[chisoxfan]

Having been one of the early posters on this thread, and read subsequent responses, I'd like to add some more perspective. I'd probably have to agree with the poster who doesn't hate Florida but hates the changes that have made the state less hospitable and affordable. I'm not looking to bail out of South Florida anytime soon -- retirement is years away, and our careers would make a pre-retirement move difficult if not impossible. Yes, we look forward to a retirement in North Carolina, but we we hope to have a small winter home here -- if we can afford it somehow. As I said in my first post, South Florida's advantages are pretty unbeatable. I enjoy the diversity here -- my friends and co-workers are black, Hispanic, Caribbean, gay, Jewish and, yes, even evangelical Christian. The beach is 10 minutes away from my home in Fort Lauderdale, and there are excellent Italian, Mexican, Caribbean, German, and Cajun restaurants nearby. We have all four major pro sports, with recent World Series and NBA championships. Disadvantages? I agree with the gloomy assessments of the public schools. My wife and I don't have kids, but I do feel for anyone who does and don't blame them for seeking something better. The hurricanes are scary, but our home is well-built with good shutters and a high-impact garage door and will be able to withstand most storms. And windstorm insurance MUST become more affordable. I serve on my homeowners association's committee on insurance, and the good news is that the outrage factor is rising throughout the area -- a good step in getting things turned around. By budgeting carefully, we've been able to deal with the rising costs so far. I don't wish to disparage any other poster's view; everyone has made good points. Bottom line is, Florida, especially South Florida, isn't for everyone -- but neither are New York, Chicago, L.A. or Chattanooga, Tenn.

[sami]

They do one of two things, they like/love it here and stay...........or they go elsewhere to a place presumably of their choosing. Isn't it like that anywhere you live? LOL

[backtofla]

they always go to a place where it is cheaper to live. we did the opposite, but happy with our decision.

[ex-floridian]

Funny you should ask!

As a true native Floridian, I moved out in May and moved to Vancouver, Washington. I had only been here once before, about 7 years ago. But I remember how kind everyone was, how it was still acceptable to look a stranger in the eye and say 'hello', how releaxed and at ease I felt with these friendly, gentle people...

Kinda like Old Florida was, until the Northern Invasion. Here are my reasons:

1. I got sick of being flipped off & screamed at for no reason. I became almost a prisoner in my own home, rather than risk some self-important jerk shoving me out of his way while muttering how much faster everyone gets out of his way "BACK UP NAHTH".

2. Salary growth didn't keep up with rising housing and tax costs.

3. My entire immediate family has left Florida, which is significant because WE'VE been here for hundreds of years.

4. The aging population doesn't lend itself to interesting life for younger people. And I DON'T mean drinking. In Vancouver we have Tuesday night public walks around the local art galleries, movies on the green, Shakespeare in the Park, public outdoor markets with fresh organic produce, ahhhh....

5. The traffic has become unmanageable, especially on 41 and 75 between Tampa and Naples.

Florida is no longer inhabitable for Floridians. I hate the fact that I gave up, but you can't spray 'em at the border...

[froggie66]

We are in our 40s with two kids (9 and 13) and have lived here in the Sarasota area for eleven years. We cannot wait to leave this state and move out west. We are going to CO.

When we came here the housing was affordable )we got a 3/2 on over an acre with a pool and about two miles from town, etc, for $137K. Now we couldn't touch that for almost a half mil.

Also, we are very outdoorsy types who LOVE camping, hiking, etc. It is too bloody hot in FL to camp anytime but the dead of winter (a joke in FL since the dead of winter is 75 degrees during the day and 50's at night, and only lasts couple weeks) and the topography is soooo flat and boring here that we have long ago lost interest in anything south of Ocala for camping and hiking.

Have I mentioned that you can't swim in the lakes and rivers because of the gators and cottonmouths?? The mosquitoes swarm. We cannot go into to any restaurants without being the youngest ones there (and we are in our 40's). THe drivers are all old and dangerous (trust me...I know MANY elderly folks who are driving who have serious memory problems and vision problems and they are STILL allowed to drive!!! THey cannot even open their car doors without two hands and all of their might and yet they drive big lincolns, buicks, caddies and mercedes!!!) I have witnessed MANY redlight and stop sign runners who missed them because their vision and reaction time are so poor.

ANd we all suffer from severe allergies because of the 12 month growing season. The kids are stuck inside all summer (9 months of the freakin year) because it is so oppressively hot and humid. Or else they come in from outside (after only ten minutes) so red in the face and exhausted from the heat that it threatens to cause heat exhaustion in their young bodies. The only respite is the beach, but we have red tide that keeps us away all summer and we HATE the beach, anyway.

Oh...I must stop. The negatives, for us, to living in FL are far too numerous. Our house cannot sell fast enough (oh...that's a whole other kettle of rotting fish...the major slump in the housing market caused by all the "flippers" who artificially drove up the cost of housing with all of their real estate "deals"....I HATE FLIPPERS!!! They have ruined the market for those of us in the middle class who actually have to live here!!!).

My advice, choose north florida, or anywhere else in the country. Stay away from SWFL, unless you love the above situations.

I apologize for the bitterness, but 11 years here have done this to me. Along with the direction that Sarasota seems intent to take. Wealthy-only need move here.

[ready2move]

We too are in our 40's but are now empty nesters
Upon arriving and dropping our son off at FSU and at all points in between, we realized how nice people were there in Northern Florida. As soon as we hit the Palm Beach Line, we were hit smack in the face with rudeness. Oh, and the lovely sales lady at the Pembroke Lakes mall talking to me in Spanish

I never thought I would EVER leave Broward County, but when we got home we realized we did not need this 4/3 2CG and a pool. Okay, so let's downsize. Oh wait, this is Florida, you can't because you will be paying the same if not more for your property taxes. My husband was offered a job in central Florida, at the same salary, but with nice bonuses quarterly. We researched areas and we will end up with a smaller, uglier house with increased taxes. So we are basically stuck unless we get out now, reap the rewards of purchasing our $140,000 house in 1992 that will now sell for $450,000. We have refied a few times, bought some property, paid some bills, and are now heading for metro Atlanta, where our house will be bigger for half the price of here.


I used to love FL, but the negatives of rude people, spanish in every direction I turn, high taxes and insurance, have turned me into somebody I don't want to be anymore

[bamboosmom]

There are rude people everywhere. Not just Florida. There are plenty of nice people everywhere too. What's wrong with Spanish people? I am not Spanish, but I have met many that are very friendly and nice. If it wasn't for the Mexican workers, nobody would have had their roofs fixed in this state.
They are hard workers.
Taxes are high in alot of other states too.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by bamboosmom

There are rude people everywhere. Not just Florida. There are plenty of nice people everywhere too. What's wrong with Spanish people? I am not Spanish, but I have met many that are very friendly and nice. If it wasn't for the Mexican workers, nobody would have had their roofs fixed in this state.
They are hard workers.
Taxes are high in alot of other states too.

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.

[ready2move]

Originally Posted by bamboosmom

There are rude people everywhere. Not just Florida. There are plenty of nice people everywhere too. What's wrong with Spanish people? I am not Spanish, but I have met many that are very friendly and nice. If it wasn't for the Mexican workers, nobody would have had their roofs fixed in this state.
They are hard workers.
Taxes are high in alot of other states too.

I am not spanish either, but I resent going into a mall and have someone assume that I speak spanish. And it is not just at the mall, it's at the grocery store, the gas station, Walgreens, CVS, etc. Most of the spanish people KNOW how to speak ENGLISH. If I spoke spanish, then it would be my choice to have a dialog in spanish. Last I checked, English is the language of America. I have plenty of spanish friends, and my husband can speak some, so I with that I have no problem. When we went to Cancun in May, I did not expect the staff to speak perfect english, but they tried. My husband was able to use his spanish skills, and together we learned. It is the assumption that bothers me and constantly in my ear....

Yes, there are rude people everywhere, I believe the stress of the last two summers have taken it's toll on most people in South Florida. I was merely stating that people further north than South Florida were not as rude as down here and went out of their way to help. Have you been here lately? Have you driven the congested roads? Take a ride down, then we will talk

[CelticLady1]

Well, I can think of worse places to live, but I sure can think of better. I've lived in Northwest Florida (the Panhandle) for 26 years; raised my children here, but my husband and I are ready for a change. We are looking to head back west, (I was raised in Wyoming), probably New Mexico or southern Colorado. Frankly, I have never felt entirely at home here. I'm not overly enamoured with deep-sea fishing, or big water boating. I got tired of having sand getting into places it ought not to be. It's too blamed hot to enjoy camping, (as froggie66 noted ). Everything in the water bites or stings. The humdity is awful, and seems to get worse the older I get. The hunting and fishing is not what it used to be. The traffic has become horrific, ("Bloody 98" is NOT fun. ). Growth planning in our county is non-existent. As I said, there are worse places, but I'm ready to leave. I guess it all depends on your perspective and what you want. I'm ready for a change in lifestyle. I like Horace Greeley's advice, "Go West, young man, go West".