DH and I had the same conversation earlier this year and I posted a similar thread on the boards. I got a ton of great advice and responses:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/reasons-to-say-no.3809118/
We actually did a month long rental in Kissimmee to test the waters and see how we like it. We’re only halfway through our stay now but I think we’re leaning towards staying in PA. Florida in January is absolutely AMAZING, and in an ideal world we would be snowbirds every winter. But in general we think we would miss our friends and family and the “culture” that we’re used to too much to make a permanent move.
A few things I’ve noticed are: the sun is so. so strong here. Even in January, the sun beams down on you and you’re instantly hot. We have gone on walks in the morning when the temperature is 65° and end up stripping off our jackets the moment we step into the sun. I can only imagine what that feels like in July. I’ve heard you just don’t go outside much in the summer- so it seems like a trade from not going outside in the winter the way we do now.
My family doesn’t really have an active lifestyle. We like to be outside but I don’t think we would take advantage of FL weather if we lived here permanently. We have been outside every day and loving it but I’m pushing everyone to use the pool every day / go to the playground / take long walks. I’m sure if there wasn’t a motivation to take advantage of it, we would be chilling in the air conditioning just like we do in PA.
I miss our “culture” at home. I guess I would get used to it here, but especially since there are always people from across the country coming to FL on vacation, you really get exposed to all different types of people and their strong opinions that can be very different depending on where you’re from. I got into an altercation with a woman at the community pool here because I am very cautious about COVID (and in my mind, rightfully so.) Her kids were literally touching me while we were at the pool and I asked her to distance them from my family. She told me that there’s just no way to make small children keep their distance and I shouldn’t be at a public pool if I’m so concerned about COVID. It really hurt my feelings and felt like she was disrespecting me in front of my kids. Later I reflected on it and realized that she might be from a state that doesn’t have a mask mandate at all, unlike me who has been wearing a mask since March. So yeah, I definitely miss being around “like-minded” people although I try to be open to different cultures and experiences.
Anyway, good luck to you!!! Hopefully you will make the best decision for your family.
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