[Carbondated]

I'm wondering if there are any communities in Florida that haven't been affected by the economic downturn?
Does your area have a burgeoning economy? I'm not talking new retail developments, but companies, corporations, etc. that provide living wages.

I really love the beauty of Sarasota County and Florida, and would be disappointed to leave, but I am realizing it is no longer economically feasible for us to live here. The major industries in our area have laid off so many people and closed recently. Our county government is getting ready to do another round of layoffs. A lot of companies have gone on work slow-down, cutting full-time employees to part-time. The help wanted adds in our local Sunday paper has gone from 10 full pages to 1 within the last year. The only industry in this area that seems unaffected is the health care field.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[Racelady88]

I moved back down here almost a year ago and am still looking for work, as is my husband.

Personally I know more people who have lost their job in the last 12 months than I know people who have kept theirs. They are not getting fired, their jobs are going away. Supervisors, electricians, admins.

I got a call from a former supervisor yesterday telling me the company is about to close its doors. I have another former supervisor who lost his job over the summer and is now about to lose his house.

I also am at the point of wanting to leave the area. Now if I can just convince my husband........

I think this area never really had much to offer for the regular working man. Now that construction has crashed so many of the businesses that supported it are failing as well.

[Ladywithafan]

Lone Star just closed Monday in Bradenton as well as all of it's restaurants in Florida, with the exception of one in Orlando.

When the manager showed up on Monday, even he was locked out...230 more servers out of work and you know, no one's REALLY hiring servers right now....the one's who are employed are fighting to keep their shifts!

[Racelady88]

That's really sad about Lone Star. Whenever I am in Sarasota I would always meet a friend there for lunch.

Same thing happened with Mel's Diner.

[luvthatmouse]

DH and I have been looking for over 3 years now for good, full time permanent work. We have 3 degrees between us and a great work history. He does contract (temp) work for ok money. He is coming to the end of another job. They even give him health benefits-amazing. Of course my portion (health insurance) costs over $200 a week I work for a friend in NJ (marketing, programming, web design) and do some other PT things down here.

We like Florida but came here with no debt and over $20,000 in savings. Now we have debt due to having to use credit cards a lot. If we can sell our condo soon we will head someplace like MA, NH, CT where there are real jobs. The weather is nice (NOV-May) but we made $30,000 more a year up north. That buys a lot of vacations!

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by Evey

That's really sad about Lone Star. Whenever I am in Sarasota I would always meet a friend there for lunch.

Same thing happened with Mel's Diner.

I had just been to the Mel's in SRQ before they shut down....and, if I'm correct, they had actually, just opened...that was sure weird....well, you know, Metro Cafe on Ospry is finished as well....the restaurant game is a tough one when people really aren't spending on going out with the way times are....I'm sure we'll see more closings in the next three to six months in our area of Florida, as well.

[firemed]

If you need a job Southwest Florida is not the place for you right now!