[Nancy Lynne]

I really enjoy reading the posts on this forum. I have learned alot about FL and where to lpossibly live...or not to live...etc. I want to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my original post about ...where to go from here.

I just wanted to share a different perspective...and would love to hear your feedback... Times are tough, I think, for most all of us, financially these days, except for the very wealthy it seems. Somehow I don't think a person with a ton money would find their way to a site like this...because they can just buy whatever they want, where they want it, etc. I have read alot of negative comments about Florida, and I just hope that we can really help one another here by being as honest as we can with whatever our personal experience has been.

So........let me share with you why a 40 something, single parent of a 10 year old boy, is going to pick up her NJ roots and move on down!....

NJ has the wealthiest population in the US. NJ also has the highest property taxes, the highest car insurance, the dirtiest air, the dirtiest water, the highest rate of breast cancer, the highest density of population per square foot. It does not have, as NY does, an intra state mass transit system. Everything goes to Newark and NYC. NJ USED to be home to many high tech companies -- most of which have all gone out of business, left town, or sold out....including AT&T, Lucent, Bell Labs, etc.

I am a product of the high tech melt down and have been laid off more times than I care to remember. Unless you work in NY (financial) or pharmaceutical or healthcare...there just aren't jobs. There is so much massive wealth here, from the Wall Street crowd....you would just have to see it to believe it.

PROPERTY TAXES: I had already been paying....are you ready????? $14,000 a year for my property taxes --- I am in a 2700 square foot home ---and this year we were reassessed.....and in one fell swoop.....my taxes have increased to $21,000!!!!!! So yes.....except for the "rich and famous"...NJerseyans are moving out of state in record numbers. You see, it doesn't matter if you make a profit on the house that you sell here....if you still can't buy anything with it. There are more houses on the market than I've ever ever seen....and nothing is moving! Right now, we can't give our homes away. And yes, our sales tax was just increased to 7%. Now - get this! My neighbor just moved (yesterday) to Charleston, SC....they too, just got taxed out.....and NJ has a 1% realty transfer fee ....so they sold their house for 1.7M and had to pay $17,000 to get the hell out of here. In addition, the person who bought their house, has to pay a 1% million dollar house fee, so an additional $17,000 is automatically added onto the cost of the house.......THEREFORE, THE STATE OF NJ GOT NEARLY $40,000 JUST BECAUSE A HOUSE WAS SOLD IN THIS STATE!

And corruption????? It may be safe living here, which it is....but nothing plays by the rules, except money. Yes, the schools ARE great....but it scares me to death to think my son will call NJ his home....and have to make it here financially when his time comes. Our energy, water, sewer, costs are out of this world. In the winter months, it costs me $1000 per month. In the summer months, $1000 per month.

IN SHORT, many of us "worker bees" who bought our houses 15+ years ago, simply cannot afford to stay in our current homes.

The beaches here ARE beautiful....it is true! But the water is filthy! One can only swim in the ocean for about 1 month ---- before that it is too cold - and after that -- it is filled with jellyfish.

We live by the beach and very much enjoy wildlife, nature, etc.

I don't want to go back to the corporate world. I will start my own business...doing something!....but I no longer want to build my life around living for where the work is....so I will create my own work.

Given that.....I am a single mom with a 10 year old (very sports oriented) only child...with no family to speak of.....Where would any of you suggest we move to --- where there is a sense of community, families, safety, a bit laid back....where your child can still ride their bike around the neighborhood or play basketball in the street?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Nancy

[flhe]

Hi Nancy,

Just one more resource for you. As you have relocated, you'll likely need to purchase health insurance as very few employers will offer this benefit. A wonderful resource I found: www.healthinsuretoday.com


You can view tons of real time quotes from carriers like UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Humana. With a few keystrokes, you can purchase the plan of your choice.

Welcome to Florida!

[Y-Move]

I live in New Jersey - Bergan County.
And am moving to Florida in two weeks.
Re: Health Insurance in Florida - just in case:
if you are buying an individual or family policy - They can and will turn you down if you have a pre-existing condition. Where in New Jersey they can not turn you down and you pay what everyone else pays - lots of money.
Normal health insurance is a lot less money in Florida than in New Jersey.
Like $600 a month here for an individual - and the same coverage from the same company - $350 in Florida.
But - if you have that pre-existing condition - you will have to find a company that will acccept you and will probably be charge New Jersey rates.
I hope this does not apply to you - or anyone else reading this.
But it is important to know in advance of a move.
I really wish our government would do something about health care in this country.

[pslOldTimer]

We visited Mt. Dora last year for the Christmas lights and the lighted boat parade on Lake Dora. That morning, however, we watched their annual Christmas parade. It was such a goofy, small town parade with a fantastic sense of humor, we just knew it would be a good place to live.

[LBNY]

Nancy -
I left Long Island 2 years ago because I felt it was less expensive in South Florida. I was fortunate enough to purchase a home last year. I am now seriously thinking of moving back to NY because my family is there. Just like everything in life, Florida has it's pros and cons. If you can stand the heat and the hurricanes, amongst other things, you'll be fine.
You will find more northerners down here than native Floridians.
*Consider placing your child in private school down here. Also, check out central or northern Florida as it is less expensive than South Florida.
Best of luck to you!

[kalanaj]

Been there, done that & we are very glad we did. We made the move from NJ in the Spring of 2004. Like you, we were in serious dire straits living in NJ...the property taxes were horrendous, the traffic unbearable and the weather equally horrible (After 1 major snowstorm in 2003 I was literally stuck in the house with my then 2.5 yr old for almost 2 weeks (we lived at the bottom of a hill).

My husband was laid off from his job 1 week before 9/11 and then no one was hiring for months and months...he went from a corporate position to taking 2 truck driving jobs. We could never catch up and the next 3 years nearly devastated us financially, especially with regard to COBRA insurance (a lovely $1,600/mo), something we felt was necessary with an infant. Finally we convinced ourselves it would be better to start all over.

Be prepared, unlike NJ there IS tax on food and clothing down here, and the pay scale you may be used to up in the Tri-State area is much less. Although, there is no state tax on payroll, you will find yourself putting many more miles on your car which means much more gas. The summer can be brutal, but there's always the beach and/or pool & air-conditioning.

It's much more friendlier & more relaxed than NJ and you will be very happy with at least one wonderful thing: your son can play outdoor sports year-round.

Best wishes!

[paulinvt]

hey, I just found this site while looking for rentals in punta gorda area. what a great idea. I am relocating from vermont to start a new job in november.It's nice to see I'm not the only one starting over in a new enviorment.thanks.

[LadyM]

Nancy, I live in CT, and plan to move to Vero Beach, FL, next year. You may wish to look into living in the town of Sebastian or Vero Beach. I spent the past 6 years visiting and researching the area. The library system in Indian River County is terrific. Housing in Sebastian is still afordable... but more expensive in Vero Beach. There is a thriving artistic community in both areas.

Vero has warehouse outlets, and is opening a huge warehouse for CVS Pharmacy stores, and other businesses are growing and needing technical people.

The schools are not as good as they are in the north, and you may wish to look into a private school for your son.

Many years ago, I was a single parent of two. Had I only known about this wonderful area at that time, I would have moved there and never looked back. It is worth your time to visit or research. Good Luck.

Lady M

[Nancy Lynne]

Thank you so much for your reply. Amazing enough, I have been researching that area in depth recently. I, too, have been really researching town by town in FL for the last year and am being led to the areas you mentioned.

Thanks and keep in touch.

[Nancy Lynne]

Thank you for your post.

What town do you live in within Florida?
What is the property insurance everyone is talking about?
Thanks