Moving to Orlando, need advice from Floridians...

[CindysGusGus]

I'm going to warn you right now, I tried doing this for six months, and found that 90% of potential employers won't talk to you until you are actually living here full time unless you are in the medical or teaching fields or they have recruited you. I actually had a HOME here, fully furnished, all I needed to do was get in my car and drive, and start work Monday, and they still didn't want to know anything about me until I was permanently living here.

Of the ten percent who would interview me before I moved here, I lost out four jobs to people who were already living here, and was told flat out that had I been the job would have been mine. I did get two offers I turned down because either the money wasn't there or the guy I would have reported to was such a slimeball I needed a shower after the interview. Ish.

Anne

Thanks for the warning. I have been in Customer Service for over 16 years. Im not looking for something that is hard to find and I feel Customer Service is a pretty broad area. If it takes me a while to find a job no big deal at least I know im trying.

 

[scarlett873]

This is an awesome thread!!

DH and I are contemplating a potential move to the JAX area. There's a chance that his company many transfer him there...or we may just move there on our own. I have oodles of questions about the area and you guys have all managed to answer quite a few of them!! So far...the cost of the normal everyday bills seem to be somewhat similar to what we pay now (we're in Indiana) with a few exceptions, of course. I'm curious to see what the insurance rates are for our cars!

It'll, most likely, be at least a year before we have to really consider packing it up and moving, but the wheels are already spinning in my head about the possibilities!!

I've already told DH that part of the "relocation" budget will be AP's!! If I have to get myself to the local license branch the day we move in so that I have proof of residency...I will!

 

[oogieboogie]

OK, now I have a weird question...

has anyone used the western beltway (429) from Disney to Apopka? How long does it take and how much is the toll? I can't run the toll calculator cause it's saying one of the legs is not available and I know they've already opened the section all the way down to WDW.

The reason I'm asking is I'm leaning towards Altamonte Springs, and the 429 will make life so much easier, cause DH would eventually like to work for WDW and if it's not a bad drive, it might make it worth it.

 

[cranbiz]

I am going to be moving into my house in Deltona (10 minutes from Lake Mary) permanently within 4 to 6 months. I just can't afford to live in MA any more even with a decent job.

I have found that the costs are indeed less on most things (except for milk)

Auto Insurance is less than MA by far. DS is insured with progressive in FL and he pays $1600 a year. In MA his bill was over $2500. Ds is living full time in the house right now and does not understand energy conservation.

I own a 2/1 with 1400 Sq. Ft. Electricity runs from $50.00 in the winter to $215.00 in the summer with the AC on full time. I have Progress Energy and they do offer a discount if you participate in the residential load management program. Telephone / internet is with BellSouth and it runs $110 a month with unlimited LD to North America. TV is with Direct TV with the BellSouth discount and is $39.95 a month. Water/Sewer varies by useage. Deltona Water is a little pricy, they run between $45 to $85 per month just depends on water useage. Trash is $110 a year and it's in the tax bill. My taxes were $1400 this year for Volusia County but I don't have the homestead exemption as it's not my primary residence (yet)

I am also running into the same problems as Anne. I can't get any interviews because I don't live there full time. When I sell my MA house, I'll have a cushion to live on for quite a while and I'm sure that I'll find something once I'm there. That is, unless anyone here has a position for a Desktop Support / Network Administrator that you would like to interview me for. I can start within 2 weeks of a suitable offer (and I'm not looking for MA money there)

 

[rparmfamily]

Scarlett--
I'm outside the Jax area, if you have any questions just ask.

 

[ducklite]

I am going to be moving into my house in Deltona (10 minutes from Lake Mary) permanently within 4 to 6 months. I just can't afford to live in MA any more even with a decent job.

I have found that the costs are indeed less on most things (except for milk)

Auto Insurance is less than MA by far. DS is insured with progressive in FL and he pays $1600 a year. In MA his bill was over $2500. Ds is living full time in the house right now and does not understand energy conservation.

I own a 2/1 with 1400 Sq. Ft. Electricity runs from $50.00 in the winter to $215.00 in the summer with the AC on full time. I have Progress Energy and they do offer a discount if you participate in the residential load management program. Telephone / internet is with BellSouth and it runs $110 a month with unlimited LD to North America. TV is with Direct TV with the BellSouth discount and is $39.95 a month. Water/Sewer varies by useage. Deltona Water is a little pricy, they run between $45 to $85 per month just depends on water useage. Trash is $110 a year and it's in the tax bill. My taxes were $1400 this year for Volusia County but I don't have the homestead exemption as it's not my primary residence (yet)

I am also running into the same problems as Anne. I can't get any interviews because I don't live there full time. When I sell my MA house, I'll have a cushion to live on for quite a while and I'm sure that I'll find something once I'm there. That is, unless anyone here has a position for a Desktop Support / Network Administrator that you would like to interview me for. I can start within 2 weeks of a suitable offer (and I'm not looking for MA money there)

I believe your resume might have landed in my hotmail box today for a confidential job listing...

Anne

 

[ducklite]

OK, now I have a weird question...

has anyone used the western beltway (429) from Disney to Apopka? How long does it take and how much is the toll? I can't run the toll calculator cause it's saying one of the legs is not available and I know they've already opened the section all the way down to WDW.

The reason I'm asking is I'm leaning towards Altamonte Springs, and the 429 will make life so much easier, cause DH would eventually like to work for WDW and if it's not a bad drive, it might make it worth it.

I use it regularly from Route 50 to Western Way. It's about $3 each way from Apopka.

Anne

 

[flatline]

my wife and I both have federal jobs, we assumed it would be a breeze to transfer here. it took us two years and a lot of luck. no one in the Orlando area would even return calls since we were out of their district, much less the state. I got approved for a transfer to Tampa, but had a three month window to move. my wife got a lateral transfer as a hardship because I had to move. we had to sign off, sell our house, buy a new one, and pay for the move ourselves in three months.

it was worth it.

 

[Keggy]

How is Sanford? I didn't really put them in my list of choice cities because the schools don't seem to be the best of all the Seminole county schools and I hear the crime rate is higher.

I personally would like to live in Lake Mary but it seems real estate is so much higher in Lake Mary compared to the other cities on my list. Sanford prices seem to be more in line with what we're looking for, but the above reasons are why I'm hesitating looking at the Sanford area.

As far as car insurance goes, ours are not going to double. DH already priced a quote from Geico and it's only going up by less than $100 for the 2 cars - a minivan and a compact. We've already budgeted that.

I have never heard of there being a high crime rate here. That is interesting. It is odd to explain where I live. If you look at a map it looks like Sanford is North of Lake Mary, well I am East of Lake Mary. There are quite a few police officers that live in our gated community. I do not have children, so I cannot "officially" comment on our schools, but my sister and nephews are moving here at the end of the month so she has been looking into them and has been getting positive feedback. Seminole County schools just ranked fairly well in a National Survey done by Newsweek? I had read that in the paper a few weeks ago. Anyway, I can't really comment on the schools, since I don't have children.

I live very close to 417, so we normally take that to WDW. It takes us about 40 minutes. We enjoy living "up here" rather than "down there." That is our personal preference. We were commuting 45 minutes to an hour everyday to live by our hobby and then we realized that we would rather drive that to Disney in the evenings or on the weekends.

Lake Mary is nice, but it seems that some of the houses are on top of each other and I like having a little bit more space. But, the Lake Mary schools are suppossed to be very good - that is just hearsay though.

Kelly

 

[scarlett873]

Scarlett--
I'm outside the Jax area, if you have any questions just ask.

Thank you! I'll add you to my buddy list!

 

[oogieboogie]

You guys have been really great.

Another wacky question from me... are there any good Farmer's Markets around the Greater Orlando area? We went to one at Celebration the last time we went down to WDW and I was so happy to find coconut juice and sugar cane juice! I'm from the tropics and it's been over 10 years since I had any. That and I wanted to buy all the great lovely produce that they were selling. They looked so much better that what the supermarkets have around here.

Another question... do you have the E-pass or Sunpass? Is it worth getting, or is it just a convenience item to get you thru the tolls faster? If it's worth getting, I'm going to need to budget for that as well. Which one is better to get - the E-pass or Sunpass? Will they work on the other's toll roads?

 

[ducklite]

There's a lot of Caribbean markets in this area, you'll have no problem finding the foods you want to.

E-Pass and Sunpass are basically the same, intercahngeable, they both work in the same places and cost the same. one of them you can actually buy right at Publix.

Anne