The route and what it asks of a loaded truck
Interstate 75 is the spine of the trip. It runs from Michigan to Florida, about 1,786 miles end to end, and carries you out of metro Atlanta and south through the whole of Georgia. Orlando is not on I-75 itself, so the last stretch leaves it for another highway, and your map app will pick which one on the day.
A loaded truck is slower than a car on the grades, heavier on fuel, and bound by rest stops and driver hours, so leave a full day for the drive and do not book a hard-start time at the other end that same evening. If the Orlando building needs an elevator reservation or a gate code, get that settled before you set the date.
Timing the move around Florida heat and storms
Orlando has a humid subtropical climate. Its hot, rainy season runs from May until late October, and the daily mean temperature sits at about 82.6 degrees Fahrenheit in July and August. That matters for what rides in the truck: candles, vinyl records, houseplants, and anything with adhesive or wax do poorly in a closed box in that heat.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the National Hurricane Center. You do not have to avoid those months, but build in a spare day, ask your mover what happens to the delivery if a storm closes the road, and keep a printed copy of the address and your documents in the car rather than on the truck.
Leases and deposits on both ends
On the Georgia side, read your own lease for its notice period before you tell the landlord a date, because a move-out that lands two weeks short of the required notice can cost a month of rent. Photograph every room the day you hand back the keys.
On the Florida side, the landlord of a rental must tell you in writing how your security deposit is being held, either in the lease or within 30 days of receiving it, under section 83.49 of the Florida Statutes. Ask for that notice and file it with the lease. Floridians also tend to ask about flood zones and storm shutters, which an Atlanta renter rarely thinks about, so put both on your viewing list.
Paperwork that starts the day you arrive
Florida law gives a new resident who takes a job in the state or enrols children in its public schools 30 days to get a Florida driver license (section 322.031) and 10 days to register a vehicle (section 320.02). Counting from the first day of work rather than the day the truck arrives is the safe habit, and the shorter vehicle deadline is the one people miss.
Book the DMV appointment before you leave Georgia, update your address with your bank and insurer, and check which county your new address falls in, since Orlando sits in Orange County and the suburbs to the north are in Seminole.
Who handles the Orlando end
Our own work is in-town Atlanta, so for the Central Florida side we point people to a mover who actually lives there. For local moves, packing and storage once you have arrived, the name to know is Maestro Movers, a Longwood-area company whose residential page covers Orlando and the towns around it.
Be clear about the split. The long haul from Georgia is a separate job for a carrier that is authorised to move household goods across state lines, so check that carrier's federal registration before you pay a deposit. Maestro's role is the Florida end: unloading help, a second move from a rental into a house, or storage while you wait for a closing date.
A short list before the truck leaves
Confirm the Orlando address and floor in writing, measure the biggest pieces against the new doorways, and keep medication, chargers and a few days of clothes with you. Orlando, by the 2020 census, had 307,573 residents inside a metro area of about 2.67 million, so traffic around the theme-park corridor and the airport is real; ask the crew to arrive outside the weekday rush.