[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by Denise in Fla

Mine was $96.91, and thats with the pool running for 4 hours...

Got mine yesterday....$86.41...that's with a pool pump running 6 hours a day, 2 refrigerators (gotta have one by the pool for the "recreational drinks" :-) & "life as normal stove & washer/dryer use. Last month's for all the added Xmas lights & stuff was $ 100.67.

Our highest bill in the 9 years I've lived here was $175.00 in the heat of summer.

Yes, Florida's hot & humid May-Sept, but people usually adjust. Now when it gets below 60 you'll see me with a coat on & if it gets below 50 I add gloves & a hat!!

I know....I'm a wimp!!!

[blossum]

Well the good side you can ride that harley all year we do. We are from northen IN near the lake , very humid. You do get use to the heat after a year or two. It is easier to cool off. We were looking to move elsewhere the past year. We have checked out other areas and decided to keep paying that sunshine tax and stay. We live outside of Ocala. Good weather. A nontourist area. Make some trips to FL several diffierent times of the year to see if you like it.

[Denise in Fla]

Originally Posted by Jungle George

Got mine yesterday....$86.41...that's with a pool pump running 6 hours a day, 2 refrigerators (gotta have one by the pool for the "recreational drinks" :-) & "life as normal stove & washer/dryer use. Last month's for all the added Xmas lights & stuff was $ 100.67.

Our highest bill in the 9 years I've lived here was $175.00 in the heat of summer.

Yes, Florida's hot & humid May-Sept, but people usually adjust. Now when it gets below 60 you'll see me with a coat on & if it gets below 50 I add gloves & a hat!!

I know....I'm a wimp!!!

Thanks for reminding me, we have a "refreshment fridge" on the patio too.

[suthernharleyryder]

thanks all for all the great imput, hubby says its bearable from times he is there, past 2 weeks there and he loved it....lol. im still in debate, since im a oklahoma girl, i dont see a problem adjusting to the heat, and i think hubby is right, hurricanes less of a issue then tornado season in the "ok alley"(i lived thru 2 cat 4 twisters), so now im leaning on florida alot more, and from what ya folks have said, our electric bill wont be but mabe 50-75 mo more, so thats not bad at all(was worried it woud be bad....lol)
now, one final thought, i see alot about this home owner insur(hoi), but what is the soh or soi(cant recall...lol) i hear about?? do more people rent verses buy due to cost of all the mandatory insurances? and what is vehical tags like(price) in north, we paid couple hundred per year/per car, and in TN right now, we pay avg 26 bucks per vehical...(love it!!) and car insurance is cheaper to, how is it in florida?? we have 04 dodge ram truck and 06 kia optima, and of course the 90 harley, and all combined, we pay 230 mo, anyone chime in on theres in rough comparision to these?
i dont mind renting if it means saving buttloads in insurance cost, but hubby really wants to by, but is worried the taxes/insurance will be more then mortgage from what we see in forums, and he doesnt wan to retire in 15 years only to have a big bill each month after house is paid off, from what i read in here, it seams to be a big problem in florida for people???
must say, i never thought id run into nice folks down south after time we have had in TN, but i will admit, tennesseans are wrong about floridians, from what i can tell about ya guys, i think you guys are very friendly, i have had a great time in florida forum and love how friendly and helpfull everyone is!!!! glad to see the "sunshine" runs in personalities as well as in the sky!!! thanks to all!!!

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by suthernharleyryder

quick question also, i saw someone in forum(posted about 8 mo ago i think) that their average electric bill with runnen AC 24/7 was about 100 bucks...is this about right or way off? here in TN right now, with just about everyplace being total electric...and runnen AC alot in summer and heater in winter, we average(fmaily of 5) about 80-100 bucks, with peak bill at 124-140(at hottest part of summer and coldest part of winter), with kids, tv's, lights and etc ALWAYS on....lol, up north, we paid between 200-300 just for electric, not counting heat fuel...so we do enjoy the electrc bill when it arrives now...lol, can anyone give comaprision to theirs in florida(family of 4-5, alot of use, all electric place, avg of 1500 sqft) and is everything in florida electric or is propane cooking/heat a option?

I live near Pensacola, and my summer power bill is usually around $150 (1200 sq ft, 2 people), but I also don't use my oven very much. During the summer, my a/c typically runs nonstop from around 11a.m. till sundown. During the winter my bill is around $100, using a heat pump. Your winter cost would be lower in the peninsula. I do recommend buying a dehumidifier for the winter months when the a/c is not necessary. Sometimes those rainy winter days can get a bit muggy.

[southernnaturelover]

I should also add that I was in Knoxville last August, and it seemed just as hot and humid there as it is in Pensacola.

[wacahootaman]

I would rent first and get to know the area before you buy any property.

That way you would know a good deal when you see one. Plus land prices are falling. Even if you rent for a year, you will be ahead in the long term because property prices are falling hard in some areas, so dont buy too soon.

If you like the rural areas, land prices are cheaper. And IMO, the quality of life is better. The center of the state from Lake City south to Ocala is really nice if you can make a living there.

The coast and the cities are a lot different from the interior. North Florida is a lot cheaper than South Florida.

[heydade]

Originally Posted by suthernharleyryder

we are considoring moving to florida, possiable Tampa or Titusville areas. For Florida in general, when it comes to heat/humidity, we would like to get some comparisions from folks. I grew up in Oklahoma(can we say hot??) and my husband is from northen Michigan, we are retired military, still young, and have lived all over. we are in east TN now. I have also lived in Massachussets, and summers there to me was as brutal as Oklahoma, but i lived thru it cuz i was used to humidity. what we would like to know is if anyone in florida that has ever lived in areas like OK,TX, upper east coast and delt with that sort of heat and humidity, and also lived in Florida, how would you compare it? Ive been on this board for a day now and see alot say how hot and humid it is, but most of those are from cold states and didnt know what heat was....lol, others seem to claim the coastal breezes keep it bearable, its humid, but again, bearable. i understand that june thru sept is hottest, so anyone that can offer up a comparision would be great(worse, same, less) thanks alot!!!

Here is an honest to god truth about the humidty from the perspective of a male. In August, when high temps are around 93 degrees or more, the relative humidity can be 90%. After finishing taking a shower, I step outside and start walking..after 5 minutes, my testicular sack is all sweaty and rubbing against my legs. 5 more minutes and my lower back is all sweaty and my shirt starts sticking to my back. I walk into my car and it's literally like an oven. I touch the steering wheel and it is too hot to touch. I need to keep the car running with AC for at least 4 minutes before I can drive away.


Hope that clarifies things.

[ajavella]

So I just returned from a Key West Vacation and a Ft Lauderdale visit/vacation. I say visit Ft Lauderdale because it was not all a vacation. My wife and I are lookling to move to one of the beautiful apartment buildings on Las Olas. Just an incredible area. So when I am walking to work in New York City tomorrow morning I will be thinking of that heat / humidity to keep me warm and sane.

To compare the summers in New York City to Florida Summers I see the following:
1) The Air Quality is horrendous in New York, on a hot hazy July day the top of the skyline is in this disgusting yellow haze. -Florida has blue skies until the thunderstorms come in.
2) South Florida does not get into the upper 90s. Its 91 where as in New York we get a Bermuda high blast furnace sending the temps to 97-100. See last summer. Add in the pollution and its not pleasent.
3) Obviously the summers are much longer in Florida. Now please tell me why that is a bad thing and I will be thinking about your answer when there is snow and ice covering the sidewalks tommorrow morning.

[seeriously]

It's Florida. It's hot in the summer. No getting around it. What I find odd is that it gets hotter as you drive north. We can be at 93 in Vero and it'll be 97 in Jax.