[themadpoet1]

I'm just curious if Port Charlotte, Ft Myers, Sarasota and Ft Lauderdale have a decent bus system? We are still exploring options for relocating.

[PDF]

Mass transit? Buses aren't really mass transit. But those aren't really for the best cities for getting around without a car. I don't know too much about the others, but at least in Ft. Lauderdale it's do-able. The bus system isn't great by any means, but it's good for Florida.

Where do you live now? I'm relocating back to Florida later in the year and I think I'm going with Orlando. Even though I'll have a car, public transportation is definitely a concern of mine. I want to live in a vibrant city that at least has some walkability in certain areas.

Miami is where you want to go if this is your top concern. But it's Florida. So depends on how far you need to travel on the bus, how dependent you'll be on it, etc. I used to live in Tampa and the bus system there sucks, but then again the city is really spread out and suited for cars.

[StarfishKey]

Originally Posted by PDF

Mass transit? Buses aren't really mass transit. But those aren't really for the best cities for getting around without a car. I don't know too much about the others, but at least in Ft. Lauderdale it's do-able. The bus system isn't great by any means, but it's good for Florida.

Where do you live now? I'm relocating back to Florida later in the year and I think I'm going with Orlando. Even though I'll have a car, public transportation is definitely a concern of mine. I want to live in a vibrant city that at least has some walkability in certain areas.

Miami is where you want to go if this is your top concern. But it's Florida. So depends on how far you need to travel on the bus, how dependent you'll be on it, etc. I used to live in Tampa and the bus system there sucks, but then again the city is really spread out and suited for cars.

I don't even know what this person is talking about. Public transportation buses and mass transit are the same thing. Not everything has to be a subway. And Miami has absolutely terrible public transportation! The buses are completely unreliable and make far too many stops to be practical (like it takes you an hour to get down the street, 20 minutes AFTER it was supposed to get there because it is running late), and the train literally only goes in a short straight line that is totally useless unless you happen to live and work both on that straight line. If you have ever been in a city that had reasonable transportation (and I have been in much smaller cities that had much better systems up North), then this will be unacceptable to you by comparison. Everyone who has lived in Miami knows it is a driving city, and even the highways are not that convenient or well-placed. Miami Beach might be a little easier, but that is a small area covered with very expensive rent, and very few people can both work and live there within just those 30 blocks.

Sorry to the OP, I had no ideas to contribute to this conversation about places TO go, but the above post was just so wrong I felt the need to correct it lest you move to Miami and get a big terrible shock when you find it totally unlivable. It has other good qualities, but public transport certainly isn't one of them, and there are many threads in the Miami forum to attest to that.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by StarfishKey

I don't even know what this person is talking about. Public transportation buses and mass transit are the same thing. Not everything has to be a subway. And Miami has absolutely terrible public transportation! The buses are completely unreliable and make far too many stops to be practical (like it takes you an hour to get down the street, 20 minutes AFTER it was supposed to get there because it is running late), and the train literally only goes in a short straight line that is totally useless unless you happen to live and work both on that straight line. If you have ever been in a city that had reasonable transportation (and I have been in much smaller cities that had much better systems up North), then this will be unacceptable to you by comparison. Everyone who has lived in Miami knows it is a driving city, and even the highways are not that convenient or well-placed. Miami Beach might be a little easier, but that is a small area covered with very expensive rent, and very few people can both work and live there within just those 30 blocks.

Sorry to the OP, I had no ideas to contribute to this conversation about places TO go, but the above post was just so wrong I felt the need to correct it lest you move to Miami and get a big terrible shock when you find it totally unlivable. It has other good qualities, but public transport certainly isn't one of them, and there are many threads in the Miami forum to attest to that.

Jesus. Really? Nowhere in my post did I say that Miami has AWESOME public transit. Thanks for jumping all over me.

[themadpoet1]

Lol, let's just call it "transit" because less than 10% of people actually use the bus to commute. In fact, I was really just being specific to buses anyway, since we all know Florida doesn't have much for Amtrak.

Anyway, I live in Columbus, Ohio. I'm from Nebraska, and I've also lived in Florida when I was 19-20. Since Florida is one of my favorite states, I'm actually stoked that I'm planning to move back there. I haven't decided on a city yet. I haven't seen Jacksonville, Gainesville, Lakeland, Ocala and any of the cities in the panhandle, but I am well familiar with Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, North Port, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers and Ft Lauderdale. I lived in North Port in 2006-2007. I remember seeing a city bus somewhere in Port Charlotte like on the main road. I didn't care for Orlando because it seemed a bit too touristy, although I loved visiting there and had a good time. Tampa seems to have some serious ghetto problems. Brandon from what I call is super nice. I like St. Pete but I found it a little boring at times. Fort Myers/Cape Coral seemed like about the right size for a city to live in. I also liked Naples.

I think we can all agree that Florida is a driving state, and that's perfectly fine, but I'm just searching for some little areas that are somewhat walkable and with the help of a city bus system. This isn't a requirement - I can always eventually get my wife a car, but it would help out at first.

I'm planning on this summer to take a road trip to Florida to do some exploring. We need to live in a place with a University to attend, though.

[Jimrob1]

For a smaller city Lakeland seems to have a fairly decent bus system.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by themadpoet1

I'm just curious if Port Charlotte, Ft Myers, Sarasota and Ft Lauderdale have a decent bus system? We are still exploring options for relocating.

Florida is all about the car and if you want to get anywhere a car is mandatory.
I suppose if you lived in one of Floridas bigger cities you may be able to get by if you live next to a bus stop but be aware service can be unreliable and probably wont take you anywhere near where you want to go.
Any particular reason you want to take a bus rather than have your own car?

[Arcenal813]

Orlando's LYNX system is "getting there." It's not GOOD though... And neither is any city in Florida.

The cities you mentioned require a car. If anything, get a used Civic. You can find them for approx $1000.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by themadpoet1

I didn't care for Orlando because it seemed a bit too touristy, although I loved visiting there and had a good time. Tampa seems to have some serious ghetto problems. Brandon from what I call is super nice. I like St. Pete but I found it a little boring at times. Fort Myers/Cape Coral seemed like about the right size for a city to live in. I also liked Naples.

You need to re-evaluate St Petersburg since you clearly haven't been in awhile or drove through quickly once. It's clearly not a little boring, especially when compared to the "sizzle" of Cape Coral-Fort Myers.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Jimrob1

For a smaller city Lakeland seems to have a fairly decent bus system.

I was going to say this ^^^. We lived in Lakeland, for a couple years, and I must say that it has the BEST bus system in Florida that I have seen. Not only that, this city is very bike and pedestrian friendly; something that most cities in Florida are not. Lakeland has a lot on the ball, despite the bad rap it sometimes gets on these forums.

We currently live in Sarsota/Bradenton and there is a halfway decent bus system here as well. Not as bike or pedestrian friendly, though.