Can you tell me where you live in Florida and why you like it?

[Maleficient]

I know I'm new to this board - but I'm hoping that some of the Floridians in the group can help me decide if my family and I should make the move to the Sunshine State! I'm currently unemployed, but looking for positions in Florida, and really feel unsure of where I should narrow my search to. Here are my concerns:

3 kids in school (8th, 6th, 1st) who are all in accelerated courses. First concern is the school district and availability of magnet schools, challenge courses, etc. As you can see, we live in NY (upstate) and are in a great district for academics. They also are into the music and drama program, which leave a lot to be desired at their schools.

My employment possibilities are good - have years of pharma sales experience and am also an RN and NP.

My house has moderate mortgage and we should be able to sell it with a modest profit to put down (maybe 40-50K) on new house.

Kids are good with moving, but feel that they want to be around a bigger city for more opportunities, and obviously we are huge Disneyites and travel there at least 2 times a year and have small DVC contract.

DH is self-employed and could probably do OK relocating anywhere.

Can anyone give me some ideas of the plusses/minuses of Florida living? What do you love and/or hate about it? Thanks so much for helping a newbie out!

 

[Metro West]

I live in NW Orlando...near Ocoee and Apopka. It's nice to be close to the theme parks but far enough away from the tourist areas not to have to deal with all the traffic.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We live in Brevard--our area will take a hit now that the Constellation program was cancelled and a follow up to the shuttle program is questionable.

Schools are great depending on the school, but due to class size amendemnt, they are constantly having to address rezoning. Central Brevard just rezoned this week to many unhappy parents (IMHO--no true rhyme or reason to how they do it). So any neighborhood you move into, you cannot guarantee that the school you think you are signed up for will be the one you will get to stay in.

Jobs are a problem here. My husband was formerly working remotely and that job ended and he had to take a job in VA b/c there are no local jobs right now that are hiring (his field is engineering).

Homes are a great deal--much more respectable prices than in years past. I love living near the beach and the area.

Last time I checked, Wuesthoff had many nursing openings--Health First not so much.

The schools certainly are not going to compare to New York. Our whole FCAT debacle is a joke. With this week's rezoning issue, I knew several families who were making backup plans for private school b/c the school they may get rezoned to would not be good.

Charter schools don't seemto do as well here. Many people love the Schools of Choice (magnet) schools. But you gotta get on the list at the right time to be eligible for the lottery to get in.

For music and drama--we have many local alternatives. If you were to move to Orlando--you would have even more opportuntities to compensate for a lackluster program.

Advanced programs--my mom would always check the offerings at the local high school before selecting a place to live. A high school that has much AP, Dual Enrollment (aka automatic college credit!!!!), and other advanced classes--usually will fair better for students who want the more challenging education.

We were at a dance competition several weeks ago at Seminole High school and I Swear they must have something in the water over there. Phenomenal dance program with many competition winners from that school. So if you can find schools that have champions in the arts, it may improve your chances of finding a school that meets the arts needs of your kids.

The plusses to living in Florida--great weather for a good portion of the year when other places are having blizzards. No winter blues . Lots of nature and outdoor activities.

The minues---very humid humid humid in July/August. I consider it mildly humid in June and September. Northerners may find us EXTREMELY humid from May to October.

I love Florida. I woul dnot be leaving unless I had to. Our house will not sell, but I'm kind of glad b/c it gives us a nice warm place to run to when the winters in VA get too harsh for me.

I personally love living Ocala/Daytona--southward. Much more tropic feel to me than living in North Florida. But North Florida is great as well.

I personally did not like the Jacksonville area where I lived as a Senior in hgih school and I don't like Tampa (hubby's family lives there and after 15 years of visiting, that area still has not grown on me).

South Florida is....interesting. We have lots of refuges from down there that move closer to central Florida. Much less chaotic and a more..relaxed lifestyle than down there.

Best of luck!

 

[PeterPan09]

I live in Clermont, about 6 miles from WDW-and I LOVE it. I don't have kids so I can't help you with the school issue, but I can tell you that jobs are tough to come by down here. If you are fortunate enough to have one, you will also be making less than up North so be aware of that going in as well. Health care is a good industry down here though, so that might help you. Housing is cheaper, we have a glut of condos, houses and apartments right now.

The DIS Unplugged Podcast discussed this very issue on yesterday's email show. You might want to check that out for some other opinions.

 

[Maleficient]

Wow - thanks to you both! Lisa loves Pooh - is there a specific reason about your dislike for the Tampa area? I had been somewhat looking that direction...thought being near the Gulf would be nice vs inland. I have been focusing on central vs. north or south as well....thanks in advance!!

 

[Maleficient]

I live in Clermont, about 6 miles from WDW-and I LOVE it. I don't have kids so I can't help you with the school issue, but I can tell you that jobs are tough to come by down here. If you are fortunate enough to have one, you will also be making less than up North so be aware of that going in as well. Health care is a good industry down here though, so that might help you. Housing is cheaper, we have a glut of condos, houses and apartments right now.

The DIS Unplugged Podcast discussed this very issue on yesterday's email show. You might want to check that out for some other opinions.

Thanks - I will go look for the podcast now!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Wow - thanks to you both! Lisa loves Pooh - is there a specific reason about your dislike for the Tampa area? I had been somewhat looking that direction...thought being near the Gulf would be nice vs inland. I have been focusing on central vs. north or south as well....thanks in advance!!

Hubby's parents live close to downtown in an area that seems seedy and unsafe.

Their home has been broken into sevearl times and he now has a security system installed to video tape and will check it when he is away from home.


Some other parts are better than others--but Tampa in and of itself, I just don't like. The driving is crazy and the school stories scary. Now, out of 4 kids, 2 graduated valedictorian, one was salutatorian and one was top 3 or something. Very bright and they did well academically and got into great colleges.

I just personally would not want to live there full time though..specifically--not in Hillsbourough county.

 

[Maleficient]

Okay - good to know! I had heard that schools may be an issue over that way...thanks so much!

 

[xApril]

I'm in Orlando and I love it here. It's very...cultural where I am. I love it here because it's not too crazy traffic-wise and crimewise (at least not where I am).

It's definitely a plus that I'm so very close to Disney and Universal as well.

 

[dr_zero]

North Central Florida checking in!

I used to live in Jacksonville years back and it was a nice place depending on where you lived but now eh I will pass its not like it used to be.

We moved out towards the center more to a semi rural community and have loved it! Have good schools daughter does dance and is in the honors chorus so she is happy. Now there is not as much for a teen to do but gainesville is about 30-45 min and you have all the fun of a college town
There are several hospitals up this way including 2 VA hospitals since you mentioned you are a RN.

The lifestyle is alot more laid back in north florida vs orlando south areas. I agree about tampa 100% (sorry if anyone lives down there).

It all kinda of depends on what you want Florida is a interesting state we go from pretty much one end of the spectrum to the other.

We had a new employee say the other day I thought that all of the central part of florida was swamp Florida is full of history and can be a fun place to go and explore there all kinds of nuggets just waiting if you look.

Me personally I wanted to be able to spread out a little so out this way I was able to buy some land and still be able to afford a house.

some links for ya

http://www.floridastateparks.org/ichetuckneesprings/PhotoGallery.cfm

http://www.city-data.com/city/Lake-City-Florida.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Horseshoe-Beach-Florida.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Gainesville-Florida.html

 

[phorsenuf]

We are in the process of moving down there. My husband has been there for 15 months now. We are in Palm Harbor. It's west of Tampa, just above Clearwater. We really like it there. I looked into schools there and there are some crappy ones but most of them are good. Our son was going to be enrolled in East Lake High which is highly rated.
It's a very pretty area and convenient to everything. Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater Beach, Honeymoon island. Some other nice areas to check into are Trinity, Odessa, Land O Lakes, Wesley Chapel.
I love being on the Gulf and can't wait to get down there full time next month.

 

[mommybunnyof2]

Just wanted to give you my opinion on living in Florida. We have lived in sunny Florida for nearly 15 years. My husband graduated from USF and we've lived in Clearwater, Tampa, Brandon and now Lithia. I agree that Tampa in and of itself is a bit shady. However, the Brandon/Lithia area is quite nice. We live in a great planned community --FishHawk Ranch. It's a great place to live and the community "feel" of the area can't be beat. We boast two of the top elementary schools in the state - Bevis and FishHawk Creek Elementary. Just last year they opened a new elementary and middle school to prepare for the next phase of development. Our current middle school, Randall, and the high school, Newsome, are some of the top schools as well. We are a part of Hillsborough County. Both Randall and Newsome have arts programs and there are a number of different companies in the area for drama/dance programs.

We are about an hour away from Disney (we go just about every weekend) and are close to an area that you would no doubt be able to find employment -- Sun City Center. Sun City is most known for it's retirement villages and they have lots of medical facilities. My neighbor was employed by the hospital there as an RN before they moved -- they were a military family. She seemed to enjoy the job and was able to work just about any schedule she wanted -- she worked less in the summer to be able to be home with the kids. They are planning to come back in two years. They are renting their home to another military family.

My husband is a chemical engineer and works in the phospate industry in the next county over - Polk. He's been with the same company for nearly 10 years. I've been a stay-at-home mom for most of those years, but recently started working from home for a couple of local companies.

The best part of living in Florida is the weather, of course. It's just an easy living kind of life -- my kids find it weird to have to wear long pants and jackets. It's been a tough winter this year -- we usually don't have to wear them until Jan/Feb. Yes, the summers are very hot and humid. But a cold drink, a cool pool and a/c are the keys to surviving.

Best of luck to you in your decision.

 

[Maridw]

The Panhandle checking in. I have lived in Panama City for 17 years now (wow - how time flies). At first it was quite a culture shock for me coming from Southern CA, but I quickly adapted. I love the small town atmosphere even though it really isn't a small town.

The schools here are very good. My DD went from Kindergarten through high school and had no problems. The high schools have AP program and a couple have specialized academies.

The weather right now is in the 40's, but thankfully no snow. It does get VERY humid during the summer.

One thing some of the locals don't like is that Panama City Beach is the Spring Break spot. But then they also just avoid the areas that are most hit by the Spring Breakers. If you stay on the east side of the bridge (Hathaway Bridge) you don't see them as much.

Another nice thing is that you are about an hour from Destin which has a couple great malls and then about two hours from Tallahassee, which also has a couple good malls. Panama City has a mall and then Pier Park on the beach, both are nice.

Also we are about 6 hours from Disney.

 

[jmskinner]

I'm another in Hillsborough County, Tampa area. We are in the Riverview area. You asked about Magnet schools there are a lot, and you specially mentioned performing arts. We are currently trying to get our son in Progressive Village, which is a Performing Arts Middle School. It's all by lottery, so hopefully we win. We have toured the school and it looks really great.

I often wonder when kids are in school here in Hillsborough. Elementary starts at 8:00am and gets out at 2:15pm and then two Wednesdays a month they get out 2 hours early. Back in TX our son started at 7:45am and didn't get out until 3:15.

But other than that, we have really been happy with the school our son is in.

 

[Maleficient]

Thanks to all who responded - and would love to hear from anyone else! I'm so grateful to have the Dis to gain all this personal info - and thanks especially to dr zero for the links!

One question I have is the lottery system for kids to get into the magnet or charter schools. How does that work exactly - how far in advance can you try to get in, are there way more kids than allotted spots, etc. It's different up here - there aren't any choices from the public school systems other than parochial schools. You can, however, pay tuition to attend a school district where you don't reside if you are unhappy with the district where you live, and that happens quite a bit. I'm really overwhelmed with how do you know what schools are best down there - how do I start looking for houses not knowing the different district lines, etc....

But its really cold here and I'm excited to be in the warmth and near(er) Disney!

 

[Mean Queen]

I live in (and grew up in) St. Pete. There are many pros and some cons to this area.

Pros - it's a great, beautiful city but isn't so big that it's congested. Home prices have finally dropped to a reasonable rate. It's close by St. Pete Beach, Tampa, Sarasota, and it takes us just over an hour to get to Disney (which we do often.) We have one of the best children's hospitals in the country and many other medical places to work for.

Cons - schools are very hit and miss, mostly miss. We have a magnet program where you can apply for schools that specialize in the arts, math/science, or a fundamental school. But if you don't get in, you are stuck with your local school. Which means you need to pick the area you live in carefully, to get one of the few regular public schools that is good. I don't know about the job market, but it's not great.

Check out www.stpete.org for information from the city.

 

[mhsjax]

Another like time Floridian here. I can agree with what the pp's are sayign about Jacksonville. We live just south of Jax in an area called St John's county, in fact we were just renamed St Jon's Florida about 2 years ago. We are still close enough to Jax that most people here work in Jax, but our school are good. True FCAT is a joke, but our schools themselves are good. Most people living in this area do it because they have kids. Also we are very child oriented here, tons of sports to do. The people that live here call it our little bubble, I havne't talked to anyone that doesn't love this area.

We are about 30 minutes from St Augustine and 2.5 hours from Disney World. You should check us out. We love it here

Please don't judge out school by my typing and spelling, I have a major cold and NiQuil is a killer. lol

 

[glitterkittyy]

Polk County checking in. I live in Auburndale. It's about 20-30 minutes from WDW but far enough away that it feels a bit like country living. We live near the orange groves, which smell so wonderful when they are in bloom! There are lots of lakes too. My girls go to an A-rated school, but there are charter and magnet schools to choose from as well.

I work in Tampa (long drive), and I love it but I wouldn't want to live there so I agree with the PP about that. I also agree that Brandon is a nice area, but be careful of the high traffic areas over there. Sometimes it's a nightmare to get down the streets. lol But the back roads are good.

We have lived here for just under 3 years. I love it here and would not consider moving back up north!

 

[Maleficient]

OK, so how do the schools there get their rating - is it state based or nationwide? Like is an A-rated school the same in Florida as it is in NY? Did most of you who relocated pick based on schools, jobs, or just location? And what is the FCAT - the state standardized tests?

Since you guys have been so helpful I'm gonna keep asking questions! Here's one - I have a DS who's just gotten into hockey and he loves it. I really want to be in a place that has a good youth ice hockey program - we have an AHL team in our town and great youth hockey...any thoughts on that? Do you want to kill me now??

 

[xApril]

FCAT = Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test

You have to take it practically every year (starting 3rd grade, I think. That's when I was started on it) and you have to pass the 10th grade FCAT (which is a combo of math and reading) in order to be done with it completely and be able to graduate. In 11th grade, you have to take science. There's also writing in 10th grade. However, I don't think writing or science count toward whether you graduate or not.

I think it's a really easy test that they overhype on. Many of my friends agree with me, some don't (but they are the ones who struggled with tests growing up).