[Cryinsham30]

Moving back home to Florida soon, I am from Jax and Wife is from Miami originally, I don't wanna move back to Jax and she doesn't wanna move back to Miami so that is settled. late 30's couple with 3 children, 1 of which hasn't even started school yet so schools are important as is low crime/safety etc.

So we have whittled it down to the space coast specifically merrit island or satellite beach and Port St lucie, I am a disabled vet and wife is my caretaker/full time mom. House budget is on the lower end of 100-200K, and we despise HOA's. Here is what our pro's and cons look like:

Island/beach
great schools
possibly more "community" type feeling
Proximity to patrick AFB for grocery's etc.
proximity to great beaches etc.

CONS=
traffic
small sq footage of homes in our price range
distance to gulf stream fishing
large transient traffic with the cruise lines/tourist area etc.
general feeling that your paying more for less overall


PSL pros
Ample housing within our budget with more Sq feet.
More diverse community
lowest crime rate
access to moderate size cities for medical care
housing is newer overall and seems to be in a recovery phase at the moment
I personally believe it has more of an "endless summer" appeal to it over Canaveral area
closer proximity to sport fishing/keys etc.

PSL cons
"average schools"
more sprawl
no access to a military base which has been our life for the last 18 years
no real economy/high taxes

(taxes may be irrelevant in the near future due to disability rating but not P/T yet)

Overall i think we would prosper wherever we plant ourselves but I don't wanna feel like I am robbing my kids from the great schools just to live in a slightly bigger house and be able to fish cheaper. Wife thinks that the smaller houses are acceptable, but I have a hard time with it since up until recently the barn we kept our goats in was 1600 sq ft and we added another 400 so they wouldn't be too cramped.

So what's ya'lls thoughts on the subject? Risk PSL schools(treasure coast or centennial not PSLH) and if they blow sell off when our oldest graduates next year, and move or start off in the area with the best schools cause their education is important and we push it.

[chopchop0]

Space coast >>>> treasure coast imo for overall feel and vibe. Schools in Brevard are some of the best in the state. West shore and Edgewood high schools are top 10 in the state, top 50 in the country. Plus you're an hour from the amenities of Orlando

Treasure coast just seems dingier, less stuff going on, farther away from major cities

[kyle19125]

I second Brevard County. It's less congested in it's populated areas, more laidback, friendlier people in my opinion and better schools. Satellite Beach is my specific recommendation given the conveniences it provides you and the quality of it's schools.

[tothehilt]

Brevard county seems perfect for you guys, but may I recommend Tampa? I grew up on the east coast of Florida and I much prefer the vibe and look of the west coast. I recommend Tampa simply because of the MacDill AFB. Since you need to be close to a base for VA benefits. Nothing beats a Florida sunrise except a Florida sunset. If you loved in the Tampa bat area you would get a perfect sunset everyday. Either way, Welcome back to Florida!

[Cryinsham30]

Originally Posted by tothehilt

Brevard county seems perfect for you guys, but may I recommend Tampa? I grew up on the east coast of Florida and I much prefer the vibe and look of the west coast. I recommend Tampa simply because of the MacDill AFB. Since you need to be close to a base for VA benefits. Nothing beats a Florida sunrise except a Florida sunset. If you loved in the Tampa bat area you would get a perfect sunset everyday. Either way, Welcome back to Florida!

Patrick AFB is on Satellite beach, and the main VA medical center is in orlanda between the two .

I prefer the east coast for the fishing and diving, I have land mobility issues but can swim/scuba decently still. Not to say that the gulf isn't great, we first looked at crystal river and sarasota/punta gorda etc. as we are for lack of a better term "country folk", up until disability stuff took over we managed a dairy goat/highland cattle hobby/homestead farm. Although no issues with living in the city as we were born/raised in jax/miami and atlanta.

My concerns for brevard are the cost of living and initial move in cost's for the smaller housing, cause if your not on merrit or sattelite etc. you loose the perk of the great schools and its back the average (not bad just average) schools. I dunno, nothing will be final until the ink is dry, 37 years old and this is the first move of our adult life that we get to decide were we are going.