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Ok yeah I know this is lame. But I want a thread aimed at the spirt of the holidays, whilst interlacing good, positive vibes about Florida. Ok I'm a little biased since I now own a home in Central Florida, but I'd like focus on that area if possible. Don't get me wrong it's totally a free country, please chip in from anywhere in the state.
As an aside, (I know some of you pessmistic, and certainly rightfully so given current destabilization of the insurance presence in Florida and the escalating property tax dilemma are going to want to respond in this forum because it is very inviting). I don't want to talk about those things here. I want to delve deep and think positive things. Come on, that may mean dusting off the shelf in the garage or the chest in the spare room.
I'm just gonna ask three hypothetical questions, anyone with fond memories and aspirations, please let me know your take on them.
1) When you first moved to Florida what did find most appealing to the area at that time (or for you guys who have lived there all your lives, what is the first, if any, real memory you have of the area)? Remember, save the negative rebuttals for another thread please.
2) What do you most like about the weather in Florida (ok this allows a little freedom for negativity because I am guessing some negatives coincide with other people's positives, if that makes sense)
3) What single change would have the biggest impact in Florida (particularly Central again)? I'll put some down but please ad lib on this one. Try to stay positive here but I understand the balance could easily go either way at this point in time.
Never lived in FL, but always LOVED to visit......
- Oh how I loved to visit in the winter, when it was gray and bleak in the DC area. It was wonderful to visit FL and see GREEN stuff and not feel cold and chilled to the bone by all that humidity up north. An incredible respite from winter weather.
- Spring Training Baseball. What a luxury. See ball players in settings where you can talk to them, like minor league parks.
- Croc shows, botanical gardens, even theme parks in Orlando, all are fun in the winter when it's so dreary up north.
- Key Lime Pie. 'nuff said.
- Key West. Cool place. Laid back. Friendly. Food. Sit around watching a sunset while getting mello on a beverage.
- Laying around in the hot tub in a swim suit on Thanksgiving, in a warm rain, while they shiver up north.
- Grouper baked in Philo dough, eggs benedict, eggs florentine, such food, in the keys, Hawks Kay resort - where Ted Williams hung out for decades. Deep sea fishing out of there, swimming in the tank with dolphins, airplane rides over the keys to spot sharks, the Overseas Highway, sea shell shops, coral reef state park, crystal clear water. All of this without going to one of those ripoff islands in the Caribbean where all they want is your Yankee dollar and they pester you like starving third world illiterates. The Keys are awesome.
- Shopping in Bal Harbour shops in N. Miami Beach. Art Deco masterpieces in South Beach.
- Eating early dinner at Wolfie's Rascal House or breakfast at Danny's....
- Thousands of alligators at Everglades National Park...like stepping into a pre-historic time warp....
- Driving on Daytona Beach at Spring Break....what a party, the whole town simply THROBBED with music
- The smell of the orange groves....
That's the great stuff I remember....
Florida is worth a visit, and if you like it, it's worth living there, I have a pal there and a relative.....
Well I bought a house in Florida a few weeks ago so I hope I like it! Honestly despite all the negativity i have seen on this board (and other forums as well), I really feel like I made the right decision.
I'm kind of weird in that sometimes I make decisions or act on gut instincts. I know it's not that uncommon but I just get so sick of reading the papers and negativity on some of the boards. I am fully aware of what I am getting myself into and I strongly welcome the challenge.
First and foremost I am a beach person (yeah I know, why central Florida then??). I am fine with being an hour or so from a beach. I boogeyboard and dive and sometimes conditions just aren't right and I can't do what I wanted to. But even so, to drive to either coast isn't a huge deal and I can spend a whole day just frolicking in the surf and watching the water. I also enjoy watching the birds and the boats in the distance. Well defined bikinis are also always appreciated! But I also like amusements. I liked rides and amusement parks as a kid, absolutely. But something happened to me a few years back when I went to Coney Island in Brookyln. It was a somewhat seedy environment mind you, but there was something in the air that changed the way I will think forever. I did a lot of research on Coney Island, and it's history. I'm not gonna bore anyone with the details, but I was in awe of its history and heritage. I realized that we all need that; the escape from reality, the "coney island of our mind". Life can definitely get pretty boring and/or depressing when the bills keep pouring in. But I just really enjoy going to parks and having fun. I see myself going to some form of amusement park in the greater Orlando (let's include Busch Gardens even though it's definitely further away) almost every week, let's say 3 times a month. That's just who I am. That's what I enjoy. If I were closer to Coney Island, I would have gone there more (even though it paled in comparison to anything Orlando has to offer). I like hot weather. I spent almost 6 years of my childhood (and an additional semester in college) in Mississippi and it certainly wasn't the greatest place on earth in the summer. I very much remember some pretty intense thunderstorms as well, and our fair share of tornados. It certainly wasn't a mecca for comfort living.
I guess my point is, based on all this stuff, where do you guys think I should settle? In summary, I love relative proximity to beaches (mostly oceans though since I boogeyboard), I love amusement parks and I like warm weather. Oh yeah I have a strange fascination with palm trees. Not sure why. Just think they're cool
As an aside, (I know some of you pessmistic, and certainly rightfully so given current destabilization of the insurance presence in Florida and the escalating property tax dilemma are going to want to respond in this forum because it is very inviting). I don't want to talk about those things here. I want to delve deep and think positive things.
I don't think this is lame, I think it is refreshing and I hope people respect it.
I've been here 13 months so am a newbie yet I've experienced the "dark side" and am fairly objective.
Mike--I once ate at Wolfie's. What an experience!
1) The very first thing that I noticed was how colorful and alive everything was. (I moved to northwest Florida from Colorado.) The white sugar sand, the Gulf with its dolphins and leaping fish, the green land.
Butterflies were migrating through when we arrived and fluttered everywhere.
The pelicans, the bald eages, the herons, the river otters, the box turtles. From sunrise to sunset, this place is teeming with life. It's one spectacular Kodak moment after another.
2) Well, I like the fact that we get seasonal changes without having to
shovel any snow. Winter is short. For the first time in years, I actually get to enjoy springtime without looking over my shoulder for one last snowstorm.
3) The market correction. It had to happen. There had to be a bust after the boom. It's happening EVERYwhere, but South Florida might be considered to be ground zero. Once this settles, I think everything else will follow. (Some people who don't have a mortgage are actually rebelling and dropping their insurance! It will all shake out, but won't happen overnight.)
1) When you first moved to Florida what did find most appealing to the area at that time (or for you guys who have lived there all your lives, what is the first, if any, real memory you have of the area)? Remember, save the negative rebuttals for another thread please.
The location, Sattellite Beach (1988) was the best location close to Orlando. Relax, inespensive, great folks, superb weather, great schools, and on a grow path.
2) What do you most like about the weather in Florida (ok this allows a little freedom for negativity because I am guessing some negatives coincide with other people's positives, if that makes sense)
Our area (Navarre) we almost have 4 seasons (lack snow). is just perfect.
3) What single change would have the biggest impact in Florida (particularly Central again)? I'll put some down but please ad lib on this one. Try to stay positive here but I understand the balance could easily go either way at this point in time.
The one that we have control TOURISM, does provide great capital income but due to the amount of people that relocate job wages do suffer. We have too many attractions that drives and controls the jobs and wages in central Florida
1) When you first moved to Florida what did find most appealing to the area at that time (or for you guys who have lived there all your lives, what is the first, if any, real memory you have of the area)? Remember, save the negative rebuttals for another thread please.
As a child I remember seeing jellyfish light up the beach at night (Clearwater beach) I remember my mom and her girlfriend were able to sunbath nude on Caladisi Island when we boated on the weekends. I remember Sunday drives to the "woods" in Ocala and North Florida. I remember getting up super early with my dad on Sundays and going fishing sometimes to the gulf and sometimes he would take me out on this lake in a little boat, and I don't remember seeing a sole all day long. We would end our day with a trip to Dairy Dipper for a chocolate dipped cone.
2) What do you most like about the weather in Florida (ok this allows a little freedom for negativity because I am guessing some negatives coincide with other people's positives, if that makes sense)
As a Floridian I don't know any other types of weather. Sometimes wish is wasn't so hot and I have prayed for a White Christmas and to see the leaves turn bright yellow and red as they do up north.
3) What single change would have the biggest impact in Florida (particularly Central again)? I'll put some down but please ad lib on this one. Try to stay positive here but I understand the balance could easily go either way at this point in time.
Sorry I can't put just one but I will be brief. Control growth (stop building on every precious piece of land) Bring our insurance and property taxes back to a reasonable and affordable rate so all the Floridians (not just the rich) can stay in their home state.
Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm glad not everyone has mostly negative thoughts about the area. I think sometimes it's hard to really remember what we most enjoyed about an area, after years of disappointments, escalating bills, and countless other frustrations. I just hope the things that do cause the most negativity are addressed in the future so more people can truly enjoy Florida for what it was and should be.
I have been a "Floridian" for about 1 1/2 years, and have many wonderful things I have enjoyed since then.
1 - My family and I saw our first (but not last thankfully) rainbow...spectacular!!
2 - The most beautiful sunsets ever - think pink, orange, yellow, etc.
Makes up for the colorful leaves we no longer see.
3 - Swimming in the ocean not looking for needles, jellyfish, etc is wonderful!! Not having to wait until August to swim, is priceless!!!
4 - Seeing my children enjoying themselves outside day after day, has been the best part of moving..they are truly enjoying their lives more!! Being stuck in the house for nearly 6 months, was NOT FUN!!!!
All in all, it has its ups and downs, but a wonderful way to live!!
Fla's terrrific and most of the negativity you see is from children who do not have the credibility or standing to make such blatant statements as they have yet to grow up and experience lifes evolution, paying bills, being responsible etc, or are in a particular socio-economic group that also has yet to figure out how to be productive enough to live.
There's a great post in the New Jersey forum about how people "get by" in that state on 100K ( net ) a year. It's an intelligent thread with actual numbers written down so as to illustrate just how people, who have earned their keep in that state, who are smart enough, creative and hard working enough to have broken thru that 6 figure income level, and what it takes to live.
If one were to do that in Fla one would find Fla still an incredible deal from an economic standpoint, granted, it's more money than it used to be, but still what a great place in comparison to the vast majority of others.
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Allow me to "crash" your party....
