What are the PROS and CONS of living in Florida? Would you live there or move out..

[*Fantasia*]

ChristmasElf...No NO NO...don't try to post shorter! I like to hear as much there is for you and everyone to share! This is great! Hearing everyone's experience helps me to think of a lot of things to consider. There's plenty of branches there in Orlando and it's area where I can be transfered. I thought Hunter's Creek is better and the schooling there are much better, but it's not? Thanks for the infos as to where and what not. PLEASE POST LONGER! And thanks for the heads up!

Hi Safteymom, I thought maybe it is a good time to move down there while the kids are small. And at that age, they can easily make new friends. It won't hurt them to much. If I wait until they are in the middle school, that would be kind of hard for them.
You're lucky your kids are out of high school. Maybe I should have mentally prepared myself for this, so now I feel like I am rushed to move. I don't want to go through another winter and I have to move down there before the school starts. Thank you Safteymom for sharing your experience and your advice.

Hi gshoemate, please keep replying...PLEASE ADD MORE!
I know what you mean about letting my family know about this move so they can prepare themselves and so they can spend more time with the kids before we head out there (that is we are actually going to do it and things work out). I don't even know how to begin telling them. Thanks for making me feel better about the lightning there. I will look for the cues so I can prepare myself when the thunderstorm comes. I'm not sure which branch I will be at, but I am not too worried cause there's a lot of them in Orlando and it's area.. Thank you for all the infos.

Hi Pin Wizard, I would think the people in the Orlando area would be nice cause it's the tourist spot and they want business and repeat customers. Good luck with selling your house. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Hi PatriciaH, you mentioned you didn't like Hunter's Creek, what is it that you didn't like about that city? Thanks for listing all the pros and cons, this helps me greatly. Thanks for taking your time sharing me all this infos and your experience.

All of you guys have been a tremendous help! Thank you so much for taking time to read my post and understand my situation. You guys are the best! And yes, I will need to talk to my family about this moving. But getting all this great infos and advices and sharing your experience is definitely helping me. ANYMORE INFOS YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO ADD PLEASE...DO SO! THANK YOU SO MUCH!


Telly

 

[*Fantasia*]

no personal property taxes (car taxes, etc)

I am not sure exactly what this means. So if I want to buy a new car, they will not tax me? What else are not taxable?

 

[kadaten]

Originally posted by *Fantasia*
I am not sure exactly what this means. So if I want to buy a new car, they will not tax me? What else are not taxable?

In many states you pay a personal property tax on your vehicles every year when you get your registration and/or new license plates and/or stickers. It's usually quite a bit, and is a percentage of the value of your car.

In FL, you only pay the registration fee, which is nominal, and is only based on vehicle size. For instance, we pay about $45 on my DH's Honda Civic and about $65 on my minivan each year. (For comparison, my mom in SC pays a personal property tax (car tax) of 10.5% of the current market value of her car, every year, on top of the $25 registration fee.) Not sure if they have this where you are, but if they do, it can be a signifcant savings.

 

[safetymom]

Fantasia, it is good that you are thinking of moving before they start school. My kids were older when their Dad died. I debated for a couple of years and by then I thought I should wait until they graduated so that was a few more years. Not saying that everyone should do that. It just worked for us.

I too decided I didn't like winters anymore. It is so nice to be able to have your windows open in Feb. and March instead of worrying how much snow you are going to get.

 

[PatriciaH]

The apartments were nice in Hunter's Creek but more expensive that what we are paying here north of Boston. Celebration was about the same. I felt like there were very busy roads going right through Hunters Creek-it did not "feel" nice and homey to me. The homes were pretty nice but we just liked Celebration better. I am from a town in Queens, NY where the homes are all close together and you can walk everywhere. I guess Celebration reminded me of home I liked the fact we could walk or ride a bike downtown. We saw a lot of people walking. I HATE to drive and love the fact I can walk to the post office, bank, sandwich shop and convienence store from my home. I guess that comes from growing up in NY and taking public transportation everywhere. I did not get my drivers license until I was 25! I take the bus to work here. That is one thing that makes me nervous about moving to Fla. My sister is going through the same thing in Phoenix, Az. She does not drive and public transportaion stinks there. She will probably be moving back to NY or Boston soon. They wanted to give Phoenix a try since her boyfriend grew up there but it is a culture shock for her after growing up in NY. "Everything closes at 8pm!" she said to me-hahahah I warned her.

 

[BarryHom]

Pros:
No snow!
You can bask in 70 degree weather while your friends and family up north are in a blizzard
No state taxes
Theme parks are open year round

Cons:
Hot in summer (although not as hot as Missouri in July!)
Cedar Point is in Ohio

I've lived in Florida nearly all my life and I wouldn't want to move out of the state for anything. I don't want to drive through snow!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Originally posted by WebmasterBarry
Hot in summer (although not as hot as Missouri in July!)

HA! I feel better now!

 

[Paula H]

I've been reading this thread for a couple of days, since my family is considering a move to FL. We're positively sick of high taxes and snow!! Thanks everyone for all the great info. Any idea what job pay is compared to NE? 50% less? 25% less? Maybe there's a website somewhere with that kind of info.

 

[BarryHom]

Hard to believe, but Missouri was a lot hotter than Florida in July, believe it or not. It hit 106 degrees while I was there. Florida was like 95! I joked with my friends that I was going back to Florida to cool off.

 

[msdis]

We have been debating the move also and are having a real hard time with it. We don't have kids but have pets and we almost think that makes it worse since you can train a child not to touch harmful bugs, snakes, spiders,etc, but dogs and cats do what is instinctive to them. We live in a state with one of the lowest wages and highest taxes but we are in long term jobs, and no transfer possibilities, our wages look really good as we know we will be destined to start over somewhere with a lot less money and benefits. We don't mind the heat but hate the snow and cold too. We had been researching for forever and now we realize we missed the housing opportunity since real estate is soaring in Fl and does not look cheaper any more. With all the influx of new residents we have also been heavily warned about the traffic problems that is just getting worse, and the crime also. We have family too we would miss. I think if we just did it in a year or 2 when we are settled we would be glad we did it but from where we are sitting we see everything we have to lose and only the nice weather to gain. If it wasn't for the nice weather we more than likely wouldn't even consider it as there really are a lot of negatives. Good luck in your decision Telly as only you can decide what is best for you and your children. You sound as torn as we are. We have searched for answers from anyone who lives in or knows Florida searching for the right answers. Our greatest problem in moving is that we know if we leave we can never come back. DH has a job that is limited and if he leaves there will be no job in this whole state to come back to so we are done. And the state with the most opportunity for him is Fl. Kinda strange that if we didn't like it we almost would be stuck there. We have made list after list of the pros and cons. We even put a value on it from 1-10 and tallied up the score. FL won but for some reason we are still here.
BTW-I hate lightening too and FL sure does have a lot.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by PatriciaH
"Everything closes at 8pm!" she said to me-hahahah I warned her.

Welcome to Florida! I felt that exact way when we moved here from NJ. Just about the only thing to do on a Sunday night is go bowling or see a movie. And things close early!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by kadaten
In FL, you only pay the registration fee, which is nominal, and is only based on vehicle size. For instance, we pay about $45 on my DH's Honda Civic and about $65 on my minivan each year.

I have to go re-register my car tomorrow. It also depends which type of plate you have for your car. The standard FL plate is less than the rest. My fee is $73.70. Not quite nominal in my book.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by capegirl
Our biggest concern would be the crime rate, followed by our ability to survive the brutal Florida summers. People tell me that you eventually become "climatized"....is this really true?

Like all states, it depends where you live. I wouldn't live in one of the major cities of Florida. Some people do. They know which areas to stay clear of. I'm not comfortable with that.

Yes, you become "climatized." LOL! My first summer here was HOT!!!!!!!! After that it was fine. You hear them say on the radio that it's 90 degrees or 92 degrees outside, but it doesn't feel that hot. Of course, I'm not sitting on the beach in those temperatures either! LOL! Sometimes it's just too hot to go out, but running from a building to your car is okay.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by *Fantasia*
Yes...I thought living in an apartment is a good thing cause if it doesn't work out, when the least is up, then we just won't renew it and move back in Michigan. I would surely hate to buy a house and come to find out, we need to sell it right away. I don't want anymore headaches. AAAAAAHHHH!!

This was me on my last move! Nine years ago I moved from FL to Northeast VA. I got there, sat among the boxes, and CRIED! I called my boss in FL and asked if I could get my job back! YUP! Within 3 weeks I moved back. LOL! Here it is nine years later, and I'm moving to a different area. I actually had lunch with that former boss a month or so ago. She asked me...what's different? What makes me think I won't run back this time? Ummmmmmmmmm...number one? I don't have a job to come back to!! I left my job with her over 18 months ago to go back to school. So this time I'm leaving for good. Plus I'll be closer to my sister. Although I wouldn't want to live too close to her, it will be nice to be able to visit on weekends every now and then.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Hi Telly!

The schools in Hunters Creek are good, actually some of the better ones in all of Orange County.

Hunters Creek is actually a very large subdivison in Unincorporated Orange County. Your mailing address will be Orlando.
As far as a homey feel, the 2 major thoroughfares are John Young and South OBT. The rest of the roads are little feeder roads to the individual subs.

With all do respect, I will have to disagree with the poster that said Celebration was cheaper to live in. NOT TRUE. The rents in Celebration are some of the highest in this whole area. If you were to ever want to buy a house in Celebration, most of the lots are zero lot line, (which means you would not have to leave your kitchen to borrow a cup of sugar!) and the lots are very tightly squeezed together.
When Celebration was still in the trailor stages, *1996* we cruised through the trailor, looked at all the ideas and home plans they offered at the time, and decided we could get more for our money in Hunters Creek or Windermere/Dr. Philips areas.
A couple years ago, we went over to re-check out the new sections they had added/
A fairly small sized lot-just the lot was $298,000!!!! Just the lot. Add in the $400,000 plus house, (2700 sq. ft) and HOLY COW that's downright ridiculous!!!
(We have 4200 feet, a huge yard with a pool, and paid $4 something total.)

Celebration-great to walk through, shop at some of the little stores, they have a couple of cute festivals during the fall and Christmastime, but that's it. IMHO not worth the ridiculous prices they want to live there.

You know, you drive out of Celebration and you are right smack in the middle of 192. Outlet mall, Tshirt stand, citrus stands, tourist, tourist, touristville!!!

Paula H It seems as though salaries differ according top the job. For instance, teachers in Florida make on average $22-26K a year to start, when one of my friends left Orlando (DH was transferred) she started teaching in PA at $54K per year-she had a little more than doubled her income! Another friend makes a tad over $110k here, and could make $130k in the Northeast doing the same thing or similar. But the taxes are lower here. and the weather is nicer, etc.

As far as the poster that mentioned crime, there is crime all over. I don't think Florida has a monopoly on crime. There are areas that you don't live in that's all.
Detroit has crime. So people live in Ann Arbor or Plymouth.
Dallas has crime. So live in McKinney. Boston has crime. So live in N Andover. It's the same all over.

My last point- when you buy a car or lease a car in Florida you do pay sales tax. 7% now. Thats it. then each year on your birthdate, you re-register your tags.

Speaking of transportation, if you were to ever need the bus, Lynx is the name of the bus system here. I think the route sites can be found at www.lynx.com

Hope all this helps!!

ChristmasElf

 

[ChristmasElf]

OOPS! the correct link for the bus is www.golynx.com

Elf

 

[*Fantasia*]

Wow ChristmasElf!! Those are great infos!! I am thinking of Hunter's Creek just because I hear they have a better school system and it seems like it's a better place to be at. Of course my mind is open to other areas in Orlando. If the apartment rate is priced right and the area is nice and the school is good, then that's where I want to abe. I understand about the crime can take place anywhere. But I guess if the area is safer than the other, of course I would like to be in a more safer area. Detroit is bad, so I don't live in Detroit. I live in the suburb where I know I can walk outside at night by myself and not get overly scared that someone is out there to get me. You know what I mean, don't you?

Thanks Pin-Wizard for sharing your experience. I really want to try Florida and I hope I won't fail Florida or Florida to fail me. I surely would hate to call my boss after a few months and ask to see if I can go back home and work there again.

Hi msdis...I know what you mean about leaving the family behind and all you gain is a nice weather. Before I let my in-laws know about the moving, I want to make sure that I am moving there (enroll kids in school and got an apartment there..) cause I hate to see them cry and then I can't move or decide not to even move at all. That would be a waste of tears they shed.

Thanks Kadaten for clearing that up regarding about personal tax.

Lots of great infos here!! I am definitely gaining more and more infos. YOu guys are awesome!! If there is anymore there is for me to know about Florida/Orlando or advice or tips and thoughts please just share them. All of you guys are very much appreciated! You guys are just AWESOME!!

Thank you!!
Telly
Thirsty for more!!

 

[arminnie]

I've moved a lot of times over the years so here are some of my tips for getting established in a new area.

It's important to make new friends and that can take time. Join every possible organization that you can - you don't have to stay active but the odds are that you will find one or two places that really click.

Church groups can be great - and since you have children you might look into the group activities for them where you can meet other parents.

Get a cell phone with unlimited long distance in the evening or one of those plans with unlimited LD for $20 a month or something like that. You are going to want to keep in touch with your family and it would be great to call a lot. That will help keep them involved with your children. They won't miss you so much if you talk to them everyday!

If you are all all interested in politics both parties will be looking for volunteers this fall. It can be a nice way to meet some people who share your views.

Moving is difficult and expensive. Start right now paring down to what you really need to have. Sometimes it can be cheaper to purchase something new than to pay to move it if it is a heavy object and you are paying by the pound to move.

Have a big garage sale BEFORE you move - that will help you get rid of stuff and make some extra money to pay for the move.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[katerkat]

I've been reading along - DH is military and we've decided we're going to try for MacDill in Tampa next. After being in Mississippi for two wonderfully warm winters, we'd like to stay south! I'm very interested in the pros.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

This has been a very "good reading" thread.

We are also moving to Florida in 3 years. We will be retired and 51+52 in 3 years. Our daughter is 17 and a high school Jr now but she plans on going to college in Florida(possibly Florida Atlantic or UCF) in 2005.

My sister just moved to Wellington in West Palm Beach 4 months ago (from Pittsburgh) because of her job. Her family loves it there.
So we will at least have some family down there already.

We are also sick of the Ohio winters

,snow,road conditions,etc. We are looking at a few areas and right now are top 3 areas are..........

1.Sebastian-Vero Beach- 1hr from WPB and sister
2.Orlando-Hunters Creek and Bellalago area(UCF)
3.Melbourne-cousins live there

We don't have to worry about schools,jobs,etc so we just have to pick one of the above areas we like the most. We can't wait to get down to Florida.................notice my title under my username.


Good luck in your decision Fantasia!