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Why are you trying to convince people that Florida isnt as bad as they think it is?
We dont NEED anymore people, especially those kind of people. I know a LOT of people who have moved down here and gotten very good high paying jobs, in addition to lowering their cost of living dramatically.
If they knew how absolutely heavenly 80% of this state is, they'd all come down here.
Yes, its fine for people not to like a place, but if you dont like licorice, you spit it out, no?
The hoopla over flood insurance is outlandishly over stated. It will affect those who live close to water.
Makes sense that those folks should pay higher rates because the risk to the insurance carrier is greater than someone who lives in Ocala. The highest ranked natural disaster in the United States, according to FEMA, is flooding. About 270,000 Florida properties face flood insurance rate hikes. The investor-owned homes will loose subsidies they had for decades. Lots of investors in places like Sanibel Island are going to see big time increases. Its time they pay the piper. Perception is not reality.
It's funny that these folks seem to assign the flood insurance issues solely to Florida though, as though all the flooding in the world occurs in Florida. Like we haven't all heard of the flooding that's currently happening in Colorado, and has happened in the last two years in the northeast with the tropical storms that have hit the coastal areas and inland there? Or the repeated flooding in the midwest when the Mississippi and the rivers feeding into it overflow their banks??????
I figure anyone's entitled to his/her opinions, and can like or dislike anything he/she cares to. But in expressing those opinions, an individual looks a little foolish if it's obvious that he knows nothing about the area(s) in which he casts aspersions, and is just pollyparroting some main stream media hype about a topic relative to the state or area. And it's my impression that a lot of the naysaying about Florida is just that.
So, OP, you are talking to all of the people on this board who don't like Florida as if they moved here. That is not always the case. I was born and raised in Florida. I truly hate this state and am here through no fault of my own.
You say to those that don't like living here that they should just move away. I have actually tried this on three occasions (well, two honest attempts. The first time I really only have ass-ed the attempt to move away so I just consider it a long vacation). When the economy crashed pretty much if anyone didn't like where they lived then tough luck because they are gonna get stuck there for a long long time. Especially young adults without well developed job skills. I really went all out on my moving attempts. I found cheap places to live on craigslist, threw all my belongings into my car and just left. Unfortunately, I couldn't find work where I moved to and when my funds were exhausted I had to come back.
So long story short, just up and moving isn't exactly an easy and simple solution. Not in this economy at least.
You couldn't find work in the other states you moved to, but they're better than Florida anyway??
Gotta agree with Vaughan on this one. Properties ALL OVER FLORIDA are going to be hit with massive increases, including ours. We aren't on the water, but live in an A zone. Our little home's market value is under $200,000, but we are probably looking at 10G in HOI within the next several years. This is something NO ONE saw coming, and no way to prepare. Even though for us it is being "phased in" at 20% per year, we are ALREADY paying almost 4G total for HOI!!!! These rates are going to ruin many neighborhoods, no doubt about it! Already homes in my neighborhood are becoming unmarketable for this reason, except for the very wealthy. And yeah, sinkhole will be next.
But outside of that, I see what Spring is saying. Too many threads and posts on this forum are solely about overstated complaints, rants and troll posts with no real discussion. It becomes difficult for those poor souls actually looking for good relocation information. Most of us who are here to truly help people looking for info don't mind if Florida isn't people's cup of tea, but too many are unrealistic about some things.
Assuming that you're referring to flood insurance, you DO know that the revision of the National Flood insurance program via the Biggert-Waters Act affects the entire country, not just Florida? And that coastal areas all over both the eastern and western US, especially that which has been overbuilt ( I think of the northeast here), as well as building in the midwest in areas that are repeatedly flooded by the rivers that overflow their banks will be affected equally by the provisions of this act. Not that this makes it any better if the feds have decided to fill their coffers by expanding their flood plain maps and raising minimum height standards arbitrarily, but it isn't just Florida. If that is their goal then there's no telling how much they'll attempt to extort from flood insurance policyholders, but it won't just take place in Florida.
I've seen a lot of what looks like panicking to me over the prospect of dramatic flood insurance increases, and that's fueled by the news media, but it seems to me that most people paying for flood insurance may well not be subsidized, as they're not living on coastal areas too close to the ocean and subject to repeated flooding and allowed to rebuild repeatedly, courtesy of their flood insurance. They're also talking about second or vacation homes, and most of us don't have those. Seems to me some clarification about exactly what to expect as a result of the Biggert-Waters Act might go a long way towards assuaging people's fears. I'd check with an insurance agent, or see if I could contact FEMA to get some clarification for this.
As for the sinkhole coverage, Florida insurance companies seem to have settled their issues with that by offering only catastrophic coverage- required by law, I believe. At least that's what it says on my homeowner's policy. I had read that Citizen's insurance had planned to raise rates for sinkhole coverage exponentially for those folks in Hillsboro and Pinellas counties especially, as well as for counties northeast of there, but it was my understanding that the FL Legislature put the kabosh on those rates. Hopefully they have.
You couldn't find work in the other states you moved to, but they're better than Florida anyway??
Well, the job situation isn't really why I don't like Florida. I hate this state for so many more reasons. From the weather to the slow pace of life, it just isn't my thing. It hasn't been for as long as I can remember.
Also, I think the job market has healed a lot over the past two years. My resume has improved a lot this year and should get a much bigger boost in two weeks when I finish a certification that I have been pursuing for over a year now. A lot has changed since my last move and I am much more optimistic.
Spring, I must chime in here, objectively I see it from both sides, with that my hubby is an executive and had worked on wall street for most of his career before we left in 07..with that being said, the wages in Florida for what he does arent anything to write home about he made a nice living but not enough for the cost of living..One thing we never want to do is just Exist, and too many people in florida do just that so they can living in a beautiful place with great weather, the problem is unless you can really enjoy what florida has to offer, then that isnt enjoying Florida if that makes any sense..Also remember the middle class really doesnt exist much anymore no matter where you live so to speak as so many industries have felt the poor economy...Our biggest issue with South Florida is the cost of the living, and Crime, now we loved it there and it was home for us and is always where my heart is, however I look at it from both sides which is, The schools are good but there are better, the Cost of living in Some Parts of Florida as one can not Generalize it since certain parts are not as expensive as others, and I have to agree the professionalism is certainly lacking in Florida wages are lacking as well..The other problem is when these kids graduate from College Most of them do not stay or Return to Florida because there aren't jobs and again the Wages are very low...Anyhow the point is, times have changed and depending on that person's experience living there, they have the right to state why they "hate" Florida As I say it all the time where we live now however I just wont post it..lol, but you cant dispute how someone feels..Of course if they are bogus reasons or people are just miserable it doesnt matter where they live they are not going to be happy....If I go on and say why we didnt like Florida because blah blah blah, im Bashing it, If I say you know this is a great place and we love it blah blah blah I am either a Cheerleader or a Liar so there is no happy medium I can see why people don't like it and I can see why people love it...It becomes a personal choice and people are going to be unahppy in alot of different places..You will never run away from the problems as new ones would exist eleswhere, only those people know what is best for them...All the research in the world you can still end up very unhappy...
I think that stating the reasons you don't like an area that you've lived in isn't bashing the area, especially as what you're saying is based on your own experience. In fact I'd find that information you shared as valuable if I were considering a move to that area. IMO bashing is basically pollyparroting negative stories or opinion comments which are untrue, or taken out of context about the area, with no real knowledge of the area or direct experience with it. One can even say, "I've heard the cost of living is high there, wages are low, crime is high...." and that qualifies the statement as second hand information and therefore, IMO doesn't qualify as bashing.
Most of us who weren't born yesterday know that there's no paradise anywhere, that one finds warts anywhere one chooses to live, and as a Floridian I'm willing to admit we've struggled with those warts for many years. I figure that's life, and one makes one's choices and works around the warts or moves somewhere else where the warts may be more acceptable.
To me, bashing is labeling anyone living in Florida as gun-toting freaks whose main purpose in life is to shoot someone of an ethnicity or race different than they are because the basher didn't like the outcome of the George Zimmerman trial. Bashing is labeling anyone who chooses to move to Florida as a dead-beat beach-lover who's not willing to work hard to make a good living. And so on.
There are a lot of college grads working there. They cant find jobs in their field.
Better than complaining there are no jobs or the jobs pay minimum wage.
I worked for 35+ years in south Florida. Not one of those jobs was in a Walmart, Distribution Center or otherwise- not to knock those jobs either. My jobs were 1) healthcare-hospitals, clinics, 2) biomedical industry, 3) government..... and those were as a professional with an advanced degree....
I'm retired, doing contract work now, in between my retirement activities, as an educational consult with a continuing education company.
Maybe you dont understand that not everyone is a college grad. Therefore there will always be industries to provide employment for those folks. Most people dont need a 300k home, most people dont pay 3k a year in car insurance or 1200 a month for rent. New York City is full of people who can afford $ 1/2 million apartments and drive BMWs. New York City is also full of people who cant and dont.
I think you worry too much about over achievers and forget about the millions of average people that are part of this country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by THX 1138
Florida is and always has been a low wage state, who's "fault" is that? That would be our great leaders who press tourism over quality jobs, sure tourism creates jobs, just not good ones. Might have worked great in the 60's, 70's and 80's..maybe into the 90's but since parts of Florida have saw a high increase in the COL that makes wages from tourism jobs akin to living on poverty.
Mickey Mouse and Active Adult Communities isn't going to pay for that $300K median home, $3K/year car insurance, $1200/month rent and etc...
I make good money here, but as I said before I can make a lot more elsewhere, but yet here I am...for now at least.
"Experts say Florida is poised to be a state filled with mostly low-skilled, low-wage jobs."
Yeah, so how about those people who do want to work at Wal Mart Distribution Center?
Spring Hill = paradise? I have never found any place that is a "paradise" and anyone chasing it is a fool.
However, Spring Hill and the surrounding area is a very nice place to live. If you disagree, such as GatorNation might, please tell me why you don't feel otherwise.
Quote:
Originally Posted by THX 1138
If you want to work at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, it's probably paradise...
The reason sinkhole coverage is so expensive is because of the homeowners who put in claims for sinkholes that didnt exist. They hired a sinkhole remediation company and got a report stating there was. Its like going to the dentist and have them tell you that all you need is a cleaning.
If it wasn't for the fraud, sinkhole coverage could be affordable. Floods are high risk to insurance
companies. When an insurance company pays out more than they take in they can no longer stay in business. The only answer is to raise rates to cover their losses and potential losses.
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From the weather to the slow pace of life, it just isn't my thing. It hasn't been for as long as I can remember.
