Considering a move to Fl-HELP-warning long

[zippy doo dah]

First, let me apologize if this thread is on the wrong board...

DH and I are considering a move to Fl and I have been given the task of researching everything and in all honesty, I have only moved once in my life and it was only to a town about 15 min away from my old neighborhood and I don't know the first thing about moving out of state...

So a little backgorund info...We currently live in NJ (and always have) very near the shore...I have lived in this area my whole life and in the off seasons the town where I grew up was virtually a ghost town except for a handful of year-rounders so it is very easy to say that i'm a suburban girl. DH grew up very close to the city, so he's used to the hustle and bustle of everything.

I am a teacher (only substitute right now b/c I can't get a full-time teaching job in NJ to save my life) and I am fairly certain that I could find a full-time position rather quickly??? DH works as a union laborer and also has a technical degree in IT - finding him a job i'm not so sure about???

We are looking for a nice suburban town with good schools for our 3 kids, a safe and friendly area with a nice size house and property. We don't want to live where it is too crowded, too busy, and just all around nuts - if that makes any sense at all - lol. We were thinking more of northern to central Fl. I don't know much about Fl, except for Disney of course, but anything outside I am clueless.

I guess I am just looking for any advice about anything and everything in general like school systems, house and property sizes & costs, neighborhoods & counties I should check out or avoid, hurricane areas, etc. I am sorry for being so vague, but like I said I am clueless. Please feel free to PM me or post here.

Thanks in advance and sorry this is sooooooo long.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

We are contemplating a move to FL as well, especially after our most recent trip. My husband and I are both in health care, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a job I hope. I am new to all this researching as well, and would love to hear everyone's thoughts. You might want to check out Money Magazine online, there were a couple of florida towns in the top 100 places to live. Usually housing, jobs, safety and schools need to be pretty top notch to make the list. Good luck!

Coming from 25 below zero winters I can't imagine 60 degree winters, what a dream!

 

[ricko19]

So a little backgorund info...We currently live in NJ (and always have) very near the shore...

WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU LEAVE NEW JERSEY!?!?
My parents took me away when I was young, and I'm stuck on the West Coast!
If you leave NJ you will miss out on the 3 best food items EVER INVENTED -
3. YooHoo
2. Tasty Kakes (Butterscotch Krimpets!)
1. Pork Roll/Taylor HAM!!!

Don't DO IT!! Please, for ME!! Stay where the good food is!!

 

[donaldseeyore]

WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU LEAVE NEW JERSEY!?!?
My parents took me away when I was young, and I'm stuck on the West Coast!
If you leave NJ you will miss out on the 3 best food items EVER INVENTED -
3. YooHoo
2. Tasty Kakes (Butterscotch Krimpets!)
1. Pork Roll/Taylor HAM!!!

Don't DO IT!! Please, for ME!! Stay where the good food is!!

YooHoo and Tastykakes are here in Florida.........Quite common in the area I live to get 6 packs of YooHoo for $2.99........

 

[ricko19]

YooHoo and Tastykakes are here in Florida.........Quite common in the area I live to get 6 packs of YooHoo for $2.99........

I'm JEALOUS! You CAN get YooHoo in the Seattle area, and I OCCASIONALLY run accross Tasty Kakes, and up until about a month ago the only way for me to get Pork Roll was when I went back to visit family or they would come out to visit.

Ok, Fair Enough, You can move to FLA! (not that you were asking for permission of course!)

Good luck with your potential move. I hope everything works out and you are able to find a great teaching job!

 

[DanceRC28]

As for yoohoo and tastycakes, that is just hilarious In CT we have the yoohoo (and DH drinks it constantly), but no tastycakes. Growing up with family in Penn. we always ate them there and loved them, funny how you can't get them in certain places- they are certainly addicting. Now back to the real topic of moving to Florida, I am right there alongside you zippy! DH and I are considering moving from Connecticut to Florida within the next year as well. I work in human resources and think I could probably find a job, but DH works in the mortgage business so not too sure about him... I've been doing the same thing you are doing now- trying to get info anywhere I can. We are looking at central Florida- not necessarily right outside the purple gates, but we want to be close. I'll share the info I've found so far, hopefully it can help you as well. Here goes: you do NOT want to live in Orlando or Kissimmee- high crime rates, bad schools, etc. Celebration is beautiful but quite expensive (not sure what your budget is, but it's beyond our means). Lake Mary is nice, good schools, reasonable cost of living and was ranked #4 best places to live in the US. Clermont, Winter Garden & Windermere are all nice areas in that vicinity. Although a few people told me that car insurance would skyrocket when moving to FL from CT, I asked a friend of mine from high school that lives in the area and she said that that too went down when she moved. One of the best things I've found- there is NO state income tax!!!! Hope some of this info is useful, pm me if you have more questions and I can try to get some answers for you. I know a few people who currently live or have lived in the area and their really helpful! Good luck!

 

[zippy doo dah]

As for yoohoo and tastycakes, that is just hilarious In CT we have the yoohoo (and DH drinks it constantly), but no tastycakes. Growing up with family in Penn. we always ate them there and loved them, funny how you can't get them in certain places- they are certainly addicting. Now back to the real topic of moving to Florida, I am right there alongside you zippy! DH and I are considering moving from Connecticut to Florida within the next year as well. I work in human resources and think I could probably find a job, but DH works in the mortgage business so not too sure about him... I've been doing the same thing you are doing now- trying to get info anywhere I can. We are looking at central Florida- not necessarily right outside the purple gates, but we want to be close. I'll share the info I've found so far, hopefully it can help you as well. Here goes: you do NOT want to live in Orlando or Kissimmee- high crime rates, bad schools, etc. Celebration is beautiful but quite expensive (not sure what your budget is, but it's beyond our means). Lake Mary is nice, good schools, reasonable cost of living and was ranked #4 best places to live in the US. Clermont, Winter Garden & Windermere are all nice areas in that vicinity. Although a few people told me that car insurance would skyrocket when moving to FL from CT, I asked a friend of mine from high school that lives in the area and she said that that too went down when she moved. One of the best things I've found- there is NO state income tax!!!! Hope some of this info is useful, pm me if you have more questions and I can try to get some answers for you. I know a few people who currently live or have lived in the area and their really helpful! Good luck!

Thanks for the info. It's just soooooo much to consider and take in - and I honestly never thought about how much planning and researching (and soul seraching for that matter) that goes into moving...especially out of state. I will let you know if I learn anything as well.

 

[TallyTutter]

First, let me apologize if this thread is on the wrong board...

DH and I are considering a move to Fl and I have been given the task of researching everything and in all honesty, I have only moved once in my life and it was only to a town about 15 min away from my old neighborhood and I don't know the first thing about moving out of state...

So a little backgorund info...We currently live in NJ (and always have) very near the shore...I have lived in this area my whole life and in the off seasons the town where I grew up was virtually a ghost town except for a handful of year-rounders so it is very easy to say that i'm a suburban girl. DH grew up very close to the city, so he's used to the hustle and bustle of everything.

I am a teacher (only substitute right now b/c I can't get a full-time teaching job in NJ to save my life) and I am fairly certain that I could find a full-time position rather quickly??? DH works as a union laborer and also has a technical degree in IT - finding him a job i'm not so sure about???

We are looking for a nice suburban town with good schools for our 3 kids, a safe and friendly area with a nice size house and property. We don't want to live where it is too crowded, too busy, and just all around nuts - if that makes any sense at all - lol. We were thinking more of northern to central Fl. I don't know much about Fl, except for Disney of course, but anything outside I am clueless.

I guess I am just looking for any advice about anything and everything in general like school systems, house and property sizes & costs, neighborhoods & counties I should check out or avoid, hurricane areas, etc. I am sorry for being so vague, but like I said I am clueless. Please feel free to PM me or post here.

Thanks in advance and sorry this is sooooooo long.

First let me say, come on down!! The way of life in N. Florida is very different from the rest of Florida!!

You might want to start your research in the Jacksonville area. I would think that there would be tons of opportunity there. I know that the Orange Park area (my brother used to live in this area) has some really nice areas in it and it's near water - rivers, lakes & the Atlantic. Orange Park is near the Navy Base. You would also have a pretty good straight shot to WDW!

The other part of N. Fla that I would look into is Pensacola (which also happens to have a Navy base). Lovely beaches! Not so sure about any of the neighborhoods there though.

I wouldn't recommend in anywhere in between, including Tallahassee. Tallahassee is a wonderful little down but I don't know if your husband would find a job as quickly here as he would in Jacksonville & Pensacola. Having said that, there is a Navy & an Air Force base in Panama City (in between Tallahassee & Pensacola) so he might be able to find around there.

Have you looked into what you would have to do to get certified for teaching in Florida? What are you currently certified in?

Good luck in your search!

 

[zippy doo dah]

First let me say, come on down!! The way of life in N. Florida is very different from the rest of Florida!!

You might want to start your research in the Jacksonville area. I would think that there would be tons of opportunity there. I know that the Orange Park area (my brother used to live in this area) has some really nice areas in it and it's near water - rivers, lakes & the Atlantic. Orange Park is near the Navy Base. You would also have a pretty good straight shot to WDW!

The other part of N. Fla that I would look into is Pensacola (which also happens to have a Navy base). Lovely beaches! Not so sure about any of the neighborhoods there though.

I wouldn't recommend in anywhere in between, including Tallahassee. Tallahassee is a wonderful little down but I don't know if your husband would find a job as quickly here as he would in Jacksonville & Pensacola. Having said that, there is a Navy & an Air Force base in Panama City (in between Tallahassee & Pensacola) so he might be able to find around there.

Have you looked into what you would have to do to get certified for teaching in Florida? What are you currently certified in?

Good luck in your search!

Thanks so much for the info...now I have more places I can look into. I haven't looked much into getting certified in Fl. yet, (which I probably should do asap - I'll be looking on the Fl DOE site after this) but I currently have a Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing in K-8 and I would be highly qualified in Social Studies, so I think it would probably be just a matter of taking the Fl test. If anyone has any knowledge of this, please feel free to let me know.

Thanks again

 

[TallyTutter]

This first link is to the Staff Development page of Leon County Schools (where I work).

http://www.tec.leon.k12.fl.us/

This is another site that talks about teaching statewide.

http://www.teachinflorida.com/

DOE's website can be confusing so good luck!!

www.fldoe.org

 

[zippy doo dah]

Thanks for the links Tally. Are you a teacher or just work in the school system? Can you tell me anything about teaching in Fl - pay, benefits, how standardized tests play a role in schools?? I had actually been on the site for teaching statewide a few weeks ago. I am going to call the DOE tomorrow b/c the site didn't quite tell me what I have to do to become Fl certified - at least I was confused but it . My dilema is that I don't have a formal certificate b/c I haven't been hired full-time by a school here in Jersey, I have only worked as a long-term sub. The certificate I have is a Cert. of Eligibility which basically means that I can get hired as a teacher and when I do the school will help me get my official teaching certificate. So my question is will the Cert. of Eligibility and my current Praxis scores automatically qualify me for a Fl. cert or do I have to take a test in Fl and apply with Fl DOE?

Thanks again for all your help

 

[TallyTutter]

Zippy,

I am not a teacher, I have held a teaching certificate but it was vocational in computers. I work for the Director of our IT department.

I don't know much about what is required for out of state teachers to get certified for Fl. I do know that in our county we have a beginning teachers program that all beginning teachers must go through & to some extent out of state teachers much go through also. Honestly, if I were you I would call/email our person with the district (information below) and talk to her, she's very good & patient, and ask her about the requirements - DOE is known for it's confusion! - just tell her that you are considering a move to Tallahassee & what do we require, ask if the requirements are the same state wide & she can point you to what you need at DOE.

Carol Allen, Program Manager
allenc@mail.leon.k12.fl.us / 850-487-7206

 

[zippy doo dah]

Thanks so much for the info. I have made a list of numbers to call on Monday (if I'm not subbing) and will add this one. Hopefully I will get a clearer picture of what I need to do.

Thanks again

 

[TallyTutter]

You're welcome. It shouldn't be this hard but in the past I've worked with teachers (worked at a school as Principal's secretary for 11 yrs.) and it was very confusing for both in state & out of state teachers. There seems to be just way too many hurdles you have to jump through now a days.

Good Luck!

 

[ilovemyjj]

ok, first of all let me tell you, my husband and i made the move from south jersey to Fl in 97'. We moved to Pensacola, which is nice, but since the hurricane, poor Pensacola beach is like shrunk to like a mile..i remember walking or driving the whole thing, it was sooo pretty. BUt, we decided to move to a lil Town near Tampa, and we love it here. I do have to say, job wise you will be in for a shock.My father worked for the Trump, and made 28 bucks an hr, being a plumber at the PLaza, ok, to come down here and get 7 bucks for the same thing. Living itself is cheaper, but insurance if you plan on buying is very high. However, car insurance for us we have 1 car, is 500 for 6 months. Rent for a nice house, nice neighborhood, is anywhere from 800.-1500 a month. Depending on where you are at. I think where i live is a small town, it is pretty fast paced here. Where the lil roads in Tuckerton were like 40 mph, here there like 55. you got a main highway, and you can get to everything from 19..lol!! bUt, food here is cheaper, exept fruits and veggies!! Ya lef tthe garden state, where the garden stuff was somewhat cheap, but a box of cereal for ya'll up there is 6 bucks at shoprite, its only 3 here. Milk is around 4 bucks a gal. Gas is always like 5-10 cents more here than NJ. There are so many nice area around here. Teacher wise, theres always a need for teachers here..so you shouldnt have any probs with that. I dont know what the avg salary is up north. School wise, to me i have 3 kids, there all in school. I feel school here is about a year behind the kids in NJ. We are slowly tryin to get the kid to an up NOrth schedual, usually school starts here in Aug, and ends in May. BUt, by 2009, school will end JUne 3rd. BUt, its nice when the kids call there cousins and say ha ha im outta school!! BUt, moving anywhere is a big step, be ready, have a chunk of money put aside, just in case you can't find work right away. If ya'll need anymore info, let me know, i'll do all i can to help!!
Take care!!

 

[LaffTAF]

See, the bad part about florida is the hurricanes and the insurance, rent is a bite in the behind too....My gf lives in Altamonte and pays 800 a month for a podunk apartment I swear is 550sq ft....She thinks it is a good area because of the gates and locks....( UH NO).... I would love to live there but being a single mom it would be very hard unless I find a sugga daddy

 

[djlexus]

I have to say ive grown up in Melbourne all my life and its not bad. Were only an hour and a half away low crime rate good schools. Plus we have the beach and u can see the shuttle launches from ur backyard. So my recommendation would be somewhere in Melbourne.

 

[nurse.darcy]

Also thinking of moving to the East Coast (particularly Florida) once my current nursing contract is up. I have been HEAVILY recruited by Florida Hospitals. . .good luck to you.