address, no extra fee |
| Packages | Texas address only; packages sent to the FL address are returned | Accepted at the Livingston address |
| County you’re tied to | Sumter County, FL | Polk County, TX |
Source: Escapees Domicile & Residency page and FAQ, checked 25 Oct 2026. Mail plans and prices are the same for all three Escapees states.
What Escapees charges (checked 25 Oct 2026)
The mail service is for Escapees RV Club members only, so club dues come on top. The dues aren’t on the mail service pages, so check them on the club site.
| Item | Price on Escapees’ pages |
|---|---|
| Category A (all mail forwarded) | $125 a year on the rate card |
| Category B (only the mail types you pick) | $145 a year on the rate card |
| Category C (custom sorting) | $175 a year on the rate card |
| Temporary account, Category A only | 2 months $40, 3 months $50, 4 months $60, 6 months $70 |
| Mail scanning | $10 a month, or $100 a year |
| Enrollment fee | $50, waived for new subscribers while their promotion runs |
| Postage deposit | $50 up front; actual postage comes out of it |
| Florida state mail | $1 per piece, forwarded through Livingston |
| Package storage (Texas address) | Free 30 days, $5 for days 31–60, then $10 every 30 days |
The rates page also shows a lower summary of $110 / $130 / $150 a year for the three categories next to the $125 / $145 / $175 rate cards. Ask Escapees which applies when you sign up; the page says promotional pricing renews at the standard rate. Full details and other services: RV mail forwarding services compared.
What Florida asks a full-timer for
A mail service gives you an address. Florida and Sumter County decide whether you count as a resident. These are the state’s and county’s rules, not Escapees’.
Driver license (FLHSMV and the Sumter County Tax Collector)
- Your first Florida license is in person. In Sumter County, licenses and tags are handled by the county Tax Collector. The Sumter County Tax Collector says its services are only for Sumter County residents, takes driver license walk-ins until 4:30pm, encourages appointments, and says written tests need an appointment. Since 6 Feb 2026 all exams are given in English only.
- FLHSMV wants original documents for identity (for example a U.S. birth certificate from a health department or a valid passport; hospital certificates aren’t accepted), your Social Security number, and two different documents with your Florida residential address. Your current license doesn’t count as one.
- Many of those address documents have to be dated within the last 60 days: utility bills, bank or credit card statements, insurance policies or bills, and mail from government agencies. A Florida voter registration card or a Florida vehicle registration or title also counts.
- If you have none of those in your name, FLHSMV lets the person you live with fill out a Certification of Address (form HSMV 71120). Escapees’ Florida guide lists both a Certification of Address and a Declaration of Domicile among its steps and says Sumter County has been accepting its “Florida Information” email and a Tax Collector letter as proof of address. That is Escapees’ account, so bring backup paperwork.
- Escapees’ guide says you surrender your old license when you get the Florida one, and that a regular Class E license covers an RV driven for recreation under 26,001 pounds. If your rig is heavier, check the class rules in our driver license guide.
Declaration of Domicile
Florida law (section 222.17) lets you file a sworn Declaration of Domicile with the clerk of the circuit court in your county. In it you swear that you live in and keep a place of abode in that county that you intend as your permanent home, and you list where you lived before. The clerk charges a fee to record it. Filing one is optional for most people, but it is not magic: see the voting warning below. FLHSMV does require one for some commercial license applicants who can’t show other proof of address.
Vehicle registration and insurance
- FLHSMV says you need Florida Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Property Damage Liability (PDL) insurance, at least $10,000 each, from a company licensed in Florida before you register a vehicle with four or more wheels. If you’re new to the state, they suggest asking your agent to move you to a Florida policy.
- Florida says you must keep that coverage continuously for the whole registration period, no matter where the vehicle is. That matters for full-timers who spend months out of state. Turn in the plate before you cancel insurance, or your license can be suspended.
- Florida charges a one-time $225 initial registration fee the first time a vehicle is registered there (Florida statute 320.072; it doesn’t apply to renewals). FLHSMV’s fee page also lists $28 for a new plate and $85.25 for an electronic title on a used vehicle, plus base tax and other fees that depend on the vehicle.
- Escapees’ guide says owners must be present with their Florida license or ID, that an out-of-state vehicle needs a VIN check (by driving it to the tax collector or with a completed form HSMV 82042), and to bring a bill of sale if you bought the vehicle in the last six months. If a lender holds your title, it gets sent to the Florida tax collector.
Renewing plates later from the road: RV registration renewal from the road.
Voting: the big Florida caveat
- In 2018 the Florida Division of Elections answered a county elections supervisor’s question about mail-forwarding customers (opinion DE 18-09). It said a residence can’t be a commercial mailbox, and that forwarding customers who list a non-residential address, have no other real ties to the county, and have never physically lived there “are most likely not legal residents of the county” for voter registration, even with a Florida license and plates.
- Escapees’ Florida guide suggests building real ties in the county: doctors, lawyers, insurance agents, social or religious groups, and storing belongings there. Talk to the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections before you register.
- Once registered, any Florida voter can ask for a vote-by-mail ballot. If you want it mailed somewhere other than the address on file, the request must be in writing and signed (form DS-DE 160). The request deadline is 5pm on the 12th day before the election, and one request covers elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regular general election.
- Escapees’ guide gives the Sumter County elections address for mailed requests as 900 N. Main St., Bushnell, FL 33513, and says ballots must reach that office by 7pm on Election Day.
More on deadlines and forwarded ballots: voting by mail for RVers.
Jury duty in Sumter County
The Sumter County Clerk’s jury page (checked 25 Oct 2026) says jurors are drawn from FLHSMV’s list of Sumter County license and ID holders, so the address on your license decides it. The clerk can excuse you if you are 70 or older, served in Sumter County in the past 12 months, or are “not a citizen of Sumter County,” among other reasons; a judge decides hardship requests. Skipping a summons without an excuse can be contempt of court. Call (352) 569-6990 the day before your date for reporting instructions. More in jury duty for full-time RVers.
Is Escapees Florida the right pick?
- It fits if you want Florida as your home state, can spend real time in Sumter County to set things up, and don’t mind keeping two addresses straight (Texas for mail and packages, Florida for state mail at $1 a piece).
- Texas with Escapees is simpler if you want one address for everything: see Escapees in Texas (Livingston). Our SD vs Texas vs Florida domicile guide compares the states side by side.
- Other Florida services: St. Brendan’s Isle gives you one Green Cove Springs address that takes packages too; Good Sam and American Home Base are in the RV mail forwarding comparison.
Quick answers
Can I get packages at my Escapees Florida address?
No. Escapees says packages received at the Florida location are returned to sender. Send packages to your Texas address in Livingston.
How much does Escapees charge for Florida mail?
$1 per piece of state mail, on top of your yearly plan, forwarded to you through the Livingston, Texas mail center.
Do I have to go to Florida?
Yes. Your first Florida license is issued in person, and the Sumter County Tax Collector serves Sumter County residents only. Escapees’ guide plans for a visit to file forms, pay taxes and meet local professionals.
Do I need Florida car insurance if I’m always traveling?
Yes, for any vehicle with Florida plates. FLHSMV says coverage from a Florida-licensed insurer must stay in force for the whole registration period regardless of where the vehicle is.
More RV guides
RVers start here RV mail forwarding services compared SD vs Texas vs Florida domicile
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Sources checked 25 Oct 2026
- Escapees Mail Service: Domicile & Residency (all mail processed in Texas; FL/SD state-mail rules; packages returned)
- Escapees Mail Service: Florida Domicile & Residency (Bushnell satellite center, Sumter County, license, registration, voting steps)
- Escapees Mail Service FAQ ($1 per piece FL/SD state mail, address format)
- Escapees Mail Service: Categories & Rates
- FLHSMV: What to bring (U.S. citizen)
- FLHSMV: Florida insurance requirements
- FLHSMV: Fees
- Fla. Stat. 320.072: $225 initial registration fee
- Fla. Stat. 222.17: Declaration of Domicile
- Florida Division of Elections opinion DE 18-09 (PDF, 19 Jun 2018)
- Florida Division of Elections: Vote-by-mail
- Sumter County Tax Collector
- Sumter County Clerk: Jury duty
Reviewed 2026-10-25.