Florida - you sure???

[harleyquinn]

Thanks OP for starting this thread.

DH would love to move to Florida. We live in NE Ohio now. Over Christmas MIL said she had a nightmare that we moved to FL and she woke up crying. I told her to relax, there is no way we're going anywhere. i've actually researched it, and I doubt we could afford to move, even though DH would actually be able to get a teaching position, unlike up here.

The big no-brainer for me is that we want to have kids and both work ft, so we're not moving away from our free babysitting family! I've lived in the same community my whole life, and can't imagine leaving everything.

I'm really interested in what everyone has to say.

 

[dvcgirl]

Moved here about 18 months ago and we like it. We love the weather....there is nothing like walking into Publix at 7pm on January 2nd wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I don't miss the bitter cold winters in NJ. But yes, it is very hot and humid here from the middle of May through September. I've gotten used to it to a certain degree, but I don't necessarily love it.

We wanted to move to Florida and looked all over the state. We ended up choosing Orlando because there really is a lot to do here. And it's not all theme parks...but we are theme park fans and so it was a plus for us. We had already grown a bit weary of vacationing yearly at Disney anyway, and so we weren't afraid of "losing the magic" as many fear. And in all honesty, we simply aren't down there all that much. Less and less the longer we live here. The Festivals tend to draw us over. And we'll go over to see friends in town or to eat at one of the parks/resorts, but we're not running over to MK to ride pirates either. In many ways I like Disney now more than I did when we moved here because we can come and go as we please. But that "total immersion" feeling is gone. Funny though, we have neighbors and friends here who actually go over and stay in one of the resorts for a few nights a year to vacation there. I'd feel pretty silly doing that I think.

Housing was much cheaper when we moved here a short 18 months ago, but it's gone up considerably, as have the property taxes. Our utilities are cheaper, but we also have a smaller house here than we did in NJ. Overall though, we have more cash to burn here than we did in NJ. Travel from Orlando is cheap because we are one of the biggest vacation destinations in the world. And so cheap flights up home to see family are always easy to come by.

Florida can be a beautiful place...where it's developed. So near the resorts, golf courses, theme parks, and *some*, neighborhoods. But we have found that many areas/neighborhoods just aren't well-kept or pleasant to look at. You can't just let your lawn go here or it will be crap. But it's much easier to keep a nice looking lawn here than it was in NJ with just a little work/effort/money.

Traffic here is an issue....no doubt. There is way too much development and the roads can't keep up. Driving anywhere seems to take more time than it did in NJ because there are lights *everywhere*.

Crime is an issue here, and it's spreading out from the "bad neighborhoods". Lately the crime of choice is forced entries/beatings/robberies.....there was a string of four in one night in Southwest Orange county that left one man dead and another severly beaten. One right before that was in a nice neighborhood in Winderemere where the thieves tied up a 74 year old woman and ransacked her house. They didn't hurt her and appeared to know what they were looking for. It's not like living in Detroit maybe, but it's a problem.

We do like it though, and I see us staying for another 5-10 years here in Central Florida, but not forever.....

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I just got back from living there for 5 months doing the Disney College Program and that was plenty for me! It's a nice state and all but I swear it rains 10 months out of the year (and i hate rain) and the humidity, especially in the summer months is unbearable. Florida is definately not all it's cracked up to be, IMO. But that's mostly just because I despise hot weather and much prefer the north to the south

 

[palmtreegirl]

We *really* love it here and will never move back up north.

This is the first winter I haven't gone into a depression that would last till spring, I feel like a new me. Give me the heat/humidity and even a hurricane over the cold/snow/ice and long winters.

We left this house in PA

to move to a 3 bedroom apartment down here and I've never been happier. Some say I'm crazy but I'm to happy to care.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I was born and raised in Houston, but after my divorce, I moved to Destin for awhile. It was gorgeous, but I got homesick. I moved back to Houston and met my current husband. If it wasn't for him, I'd regret moving back to Texas.

Florida really isn't unlike Texas too much, other than the beaches. We share the same topography for the most part and we definitely share the heat and humidity.

The whole time I lived there, I never once made it to Disney. I personally like the fact that Disney is there and I'm here. It makes it all the more special when it's a place that you have to plan for.

I can't imagine living anywhere near Orlando, since the tourists in Destin were bad enough. I can only imagine what it's like living there, where they never go away.

 

[WIcruizer]

Florida is an entire state. Not every area is the same. For those of you who like/don't like living in Florida, maybe it depends on WHERE in FL you're talking about.

Housing was much cheaper when we moved here a short 18 months ago, but it's gone up considerably, as have the property taxes.

I always thought due to tourism there were no property or state income taxes. What would a typical property tax bill be for an average 250,000 home?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

South Florida should just be renamed New York South as the numbers of New Yorkers is now unbelievable.
.

So what is considered "South Florida"????

DH is considering Melbourne FL and that is in Brevard County where some trouble occurred with abductions, right?
Makes me nervous when you go on the web and read the latest headlines.

So if you had to move to Melbourne, where would you live? I have a 3rd grader and a Freshman in High School.

 

[KristaTX]

You don't say what you dislike about Florida

I read through the post a few times and also noticed that. As someone who counts Florida as one of the only states I'd move from Texas to, I would like to know what you did not like about Florida itself. There must be other things you didn't like besides the fact that couldn't find pizza and Chinese food that you liked. Maybe the hot weather (which I love ). Or maybe the cost of living? Or is it simply because you realized after you moved that you are a Chicagoan/northerner at heart? There's nothing wrong with liking one place better than another. But what did you not like about Florida besides missing the place that you moved there from?

 

[Aidensmom]

Florida is an entire state. Not every area is the same. For those of you who like/don't like living in Florida, maybe it depends on WHERE in FL you're talking about.



I always thought due to tourism there were no property or state income taxes. What would a typical property tax bill be for an average 250,000 home?

No income taxes, but there are property taxes. The property tax rates vary greatly depending on where the property is located.

 

[WIcruizer]

No income taxes, but there are property taxes. The property tax rates vary greatly depending on where the property is located.

Thank you...but there must be some sort of reasonable average right? I mean on a 250,000 home, would the taxes generally be around $2,000...$7,000....? Here in WI the home prices are probably less than most areas of FL, but we're in the top 3 for both state and property taxes in the country. Just trying to figure out how it would really compare.

I know FL well enough that I have no interest in living in South FL. But Naples...Ft Myers..definitely. The Lakes area NW of Orlando...probably. Even the Beaches of J'ville is a very nice area most people don't know about.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Whether or not someone likes living there depends a lot on where they came from to begin with!

In our case coming from a place so small that you have to drive an hour to get to a Wal-Mart and the only "chains" around are fast food, most places in FL would be a vast improvement if those are your only requirements

 

[taylor1293]

Thank you...but there must be some sort of reasonable average right? I mean on a 250,000 home, would the taxes generally be around $2,000...$7,000....? Here in WI the home prices are probably less than most areas of FL, but we're in the top 3 for both state and property taxes in the country. Just trying to figure out how it would really compare.

I know FL well enough that I have no interest in living in South FL. But Naples...Ft Myers..definitely. The Lakes area NW of Orlando...probably. Even the Beaches of J'ville is a very nice area most people don't know about.

It really does vary widely from city to city. In my neighborhood (Tampa area), you could get a 1500 sq ft house on a small lot for $250,000. Your taxes would be around $3000 - $3500 a year.

Teresa

 

[disneymom3]

We *really* love it here and will never move back up north.

This is the first winter I haven't gone into a depression that would last till spring, I feel like a new me. Give me the heat/humidity and even a hurricane over the cold/snow/ice and long winters.

This is exactly what I am facing right now. We are on our 16th day of clouds with no hint of the sun and we might see the sun for a little while today and then our next best chance of it is maybe next Tuesday. I kid you not. DH and DD have Seasonal Affective Disorder and they are both really struggling. Heck, I am about to lose my mind and I don't have it!

I can take heat and humidity--we have that here although I know not the extremes as in FL. I am sick of snow, I want to see the ocean, but mainly I want to see the SUN! We are looking at houses when we go down there in a few weeks.

 

[fantasymagic]

This is an interesting thread. I think moving to someplace different is just something you can't predict. I did tons and tons of research. DH has a good job; kids are in a good school; but it's been a really tough adjustment. The kids miss the snow and their friends. I miss my friends. In our case, my dad moved in with us and he has dementia, so I'm basically a caretaker, and don't get much of a chance to see what Florida has to offer. It's hard to say how this caretaking would have gone in Wisconsin. In order to get into a good school, we're in a housing development that's pretty much cookie cutter houses. I miss my house in Wisconsin, but when I was living there, I was always ready to move. Go figure, eh? Any way, it's interesting to read the responses.
Patty

 

[diznygirl]

Although it does rain here a lot - it's mostly just afternoon thunderstorms. They come and they go very quickly, and then it's back to sunshine again. I really don't like hurricanes, but here in Central Florida it's easier to ride them out. I wouldn't live anywhere on the coast.

It's cold here right now - about 55 and the low will be in the 30's for the next couple of nights. Then it's back up to the 70's. I can wear long pants once in awhile!

 

[CathrynRose]

Honestly - I began to type out my reasons for "hating Florida" but this wasnt intended to be a rip-on-the-state, thread... it really was intended to be a "does anyone REALLY like it?" thread...

I had some honest opinions...thats what i was looking for.

One of the posters (forgot whom) mentioned it might have alot to do with where you are from - and I think she might be right. We were used to "city'livin" even though we're in the 'burbs.

It just wasnt for us. Cool thread though.... lots of interesting opinions / reasons, etc.

ETA: And just for the heck of it...this is where we lived: http://www.mpcommunity.com/

 

[Equidae]

Sorry, double post. See below.

 

[Equidae]

So what is considered "South Florida"????

DH is considering Melbourne FL and that is in Brevard County where some trouble occurred with abductions, right?
Makes me nervous when you go on the web and read the latest headlines.

So if you had to move to Melbourne, where would you live? I have a 3rd grader and a Freshman in High School.

Melbourne is not south Florida, definitely central Florida. Move to Melbourne or Viera, stay away from Palm Bay and Malabar (just not that great of areas). I haven't heard of any abductions lately here, but I could have missed something. Usually it's a custody thing as far as kids are involved.

I love Florida. Been here my whole life and I wouldn't change that. It has changed so much in the last few years though. On one hand there is more to do, more to see, but on the other there are just more people! Development is everywhere. I grew up in Tampa (now live directly across the state on the east coast) and every time I am home there is a new store or subdivision going up. Sad to see all the formerly rural areas are receding as more and more people come to the state.

To the OP, sorry you didn't like Florida, but it doesn't sound like you researched your location. You mentioned in the thread on the Budget Board that you lived in Wesley Chapel. My brother lives there and there isn't much there. Too bad you didn't live in Brandon/Valrico which are right outside Tampa too. Closer to the city, more established, and just plain more to do.

 

[ilovepcot]

All you FL "wannabees", have I got a deal for you! My house is only 38 minutes from WDW and in 4 years it will be available!!!!! Moving back to NC to avoid all this oppressive heat and humidity. Been here since 1980 and have never gotten used to it. I stay indoors from April until November.

 

[lillygator]

yeah - I forgot to mention - I could never imagine living somewhere that is no where near the ocean....so I think a lot has to do with where you are from and raised.

I know I am a native so I can't offer the "moved here and now love it perspective", but I/We do love it! We can walk down to the beach any night to see the sunset - that's my idea of heaven right there!