does it suck to live in florida?

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chainsawbrewing

chainsawbrewing

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yeah, that's a pretty broad question, i know. i've been wanting to move down to florida for a bit now. i've been looking/researching various areas, mostly the tampa area, like st. pete, and also orlando area, and lastly the space coast, like around cocoa beach.

i like orlando because of the disney aspect, (yeah i'm a total disney nerd. can't help it) but i dislike the supposed high crime, and really bad traffic. i'm looking at the st pete/tampa area and the space coast/cocoa beach area becuase i'm thinking if i move down there, it would be silly not to live close to a beach/water. but every search i do online, searching about cost of living, crime, jobs, etc. around the central florida area all have dozens of posts from people supposedly living in florida begging people not to move there because it is such an awful place to live.

i've lived in central indiana, specifically indianapolis my whole life, so i don't have much to compare it to, but i just love the ocean, love the beach, love the heat, and palm trees, etc. and i HATE winter, hate snow, hate scraping my windshield, etc. and swmbo's and mines best friends just recently moved to orlando, and theres not really anything keeping us from moving down there.

i'm in transportation/logistics, specificly i've been an operations manager of a logistics/distribution/transportation/courier company here in indianapolis for quite awhile now, and would most likely stick in that field in florida, because it's what i know, and what i'm best at.

any local floridians got anything to add here? does living in central florida really suck?
 
I lived in the West Palm Beach area for 2 years....and hated nearly every minute of it... I liked the Cuban Food, and going down to the keys, and that was about it....

But there's the humidity, the bugs, the heat....

I found that the people were pretty mean, or at least selfish...Especially the Snowbirds.

Simple things that involved common decency seemed to fall by the wayside, like letting someone into traffic. Garrison Keilor once said that those who live in the North, or the Heartland are nicer people, becasue they have a common enemy, the Cold.

Living most of my life in Michigan, spending a couple years in Missouri, and spending time in the pacific northwest, seemed to bare this idea out.

Your car stalls, gets stuck in the snow during a blizzard, or something like that, and more than likely in Michigan or Missouri, someone would help you...When I lived in Florida, there were several incidents where people could help but didn't.

While I was starting my church there, I was working part time in retail....I actually came home crying a few times...I have never been treated like I was in the Radio Shack I worked in....Like I was less than a piece of gum on some snowbird's shoe....
 
I love Florida, and having lived near Orlando before I can say it's no worse than any other large city and is better than some other places I have lived. Having said that however, check the job market before coming down as things have slowed way down. If you can find a job housing prices have really tanked so you can find big houses for little dollars so that is also something to think about.

Remember it is HOT from mid April---mid November and that anytime you go back home you will freeze(even in the summer)
 
If you like Orlando but want a nice area close to Disney try Dr. Philips. It's about 10 minutes from Epcot. Winter Park is nice too albeit a bit farther from the mouse.
 
Bro-In-Laws wedding was June in Orlando and that changed my mind about FL (from WI). I headed west :p.
 
Revvy said:
I lived in the West Palm Beach area for 2 years....and hated nearly every minute of it... I liked the Cuban Food, and going down to the keys, and that was about it....

But there's the humidity, the bugs, the heat....

I found that the people were pretty mean, or at least selfish...Especially the Snowbirds.

Simple things that involved common decency seemed to fall by the wayside, like letting someone into traffic. Garrison Keilor once said that those who live in the North, or the Heartland are nicer people, becasue they have a common enemy, the Cold.

Living most of my life in Michigan, spending a couple years in Missouri, and spending time in the pacific northwest, seemed to bare this idea out.

Your car stalls, gets stuck in the snow during a blizzard, or something like that, and more than likely in Michigan or Missouri, someone would help you...When I lived in Florida, there were several incidents where people could help but didn't.

While I was starting my church there, I was working part time in retail....I actually came home crying a few times...I have never been treated like I was in the Radio Shack I worked in....Like I was less than a piece of gum on some snowbird's shoe....
Click to expand...



Remember, all those snowbirds are from the North.

It's great down here in the summer when all the mean, nasty, bad driving Northerner's aren't here.
I'm in retail and season is no fun when some old fart wants respect that they do not deserve.:mad:
 
Personally, I wouldn't want to live in Florida. Spent my honeymoon near Tampa. The water tastes funny and smells. Kinda fishy. And I just think palm trees are weird. Give me a great big maple any day.
Then there's hurricanes. I'll take a snowstorm over a hurricane.
 
niquejim said:
Remember, all those snowbirds are from the North.

It's great down here in the summer when all the mean, nasty, bad driving Northerner's aren't here.
I'm in retail and season is no fun when some old fart wants respect that they do not deserve.:mad:
Click to expand...

Imagine the economy down there without snowbirds from the north...

That being said give it back to the old fart next time he acts up. Sometimes we need to be put in our place.
 
Beaches & ocean temp rock though in FL. So Cal may have a nicer view from the ocean but freezing you're butt off while at the beach sux.
 
I have a big. Client in jacksonville. You might like that a lot... Jacksonville has the beach but is far enough north to avoid hurricanes. It's also far enough north to avoidthe scorching hotness you get in the south as well as get some frost on your windshield in the winter. Nice people. Good economy.

Only a couple of hours drive from savannah, ga.

And only about 3 hours to Orlando.
 
I don't live in FL, but all of my closest friends moved to St.Augustine,FL (Northern Costal) close to Jacksonville. They've lived there roughly 8 years. Supposedly it kicks ass, however after roughly 2 years you don't give a **** about the beach anymore.

Central Florida? I have actual family there, reminds me of every other backwoods country place i've been in the south except hotter, smellier, and generally crappier.

For myself i've considered living in FL, but if I do, only for a few years and definately on the coast.
 
Listen, I grew up in the Tampa Bay area. I have lived away for about 6 years, and now I am back. This place is great, thats all I can tell you. You should move if your interested, and if you don't like it you can go somewhere else. Don't listen to these people who complain about the humidity, and especially the hurricanes. Seriously? Hurricanes?

Personally I would avoid California for the Earthquakes, The midwest for Tornadoes and the northeast for the snowstorms...................

Good logic huh? PFFFFFFFFFFF I say.

Try it out I say, I'm leaving one day to who knows where. It's not like your considering moving to Downtown Detroit........
 
I grew up in South Florida - 2 hours south of Orlando - and lived there 22 years. When I was able I moved out and have no intentions of ever moving back. Part of my dislike for the state stems from the dramatic shift in the culture from so many people moving down. That, and I got tired of being hot all the time.

Things I don't miss about Florida:
- Very slight changes between seasons. I've seen it 95 degrees on Christmas day before
- HIGH property taxes and insurance rates
- The tourist season = great for the economy, sucks for the locals
- Lovebugs.
- Retirees

I do miss the swamps and the rural landscapes, the afternoon thunderstorms in the summer and the ranch I grew up on. However, so much has been developed in the past 10 years that a lot of those places have changed.

Good luck with your decision.
 
About 50 miles south of Tampa is Sarasota county, Very nice area. I lived there for about 20 yrs. Reasonable cost of living, and beaches, entertainment. But, yes it is hot all the time. Not as hot as Indiana surprisingly. It only gets up into the low nineties on the gulf coast. But it stays at 90 degrees for about 9 months.

Forgive me anyone who disagrees, but Orlando is a slum that was built in the middle of nowhere. It gets much hotter in the middle of the state. Why would you want to live in the middle of Florida.

My 2c.

Good luck.
 
Florida is great to visit for a couple of days, but you couldn't pay me enough to live there. Why?
1. I love four seasons
2. I despise strip malls.
3. The snowbirds can't drive (and my mom is one)
4. Too flat, too hot

I love the beach, but not when I'm sweating my rear off.
My brother went to college in St. Pete in 89 and hasn't moved back. My folks went down to Venice in 1994. Me, I moved from NC back to New England just because I'm a New Englander to the core.

However, it is cool that, last I knew, it was legal to drive a hood-less car in Fla.
 
Born in Orlando, lived in St. Pete, granparents had a house on Indian River in Melbourne. I moved when I was a kid and now would love to get back. My wife and kids are Disney freaks (yes freaks) we go down every year. California is a lot closer, but I like Florida mush better. Hot, humid, bugs, hurricanes I will trade the sand and dry for that anyday. I like the east coast the best, near Melbourne, Disney is only about and hour and a few tolls away.
 
Just don't move to Miami! Crowded, expensive, full of rude immigrants that don't speak a word of English (or care to learn), and expensive!

If you move to anywhere above Orlando (out of the big cities), it is quite nice, and fairly cheap to live. I live in Gainesville now and one of the best parts is that it is central to most everything - 45 minutes to an hour from either coast, 1.5 hours to Jacksonville or Orlando, and is a pretty laid back college town.

Tampa, Orlando, St. Pete, Jax and all that are nice, but really crowded. Move inland a bit and save some money on property taxes and cost of living. The beach rocks, but once you've been there for so long it is nothing special.
 
My dad used to work in tampa and he lived on a 3 bedroom boat in bradenton...he siad he loved it. I went in December once and its was awesme. A nice 6-70 with a breeze. But i have not been there during the summer...95+!!!! :(
 
I lived in the Pan Handle for a year. There are only two seasons: Really ****ing Hot and Humid and Slightly Less Hot and Humid.

There are no hills. I thought i saw one once but it turned out to just be a distortion in the rear view mirror.

The 'good' drivers of Florida must live elsewhere as i was constantly in fear for my life.

The coast was very touristy, inland was very red neck.

The beach was alright though. And there were some ok places to go hiking.

It wasn't the worst place ive lived, but i dont plan on going back.
 
Yeah I 2nd the no Miami thing, I grew up in Arkansas and now am living in Miami, I've been here for 11 years and I can't wait to get the heck out of town. I want to go back north where everyone is at least somewhat decent. I would consider Jacksonville though people are pretty cool there.

Biggest complains about being this far south

No good LHBS
No seasons
Horrible drivers
Complete lack of the english language
Did I mention there aren't any homebrew shops down here?
The beach is great for about a year and then you get tired of it, I live 20 minutes from the beach and I haven't been in 2 years.
 
wow. thanks for all the responses guys. really, it seems like most of the "negatives" i'm seeing, are not really negatives, as much as they are difference in opinions.

such as "no seasons". F@CK seasons! i WANT to grill cheesburgers shirtless, in flip flops by the pool on christmas day. SNOW SUCKS!!! :D

as far as tourists go, i grew up in a tourist area. a SMALL tourist area, but still a tourist area, nonetheless. you can get pissed off by tourists, or you can use it to your advantage. i'm a rather resourcefull fellow, and i'm not above selling overpriced crap to tourists.

getting tired of the beach/ocean? i can't speak with certainty, but wow, i don't know how that could ever happen. sitting on the beach, with a cold brew, smoking a nice stogie, kicked back in a lawn chair, watching all the girls stroll by in ther teeny weenie bikini's, i think if i could get a big enough cooler, i'd probably sit in that chair untill my @ss wore a hole in it, and ifell through the bottom of it.

plus, the big one here i guess, is that i would really like to get more into a business that faces the public, maybe like bartending in a busy little beach bar, something like that, and what better place to get a job where you are constantly meeting a new, interesting, ever changing, (and yes sometimes mean) people on a daily basis, than the tourist capital of the world?

edit* and HOLY CRAP, air pirate has a don carnage avatar!
 
chainsawbrewing said:
wow. thanks for all the responses guys. really, it seems like most of the "negatives" i'm seeing, are not really negatives, as much as they are difference in opinions.

such as "no seasons". F@CK seasons! i WANT to grill cheesburgers shirtless, in flip flops by the pool on christmas day. SNOW SUCKS!!! :D

as far as tourists go, i grew up in a tourist area. a SMALL tourist area, but still a tourist area, nonetheless. you can get pissed off by tourists, or you can use it to your advantage. i'm a rather resourcefull fellow, and i'm not above selling overpriced crap to tourists.

getting tired of the beach/ocean? i can't speak with certainty, but wow, i don't know how that could ever happen. sitting on the beach, with a cold brew, smoking a nice stogie, kicked back in a lawn chair, watching all the girls stroll by in ther teeny weenie bikini's, i think if i could get a big enough cooler, i'd probably sit in that chair untill my @ss wore a hole in it, and ifell through the bottom of it.

plus, the big one here i guess, is that i would really like to get more into a business that faces the public, maybe like bartending in a busy little beach bar, something like that, and what better place to get a job where you are constantly meeting a new, interesting, ever changing, (and yes sometimes mean) people on a daily basis, than the tourist capital of the world?

edit* and HOLY CRAP, air pirate has a don carnage avatar!
Click to expand...

We are looking to move to the Cocoa area in about 4 years. We have relatives there and we visit once or twice a year. I like that area because it is still somewhat rural but you can still get to Orlando or the beach quickly. If you like to fish at all it seems to be a great area, I'm looking forward to boating on the Indian River. For some reason this area doesn't get hit bad with hurricanes, my family and friends down there have never left their homes or had any serious damage from a hurricane.
 
Ultimately you're best served no matter where you think you want to live by experiencing the worst it has to offer. If you want to focus on weather which many do, go to the Twin Cities in January for a week, the Pacific NW in Nov/Dec or go to FL or AZ in July or Aug. Drive the areas and look around without rose covered glasses too. The positives dull with time but the negatives typically stay. The rest can be figured out online (housing/jobs/cost of living).
One mans paradise is another mans nightmare :mug:
 
chainsawbrewing said:
wow. thanks for all the responses guys. really, it seems like most of the "negatives" i'm seeing, are not really negatives, as much as they are difference in opinions.

such as "no seasons". F@CK seasons! i WANT to grill cheesburgers shirtless, in flip flops by the pool on christmas day. SNOW SUCKS!!! :D
Click to expand...


Did a turkey on the grill (in sandals, shorts and a tee shirt) last year:ban:, while the kids were swimming:D

Don't let them kid you there are 2 distinct seasons here, Wet(summer) and Dry(winter)
 
I lived in Florida for 28 years before moving to Texas. Like others have already said you have the heat, humdity, and bugs. Also a very high cost of living, rude a-holes, and cheap snowbirds druuing the winter months. A hous will cost you not only an arm and a leg but a kidney and a liver also. The traffic sucks and your car will either have dents and scratches all over it or it will rust out or both. And finally your employer will pay you less than you are work in anyother state ( same job in Texas pays $5/hr more than in Florida). I personally think of Florida as a nice place to visit but I will never live there again.
 
DesertBrew said:
One mans paradise is another mans nightmare :mug:
Click to expand...
+1
Year round in florida would be a nightmare for me. I wouldn't even consider FL for a winter home.

Cleveland is a little heavy on the winter snow, but otherwise not a bad place to live. Boston area was nice also. I particularly don't do well with summer heat and don't mind cold so a temperate climate suits me best. And weather does matter because I like to be outside. I'm a year round bicycle commuter for one.

For the OP sounds like you should move. What others consider negatives you see as positive.

Craig
 
chainsawbrewing said:
... and also orlando area, and lastly the space coast, like around cocoa beach
Click to expand...

Orlando? Hmm ... well ... I dk. Do you research again when it comes crime, etc. Space Coast? I live here. Oh well... Cocoa is trailer park, Cocoa Beach is close to a trailer park, just at the beach. Depends what job you are into... hard times are coming with KSC loosing a lot of jobs and construction ind. still down. Crime? Could be worse, but plenty in Northern Brevard and Southern Palm Bay area. Roads in BRevard are horrible everywhere. They are in the process of getting improved and expanded but its still far from anything decent. etc etc etc ... could go on and on. :) I hope to get out of Florida in the near future (next 2-4 years) or at least move to the Gulf
 
I've been here for 28 years minus a tour in the Air Force (Texas and Central California) and a two year stint in Minneapolis in '87-'88. It is hot, it is humid, there are a ton of tourists, and rude transplants from all over to compliment the rude natives who hate the transplants, but another thing it is - home. I have travelled extensively and I really like a lot of other places I've been, but I would not trade the hurricanes, lovebugs, tourists and tediously monotone heat and humidity for anywhere else. The best beaches I have ever seen are a half hour drive away, we have competitive pro sports franchises, world class concert venues, no state income tax, great fishing, year round golf - the list goes on. It's not for everyone, but based on the crowds at the Bucs and Rays games there's a whole bunch of transplants who may ***** about all the bad parts but stay here anyway. If you don't like it - leave, just come back and spend your money for vacation.
 
FL 15+ years (?) ago was the land of inexpensive housing and low property taxes and a big reason for the migration but that is a no-moh. Problem is their wages haven't increased proportionately to cost of living like a CA. AZ is similar except for the property taxes are still pretty low around here. Both housing markets sux now but inflated exponentially beyond their true worth.
 
. Both housing markets sux now but inflated exponentially beyond their true worth.
Click to expand...

So true- My pops said if someone offered 500K for his house hed sold it long ago. However he'd be lucky to get 190 in this market.

He still gets Taxed on 500K, which is convenient
 
Whatever you do, remember that the Carolinas suck bad, and be sure to tell everyone else that too. Florida rocks, go for it!
 
cclloyd said:
what's the matter ma2? - don't like the halfback invasion??
Click to expand...

I'm amazed there's anyone left in Brooklyn or Queens at all. It seems like they all sold out up there and moved to NC

( I have to admit, though, that I don't get the "halfback" reference...)
 

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