I'm a native FL... Born and raised in Miami for 19yrs, lived in Broward till 22 and Kissimmee till now.
And as many people have said, they haven't lived here all their life.
Part of the reason why I say don't go to the SE side of the state, one living expenses are really high down there. Two, if they're looking for long term... rest of their life house, being that far south isn't a good idea. Eventually things will get terrible, and the neighborhood will go down. Slowly but surely, it's creeping up the state. I refuse to drive through my old neighborhood, as I tell people "it's better remembered than what it is". So give or take 15-20yrs down the road, that great family friendly neighborhood isn't going to be so great. And once the OP's kids are grown, it's not going to be a desirable place for them to want to live.
Hurricanes are a way of life. Very predictable (for the most part) unlike tornadoes and earthquakes. So you can definatly prepare for them. But hurricanes like to cause flooding, and flood insurance is a seperate policy. And today, we had a bad thunderstorm come across the state, causing tornado warnings about every hour in different areas. And you have to be prepared for loosing power for weeks at a time. Or your street getting flooded out from a heavy downpour.
There's always a retention pond near developements. So living on a "lake" is not that great. And increases your risk of the lake flooding, causing the sewer drains to back up, and you get to watch the water nearly creep up to your doorstep.
Another thing about SE FL, insurance rates, they are sky rocket high. Just the move from Miami to Orlando cut car insurance in half.
Older neighborhoods have some good sides to them here in Orlando... like Winter Park and Maitland. Clermont has some good sides to it, a little more open and rural but not too far out. The closer your are to Disney, the more business rely upon tourism. Because, even if they don't cater to the tourism crowd, they rely upon the workers, and worker's hours are based on tourist dollars. So a nice circle in peak times, bad circle in low times.
Lots of ups and down to living here. If you want to be close to the theme parks think about getting a second residence for "summer" living.
