Relocating to FL.....need help

[nyyankees5]

Hello,

DH and I are considering relocating to Fl. Tired of the NY weather and over crowding. Was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to where to start looking. We had 2.5 children. DS will be 5 in sept, DD will be 3 in June, DS #2 is due in July. Currently my DS is in Catholic School (just don't like the pulice schools in NY). DH is a jack-of-all trades, curretly he is a School bus driver for the Handicap children. We are hoping to relocate and have him find some kind of work at the same time.


Any information that anyone can help would be great.

I can be reached on my personal email at NYyankees5@aol.com


Thanks for all your help

Erin

 

[Kallison]

Last time I was in Florida it looked kind of crowded to me. Good luck with your move.

 

[Feralpeg]

I read an article today on the Osprey Lakes area of Orlando. It said that the folks living there pay $200 to $400 a month for water. Yikes! You might want to avoid that area. I am moving to Windermere in June. Windermere is about a ten minute drive to the Disney property. Some of the houses are very upscale, but there are other areas that are more reasonable. Other than Windermere, I don't know much about Florida. Good luck!

 

[gottaluvPluto]

I live in NWF (Pensacola) and I love it here. We don't have a state income tax, housing is affordable, great weather and some schools are good, depending on where you live.

I don't know how much you make a year, but most likely you will take a pay cut. Although, cost of living is cheaper. I know in my area they need school bus drivers, but they only make $16,000 a year. If you are a teacher you can start out at $26,500. I work as a social worker and most people in my field start out around $24,000.

I know if you move to the Jacksonville area it is easier to get a job and they pay better.

My kids are fighting -if you want more info let me know. gotta go.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I lived in southeast FL 15 years and just left this week. If you're looking for an area with a better cost of living, southeast FL is NOT the place to be! Expensive there.

 

[Disfan1]

Here's some links for Jacksonville-

City of Jacksonville website

Jacksonville Times-Union newspaper

I think the newspaper link also has info on job openings & real estate. Good luck- PM me if I can help any more.

 

[nyyankees5]

thanks for you input. We are aware that the cost of living is different in FL. That is one of the reasons we are moving. Since Sept 11 it has been very difficult to find work. My husband use to be a Financial Consultant and has not been able to find work since. That is why ne now drives a school bus. He need to change careers. But that is not his only job. He had 3., works around the clock. He also has his TLC licsence, and a CDL.

Does anyone know about Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Tampa?

Thank Again

Erin,
Nyyankees5@aol.com

 

[ca859093]

my vote is for Pinellas or Pasco county. Pasco is a growing area right now and you can find decent priced housing, you are also close to Tampa and the beaches. Pinellas is also nice but it is all ready grown. Has he looked into a company called Raymond James? He maybe able to work there. Good luck and if you have any questions let us know!

 

[nyyankees5]

Is it family oriented. Do you know how the schools are? Both Public or Catholic.

 

[Disney Doll]

My DSIL lives in a town called Barefoot Bay. It is about 1 1/2 hours slightly southeast of WDW, between Melbourne and Vero. She is near Sebastian as well, I believe, and near the Indian River. It seems like a nice friendly area, very laid back. I don't know about school systm etc, as that wasn't an issue for her since she has no children. The development she lives in is full of very friendly people, home prices are not outrageous, the weather is generally good, you have the benefit of being near water....Indian River is a huge, wide river. She's about a 30 minute drive to Melbourne and there is an airport there, she is about a 15-20 minute drive to Vero, and there is a lot of shopping there. Decent hospitals fairly close by. Like I said, all in all seems like a nice area.

 

[palmtreegirl]

The only advice I have so just do a TON of research before commiting to the move. We almost moved to Florida but after 3 trips down just to look at towns and houses we changed our mind. I thought I'd always wanted to move down there, dreamed about it but after really looking we just didn't find an area that we really loved.

The houses seemed smaller and the prices have really shot up in recent years and I really couldn't get use to the whole no basement thing, where would I put alkl my crap?

We were really convinced we wanted to move and had our hearts set on it for years so when we actually changed our mind we were shocked.

We ended up moving to PA instead(from NJ) and love it.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[tstobb]

SW Florida (Fort Myers/Cape Coral/Lehigh Acres) is the #8 growth spot in the country right now. Unfortunatly, our road system was built in the 30's to handle the traffic of the 60's and they're just no getting around to updating it so it is a commuters nightmare. Traffic doubles in the winter with the "snowbirds" that all seem to have their golf tee time or Dr appointments at the same time as everyone else is headed fro work and the early-bird specials all start at 4:30 in the afternoon.
That said, we moved here from NJ over 9 years ago and couldn't imagine ever going back.
Here's the link to the local newspaper: the Fort Myers News-Press - there's actually an article today about the shift from seasonal residents to year-round.

 

[Hootiss]

We live in SW FL also, I love it here. We are 2hrs from WDW, and 3hrs or less from all major cruise ports. My kids both attend public schools (k & 3rd) and love it. This area is booming right now and real estate is sky rocketing. Here is a link to our local paper www.sun-herald.com Check it out!!