[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ad5paRXNWVg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad5paRXNWVg

I always love watching this one.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Originally Posted by StarfishKey

I have elaborated on that in perhaps 50% of the threads I have started, so I'm not going to hijack this thread to reiterate in any detail. But the Keys are a special draw for the type of people who are dreamers and who don't plan ahead, and the vast majority come here with no skills, no job or housing lined up beforehand, no real tolerance for the weather here, no savings, no understanding of the housing crisis we have or the fact that we have extremely low pay and almost no jobs that have benefits or offer enough hours to cover rent costs (even with a roommate)... etc. etc. etc. The Keys are isolated, expensive, boring and claustrophobic for many, full of alcoholism, drug abuse and the crimes that come with it (especially Key West and Stock Island), full of gridlocked traffic, lacking in access to good produce or organic food or restaurant variety, lacking in chain stores and affordable varied goods, and a multitude of other issues. Oh yeah, and then there are a huge percentage of people who move here with the inexplicable perception that because we do not have a hurricane hit EVERY year that we will never have one again, or that streets should never flood simply because a hurricane has not hit... The expectations are totally unrealistic of life here, and the understanding of how very hard life is here - especially for those who are not in the 1% (but even for many of them due to the isolation and lack of conveniences and variety) - is missing from the vast majority of those who move here. People post every single week of the year on Keys forums like craigslist begging for money for a bus ticket out of the Keys (or a ride for them and their 3 dogs and 2 cats), because they got here and are now homeless and broke and can't get out.


So in keeping with this thread, one really needs to do your research before moving to Florida! Living here can be great, but it is not really at all like vacation unless you are independently wealthy.

If you can't live with cockroaches, mosquitoes, snakes, hurricanes, relentless humidity, high housing costs for coastal living, flooding, mold, lack of public transportation, or corrupt govt, DON'T MOVE TO FLORIDA! (Especially South Florida)

For me, those things are outweighed by the things I love about living where I do. But it's because I'm willing to deal with the bad along with the good, and am pretty easy to please. Picky people will easily find a lot of fault in Florida, probably more so than some other places in the country. But VERY picky people are not likely to be happy anywhere. I'm not picky at all, so I'm happy pretty much everywhere, even though I have a brain and can certainly see the flaws present in the places I live. They are there, but I can deal with them. I'd like to help make the places I live better, more efficient, safer, etc. But one thing about Florida is, people are more resistant and/or apathetic to change than in any other state I have lived previously, and the culture in the state tends to be far behind the trends. So don't move to Florida expecting to be able to change it!

If you can go with the flow and accept some hardships, Florida can be a great place to live - especially if you find the right town for your personality.

What I was mainly interested in was not what becomes of the homeless people and drifters or whatever, but why people who could actually afford to buy a house down in the Keys would be disillusioned. But you answered my main question for me, as well as a whole bunch I didn't ask, but on the whole, it was a great post and I thank you. The bit about people in South Florida being resistant to change is actually a plus for me, because that keeps new people from coming in and screwing the place up. The last thing I want to see is South Florida becoming another Los Angeles or some kind of a nanny-state. I moved down here to Homestead, knowing pretty much what to expect and I haven't been let down. -- except by cold fronts -- momentarily-- but then the greenery bounces back and we get the temps and humidity back again and I'm as happy as an alligator with a mouthful of poodles.