Where are all the Floridians going? (Lakeland, Vero Beach: environment, relocation, insurance)

[Edvard]

Yes, that's how it is done.
The only major difference is that the huge profits from opening trailer parks is gone. That used to be a huge money maker with minimal headaches.

[h0mebody]

I have lived in Pinellas county since 1978. I have seen it go to a beautiful place to live to one of the most overly populated areas around. Pinellas county is 14 miles wide and 27 miles long, We now have almost a million people living in this area. Not including our snow birds which are now coming back. My family (my mom, sisters) are currently sellilng out and moving to Alabama (Huntville area)
They all have stated that Paradise is not always the best place to live. I don't think I have been to a beach in 2 years. There is no parking, to many people or you have to stare at a high rise, Clearwater beach is just for tourist now,

The school system is a mess, if you move here we have a system called choice. This means you pick a school out of the entire county where you want to go to school, no more neighborhood school, if you move into the county your kids could go to a school over a hour a way on the bus because the close school has no vanancy.

I personally can not move because of my husbands job, but I would in a heart beat. My taxes are about 4000 per year for a 1900 sq ft. and insurance is about the same. If we wanted to down size
we couldnt afford to because the taxes are higher if you sell and move and honestly I dont know if we could keep our insurance co. I think the only one you can get now is citizens which is state run.

Its not much of any one thing that is causing people to leave other than the cost of living, and over population in the areas where they live. People just cannot enjoy the area as they once did, the lazy beach retirement area is now gone.

We are a very high paced on the run comminity, I dont think there is any parcel of land left in our county to buy and if there is it is overpriced. The price of a 1300 sq ft home in some what ok neighborhood is about $200.
So if you wanted to buy a home and you are lower income forget it.

That is why one of my sisters left, she made around 50 a year but could not find a home in a good neighborhood she could afford to buy.

If your on a fixed income forget it unless you own and get a part time job.
like my mom. and what kind of retirement is that....

[jcao111]

I hope to move to FL one day soon. I've a house in Venice Garden, 3 miles from the beach. I'm not living there right now but one day soon. I've to say this, Florida is not for everyone. If you like beaches, natural wonders, and endless salt water adventures, then it's for you, if you can afford it. People complains about hurricains and lalalala......well, at least hurricains give warnings unlike earthquakes and wild fires in California. Actually, there are earthquakes in TN also. I grew up in TN and........well, it's TN. Cheap? yes it is. If I can't be near the water, I may as well move to TN and live on a hill. There's nothing watching the sunset over the gulf of Mexico. Ahhh....water just cleans the soul.

[tallrick]

I think it would be nice to make a database of all the positive and negative aspect in each state where Floridians have gone. Compare things like income, expenses, taxes, natural disasters, and so on. This site has a lot of comments on different states, but a master list would be nice. My ideal state would have no property tax, no mass migration, and as few rules as possible. Plenty of rain, lots of open space , and no gated communities, or zoning restrictions. Kind of like the old west but without the heat and lack of water. Too bad no such place exists anywhere on earth anymore.

[contracheck]

Originally Posted by chisoxfan

In South Florida, people (especially those closing in on retirement) have always left for the mountains of western North Carolina and northern Georgia. Now,Tennessee (the eastern mountains and Cumberland Plateau) seems to be the hot new destination. Reasons for leaving are hurricanes, high housing prices and property taxes, skyrocketing windstorm insurance premiums ($5,000-$10,000 a year isn't uncommon), and, in South Florida, steep increases in the cost of electricity. Even the best public schools don't rise above mediocrity, giving families with children an additional reason to leave. Salaries aren't keeping up with the cost of living. The state Legislature's power base is in bed with the insurance and utility industries; local officials are beholden to high-end developers; and the middle class is paying for it. It's too bad, because South Florida has much going for it -- beaches, outdoor activities, great restaurants, pro sports and an evolving cultural scene, just to name a few advantages. You just have to ask yourself if it's worth it. My wife and I hanging in for now -- and eagerly anticipating the day we can retire to North Carolina.

Totally well said !!!!!!!!!!! I agree with all you say .... I lived in Sarasota for 8 years until Sept. 2005 .. I HAD to sell my condo because 32 job interviewers in 8 years' time are still "getting back to me" !!!? I am a female legal professional with solid experience with a well reputed and established DC Law firm and have written employer references that I dare anyone to match ... all of the foregoing worked to my d e f e a t for 8 years because Florida employers have a real problem with hiring people who are "threatening" (?) like that - so if you want to find a job in Sarasota - rewrite your resume to make you out a little more than a dunce - wear ugly clothes to interviews and only speak when spoken to ... do otherwise and you can yourself at each interview you are able to obtain ... one woman interviewer actually told me that the last thing she needed was a smart pretty lady like me working in her company where her husband was constantly "exposed" to me ... isn't this called "discrimination" or something like that ???

[MyHomeIsInOcala]

We will be going back to GA...

Equal or better well paying jobs in our professions, Lower Taxes, Lower Home and Auto Insurance and Beautiful weather.

It is all about the $$$ we are counting down 36 months to go!

[Don#1]

Originally Posted by macguy

It is primarily continuity. I grew up in South Florida and it was at one time almost a small town environment. We had things in common, our mothers knew each other and families had things in common. That is long gone now. I honestly do not know a person in my neighborhood, privacy fences are the norm and people like it that way. People from other cultures come here and want to be with their own kind themselves. As they become the majority, as one of the more original residents we just feel squeezed out, what can I say.

I honestly do not resent it at all, that is how things and life evolves and is as it should be. You are wrong though about it is the same everywhere, It isn't. I have been plenty of places where that continuity still exists and people are more kind. I am looking at a property now and called the original owner to get some better information on the property. This is a small town, 800 people and his family has been there for generations and I noticed a couple of roads in town with their name on them.

He talked to me for like an hour and said when I came up there to take a good look at the property he would show it to me himself even though he wasn't any longer the owner. He wanted to show the things they had done special since he had built the place himself and was very proud of it. I called the local property appraisers office to get some info and found myself talking to a lady who was familiar with the property herself since she lived not far from it and told me all about the shopping and what I may need to know if I moved there.

Again I was invited to stop by and see her when I got there and she would help my wife and I out with what ever we needed since we would be neighbors so to speak. In speaking with a local realtor I learned he was a minister in town and was invited to stay at his house while visiting and he would show us what ever we need to see. These kind of people are so far from what I am used to in dealing with in South Florida I might just as well have been talking to someone from another planet. NO it is not like South Florida everywhere else, there are places where people are still nice are not just the exception.

I agree totally with Macguy... I have lived in So. Fla since the mid-50's
and it was a different ball game.

Time has taken it's toll. Different cultures want to stay different.

If you are from the islands, you behave and drive like you are still in the islands.

Bringing a meal to new neighbors (like the welcome wagon) is viewed with
disdain and suspicion!

My wife is Southern and offering a meal is Southern hospitality. But the
rejection of that gesture was shocking to her.

I will not only blame the Hispanics, I will also blame the New Yorkers
and the islanders for not embracing our cultural traditions. I could go
on with a myriad of examples, but you get the picture.

My wife and I will be leaving festering South Broward county for a more
tranquil environment in 594 days! House already purchased awaiting our arrival.

Destination: A secret, but it IS on THIS planet, but NOT this state.

For those of you who must remain, or are planning on moving in...
We pray the best for you.

[Saule]

We are moving from Melbourne, FL to Fort Mill, SC. I love Florida, but life is too short to be stuck in the same place. I'm very exited about this move. So many people to see, so many places to go

[tylerdurden]

Somewhere that a young married couple with with no kids and college degrees earning a good income can actually afford to buy a house and not spend 75% of their income on a mortgage. I didn't go to college and get a good job to still be roughing it. I used to love FL and have lived in the panhandle my whole life, but I am looking to get out now. If we can't afford it I don't see how the average family of 4 will be able to survive in this state now.

Nothing is guaranteed in life and you have to fight to get everything and take nothing for granted. Florida used to be a cheap place to live, no more. So I am looking to better my future somewhere else.

[chrisonja]

Hello... Sonja here. My husband and I are going to Tennessee this summer. We have 3 boys, they are 14, 17 and 20. The 20 year old will not move with us. The 17 year old is a junior this year and I feel bad about taking him out of his school before he graduates. But I think we are all ready for a change. My youngest will start high school in TN. They are very nervous about the move but they will be fine. My parents are moving as well. I can't live without my parents near me.

We have a pawnshop business here and it is for sale now. This money will buy us a house with at least 20 acres. Hubby wants to own Tennessee I think. So the more acres the better.

Our property taxes here went from $1200 in Jan 2006 to $2200 in Jan 2007.
This is double. It is ridiculous. I live in Desoto County which is in SW Florida. I have been in this area since 1972. Definately time for a change.

I am a school bus driver so I will do that in TN as well. Hubby will open another business.

Sonja