Florida living overrated?

[Conversationist]

In my review of the DIS Boards I notice that there is a number of postings about moving to Florida. Many posters describe the goal of moving to Florida, or an actual move. They describe live in Florida as being heaven on earth and that anyone who lives somewhere else is just crazy.

As a frequent winter visitor to many parts of Florida, I wonder what all the hype is all about. Sure Florida is nice as a winter vacation. But for 8 months of the year Florida is:

Hot
Flat
Economically challenged
Full of low paying service jobs
Overpopulated (ever drive from Tampa to Naples?)
Full of crackers and rednecks
Has lots of crime
Generally Poor schools
Unresponsive government
Tons of traffic
Poor mass transit
Hurricanes
Forest Fires

I could go on and on!

What is the appeal of Florida, other than mild winter weather and the beach?

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I always tell them not to move here. I can't wait to move out! It is not paradise.

P.S. I didn't choose to move here, my mom moved me here when I was in High School and then I attended college here, then I married my husband who is too far into the State retirement system here to move. But we are OUT OF HERE the day he retires! 10 years and counting.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

Wow, that was a little harsh. I moved here about 8 months ago and except for the traffic, I love it.

 

[OceanAnnie]

There's something to love everywhere you go.

 

[Keggy]

Boy you have a negative view of Florida!

I have lived in Florida for the past 5 years. Prior to that I was in Ohio. I would never move back.

Yes, Florida is HOT in the summer - but for 2 months it is hot - not 8.

Most of the things you list are your opinion, which you are entitled to. My husband and I make a very good living here - and I would be making alot less money doing the same job where I am originally from.

There is a lot to love about living here. There is always something to do. There is always a vacation just a short drive away. While the weather is hot outside (for a couple of months) - in the evenings it is wonderful. Really the only time of year it rains here on a regular basis is in the summer. THe rest of the year the weather is gorgeous.

Florida must be a really crappy place - that is why so many people vacation here...


Kelly

 

[RitaZ.]

But for 8 months of the year Florida is:


Flat

Actually, it's flat all of the time.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

Every place has its pros and cons.

 

[chrissyk]

So, we can count you as the one person in this country who doesn't seem to be headed to FL We moved from MA to FL. We had pretty much the same problems in MA that you list, but add to those:

1) Unbelievably high housing costs
2) Unbelievably high property taxes (rising every quarter with no end in sight!)
3) Economy that was slow to recover from EVERY recession
4) Gas/Oil heating bills that are higher than some people's mortgage payments 9 months a year
5) 5.95% state income tax and capital gains tax (FL has zero state income and capital gains tax)

Our field pays the same in FL that it did in MA. Not all fields do. My future kids would have been in private school in MA, and they'll probably be in private school in FL. It's not any hotter here in the summer than it was in MA. We haven't run into too many "crackers and rednecks" where we live. Maybe it depends on where in FL you live. We lived around plenty of, uh, northern rednecks in MA.

The appeal of FL is that I can afford a decent house in a decent school district here. I CAN afford to "school shop" here. I couldn't afford to do that in MA. Might my kids STILL end up in private school? Yup. We don't have kids, so obviously we haven't made that decision yet. The appeal is that we keep 5.95% more of our income right off the top here. The appeal is that our property taxes are capped by the "Save Our Homes" provision and I don't have to stress out every quarter when the "unknown" property tax bill comes in the mail. The appeal is that so many people have moved here from the Northeast and CA that FL doesn't feel like "The South" to me. That was VERY important to us when we looked at where to relocate to.

People are leaving the northern states and CA in droves because they can't afford to live there anymore. MA was the only state in the union to actually LOSE population last year. I believe that CT held that honor the year before. We are 2 professionals who felt driven out of MA by the impossible situation of not being able to afford even a crapshack in a town with good schools. I've watched my old neighbors in MA hang onto their houses tooth and nail, always one month away from foreclosure. It is so hard to watch. I'm glad that we bought into FL before all of the other Northerners drove the prices so sky-high that we couldn't afford FL either. Sorry to have written a book, but this topic is close to my heart!!

 

[Robinrs]

Gosh, all of those things sound like GEORGIA... besides the flat!

Unfortunately, Georgia doesn't have palm trees, great theme parks and great beaches. So why am I HERE???

 

[georgina]

Florida must be a really crappy place - that is why so many people vacation here...

Vacation is different from permanent residence. We vacation in Florida. I could even spend a few months there in the winter. But I have no desire to live there either. I thought the OP's assessment was a little harsh, but everyone has their own opinion. I like my changing seasons.

 

[Rhonda922]

I love Florida and would move there in a second if we could actually afford the move. We always vacation there because we like it so much. So there's traffic, big deal! There's a ton of traffic in my state too.

 

[rnd4life]

Crackers and rednecks

 

[Disney Doll]

Well, there are positives and negatives about every place. I have to tell you, the more winters I spend up here in the North, the better Florida looks, at least in the winter.

I could learn to love the "snowbird" lifestyle!!!

 

[C.Ann]

I think it's a wonderful place to live during the winter - and that's just what I'm hoping to do this coming winter.. However, I would not want to live there in the summer.. I don't tolerate heat and humidity very well and although I know most folks stay inside with the a/c on, all it would take is one hurricane and/or tornado to knock the power out for several days (sometimes weeks) and I would be done for..

On the other hand, my brother moved down there close to 3 years ago and is happy as a clam.. It has worked wonders for his health - looks 20 years younger - and although he has ridden out two direct-hit hurricanes, he won't even come back up north to visit or attend a funeral..

Now my sister is moving there on a permanent basis as well - for health reasons.. She wasn't back up north for 2 weeks and she ended up with both wrists in braces and was hobbling around like she was 90 years old.. (She suffers from post-polio syndrome.) She has loads of friends there, is in a very safe gated community, and is active every single day that she's there..

I could never understand what all the hype was about Florida either (well - other than proximity to WDW), but now that I have been there in the winter, I say "Florida, here I come!!"

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Exactly, now Floridians can't afford houses because of the influx of everyone else. DH and I make decent money, but we could not afford our house now if we had to buy. Thank goodness we got in right before property prices really started taking off. And believe me we do not have an extravagant house. In fact we have one of the smaller houses in our subdivision because we decided to get less house to live in a better area.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

This is slightly OT, but regarding the "that's why so many people vacation there"...Maine is considered Vacationland (it's even on their license plates). I've always said that it's because no one would actually want to live there.

Maybe Florida's the same way? I actually had the opportunity to move to FL, but I declined for now. The longer I live in the great cold north, the more I want to move somewhere where "snow" is a foreign word.

 

[cardaway]

Overpopulation and Traffic? Not compared to my area, not by a long shot.

The only thing keeping me away is the job situation.

 

[Virgo10]

In my review of the DIS Boards I notice that there is a number of postings about moving to Florida. Many posters describe the goal of moving to Florida, or an actual move. They describe live in Florida as being heaven on earth and that anyone who lives somewhere else is just crazy.

As a frequent winter visitor to many parts of Florida, I wonder what all the hype is all about. Sure Florida is nice as a winter vacation. But for 8 months of the year Florida is:

Hot - I've been here since November and I've found only the last 4 weeks to have been, what I consider, Hot.

Flat - Flat gives me a chance to watch thunderstorms nearly every night no matter how far away there are.

Economically challenged - Depends on what kind of job you're looking for.

Full of low paying service jobs - More so in the tourist areas. Just another reason a good education is important.

Overpopulated (ever drive from Tampa to Naples?) - No but look up Deen Still Rd and Old Grade Road on Mapquest. Not 20 minutes from Disney and there's nobody home in that whole area.

Full of crackers and rednecks - Well I'm from MA and I've found the locals down here to be very friendly.

Has lots of crime - Seems to. Both my DH and I have commented on that.

Generally Poor schools - I've read other threads about the schools and there seems to be both good and bad. Depends on where you live... probably just like any other state.

Unresponsive government - Don't know much about the government yet. We did have a problem with someone attacking our mailbox. The officer that came to our house (yes they sent a police officer about the mailbox!) was friendly and very professional.

Tons of traffic - Depends on where you're driving. The state is growing so fast, the roads can't keep up. But not everywhere. My town is a breeze to get around in.

Poor mass transit - Yup, this is an issue that really has to be addressed and the sooner the better.

Hurricanes - Yes but no blizzards.

Forest Fires - Yes but currently too much rain is the problem for many towns.

I could go on and on! - Me too. No ice. No snow. Sun nearly everyday which makes you feel a lot better. Beautiful towns. Lots to do. Abundant wildlife. Out of the 8 months we've been here, 7 have been perfect. Friendly people.

What is the appeal of Florida, other than mild winter weather and the beach? - It's not perfect down here but I'll never move back to Massachusetts. There are many subtle things that I'm just starting to notice. One is how much cleaner things are down here. Massachusetts was depressing. Florida is not and if I ever get down in the dumps, Disney World is only 26 miles away.

 

[vettechick99]

Forest Fires??? Wasn't the last major one in '98 -- 7 years ago!?!

I lived in Gainesville, FL from 2000-2001 and loved it. The weather isn't that much different than south GA so there was nothing new there, but I found the city fun, welcoming, liberal and living 2 hours from WDW just rocked.

I'd move back to FL in a minute (but that doesn't include ANY FL city! I definitely have my favorites there).

Oh and I could go on and on about the awful things about the north. So to each his own...the deep south ain't for everyone.

I think you need to take into account that the DISboards is all about people who love WDW and so it'd be right to assume we all have knowledge of FL. So if people are talking and asking questions about it, it's because they know they can get answers. I can't think of the last time someone asked about moving to Nebraska (no offense to you Nebraskans, I'm sure it's a great state!)

 

[palmtreegirl]

Just moved done about a month ago & we're here to stay, we love it here! The only thing that worries us is the housing prices rising so high but honestly I'd rather rent here forever then move back up north.

I finally know what quality of life means, before I was just existing now I'm finally living. Sure it's not for everyone but there's no place we'd rather be.