Florida buyer’s guide · Updated Oct 2026
Kitchen Cabinets in Florida
Buying kitchen cabinets in Florida online? We ship anywhere in the state a freight truck can reach, with a free 3D design and itemized quote in 24–48 hours. Below: how out-of-state ordering works, what the climate means for construction, and the lines Florida customers pick.
Florida orders at a glance
82–88%
Average morning humidity in five big Florida metros, per NOAA.
Jun 1–Nov 30
Atlantic hurricane season, per NOAA — plan freight around it.
$7,500
HB 803 permit-exemption limit for some single-family jobs since July 2026 (not in Palm Beach County).
6% + 0–2%
State sales tax plus the delivery county’s surtax in 2026.
How Florida orders work
Four steps, all online and by freight, with no showroom visit needed.
Measure the room and send your measurements with a few photos. A designer replies within 1 business day.
Get a free 3D design and an itemized quote, freight included, typically within 24–48 hours.
Order door samples ($25 for most lines) and judge the finish in your own Florida daylight.
Your order ships by tracked freight, curbside as standard, with a liftgate if you ask in advance. Count and inspect every box before you sign.
Book delivery 1–2 weeks before your installer starts, so there’s time to unpack, inspect and replace anything damaged.
Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Freight can pause when a storm approaches, so time built-to-order lines such as Diamond and Decorá (typically 4–6 weeks to build, then about 1–7 business days on the truck) to arrive after a watch has cleared, and store cartons in air-conditioned space, not a garage.[17][18]
We sell and ship cabinets to Florida, but we don’t install cabinets, and installation through our sister company, Captivating Construction Group, is available only in New Jersey. Line up your own installer before you book delivery; the licensing rules are in the rules section below.
More detail: our shipping FAQ, the shipping policy and how to order cabinets online in 5 steps.
Get a Florida quote
- Free 3D design of your exact layout
- Itemized quote with freight to your address
- Door samples to judge the finish at home
Contractor? Apply for Captivating Pro trade pricing.
Florida cabinet guides
Climate & materials
Humidity, heat and the construction that copes with both.
Buying & cost
What a Florida kitchen costs, how to buy wholesale, and how delivery works.
Guides to read before you order
Our Florida guides are on the way. Until then, these cover the questions Florida buyers ask most.
Humidity and heat
Florida air is damp before the day even warms up: NOAA’s long-term averages put morning relative humidity at 82–88% in the five metros below, and summer dew points in the low to mid 70s.
Cabinet warranties are written around indoor air. J&K treats relative humidity outside 30–55% or temperatures outside 50–85°F as extreme, and Fabuwood’s warranty excludes homes without year-round climate control.
So keep the AC running in a seasonal home, and store delivered boxes in conditioned space, not a garage without climate control.
Where water actually reaches the cabinets — the sink base and the dishwasher flanks — a plywood box absorbs water more slowly and swells less than furniture board. Thermofoil doors are the other weak spot: heat from a range or oven can soften the glue and lift the film.
| City | Summer dew point | Avg. morning humidity |
|---|---|---|
| Miami | 73–74°F | 82% |
| Tampa | 72–74°F | 86% |
| Orlando | 71–74°F | 88% |
| Jacksonville | 71–73°F | 88% |
| Fort Myers | 72–74°F | 88% |
Permits, condos and other rules
Permits
Most Florida building departments don’t require a permit for a like-for-like cabinet swap: Miami-Dade and unincorporated Hillsborough County list cabinet installation as exempt, though plumbing or electrical changes can need one. Since July 1, 2026, single-family owners can also file a written request to skip the permit for other work under $7,500 outside flood hazard areas, with no electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas or structural work. Fort Lauderdale names cabinet replacement as qualifying. Palm Beach County says the exemption doesn’t apply anywhere in its jurisdiction.[1][2][3][4]
Contractor licenses
Florida law bars cities and counties from requiring a local license for cabinetry. Plumbing, electrical and gas work still needs state-licensed contractors, so check every license on the DBPR “Verify a Licensee” page before you hire.[5][6]
The FEMA 50% rule
In a flood zone, work costing 50% or more of the building’s pre-work market value is a substantial improvement and triggers full floodplain compliance. FEMA’s cost worksheet counts built-in kitchen cabinets. Since 2025, Florida localities can’t add up improvements over several years to reach 50%.[7][8][9]
Condos
Florida condo law makes the unit owner, not the association, insure built-in cabinets and countertops inside the unit. Any alteration approval, work hours and freight-elevator rules come from your building’s declaration and rules, so get the association’s sign-off in writing before you set a delivery date.[10][11]
Sales tax
Florida charges 6% state sales tax plus the delivery county’s surtax, 0–2% in 2026. The surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of a single item; Rule 12A-15.004 decides when several pieces count as one, so budget for the full rate.[12][13][14]
Read the full guideLines that suit Florida kitchens
Three lines whose construction or ordering options suit a Florida kitchen. Your designer can quote any line we carry.
Fabuwood Allure
Solid wood face frame and plywood box across all six collections.
Explore Fabuwood AllureJ&K Cabinetry
½″–⅝″ plywood boxes, solid wood doors and frames, dovetail drawers.
Explore J&K CabinetryKitchen Cabinet Distributors
Ships RTA or assembled, typically in 7–10 days; your quote confirms the exact lead time and where the order ships from.
Explore Kitchen Cabinet DistributorsRegions we deliver to
South Florida
Miami · Fort Lauderdale · West Palm Beach · Boca Raton
High-rise condos and single-family homes. In a tower, book the freight elevator before you pick a delivery date.
Treasure Coast
Port St. Lucie · Fort Pierce · Vero Beach · Stuart
Port St. Lucie’s homes are mostly single-family and built since 2000.
Tampa Bay
Tampa · St. Petersburg · Clearwater · Brandon
Single-family homes and waterfront condos, by tracked freight with liftgate or curbside delivery.
Orlando & Central Florida
Orlando · Kissimmee · Lakeland · Winter Haven
Fast-growing suburbs and new builds. Freight is itemized in your free quote before you order.
North Central Florida
Gainesville · Ocala · The Villages
Gainesville’s college-town rentals, older Ocala homes and newer houses in The Villages, where the tax rate depends on the county.
Jacksonville & Northeast Florida
Jacksonville · St. Augustine
Historic homes and new builds along the First Coast. Freight is itemized in your free quote before you order.
Sarasota–Bradenton
Sarasota · Bradenton · Venice
Gulf-coast homes and condos. Send your ZIP code with your measurements and we quote freight to the curb.
Fort Myers–Naples
Fort Myers · Cape Coral · Naples · Bonita Springs
Gulf-coast homes and condos, by tracked freight with liftgate or curbside delivery.
We ship to the Panhandle too — Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City included. Request a free quote and we’ll confirm freight for your address.
Florida cabinet questions
Delivery, lead times, installation, sales tax and trade pricing.
Yes. We ship to all 50 states by tracked freight, curbside as standard and with a liftgate if you request it in advance; Alaska and Hawaii freight is quoted separately. Freight is itemized in your quote or at checkout before you pay.
KCD, Tribeca and J&K typically ship in 7–10 days and Mantra and Fabuwood stock lines in about 2 weeks; stocked US Cabinet Depot items ship in about 3 business days flat-pack (about 5 assembled), stocked Modernform items in typically 3–5 business days, Diamond and Decorá are built to order in typically 4–6 weeks, Fabuwood custom paint in 6–8 weeks, and St. Martin in 8–10 weeks from final design approval. Freight within the continental US then typically adds 1–7 business days. Your designer confirms the lead time for the exact line you choose before you order.
No. We sell and ship cabinets to Florida but don’t install them, and installation through our sister company, Captivating Construction Group, is available only in New Jersey. Hire your own contractor: Florida doesn’t let cities or counties require a local license for cabinetry, but plumbing, electrical and gas work needs a state-licensed contractor. Check every license on the DBPR “Verify a Licensee” page at myfloridalicense.com before you hire, and book delivery 1–2 weeks before installation.
Generally yes: 6% state sales tax plus the surtax of the county the cabinets are delivered to. In 2026 that is nothing extra in Collier, 1% in Miami-Dade and Broward, 1.5% in Hillsborough and Duval, and up to 2% elsewhere, so budget for the full combined rate.
Count the boxes against the delivery receipt and look for crushed corners, holes or water damage before you sign. Write any damage on the receipt, photograph it, then unpack within 48 hours and report all damage, including concealed damage, with photos within 5 days of delivery and before installation. Modernform orders must be reported within 48 hours of delivery.
Yes. Captivating Pro members get trade pricing. There is one program with no tiers: apply with your license number, EIN or tax ID, and approval typically takes 1–2 business days.
Planning a Florida kitchen?
Send your measurements and a few photos for a free 3D design and an itemized quote with freight to your address. Contractors can apply for Captivating Pro trade pricing.
Sources
- Permit exemptions guide — Miami-Dade County
- Work exempt from permits — Hillsborough County
- HB 803 (2026) permit exemption for work under $7,500 — City of Fort Lauderdale
- HB 803 public memo: the exemption does not apply in Palm Beach County (June 2026) — Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building
- Fla. Stat. § 489.117(4)(a)1. — job scopes that can’t be locally licensed — Florida Senate
- Verify a Licensee — Florida DBPR
- 44 CFR 59.1 — substantial improvement and substantial damage — GovInfo
- FEMA P-758 substantial improvement worksheet (included costs) — Florida Division of Emergency Management
- CS/CS/SB 180 (2025), creating Fla. Stat. § 163.31795 — Florida Senate
- Fla. Stat. § 718.111(11)(f) — condo insurance: unit owner covers built-in cabinets — Florida Senate
- Fla. Stat. § 718.113 — condo alterations under the declaration — Florida Senate
- Form DR-15DSS — discretionary sales surtax rates for 2026 — Florida Department of Revenue
- Fla. Stat. § 212.054(2)(b) — $5,000 single-item surtax limit — Florida Senate
- Fla. Admin. Code R. 12A-15.004 — surtax $5,000 limitation — Florida Department of Revenue
- U.S. Hourly Climate Normals 1991–2020 (dew point) — NOAA NCEI
- Comparative Climatic Data — relative humidity, morning and afternoon — NOAA NCEI
- Tropical cyclone climatology — Atlantic hurricane season, June 1 to November 30 — NOAA National Hurricane Center
- Client advisory, Oct. 9, 2024: LTL carriers halted Florida pickups and deliveries ahead of Hurricane Milton — C.H. Robinson
Last reviewed Oct 2026. We’re a cabinet dealer, not a law firm — confirm rules with your local building department or association.