The worst of Florida (photos and stories)! (Miami, Tampa: housing, rent)

[kimmieyky]

Originally Posted by tampaguy03

Clean beaches? On the west coast how about Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island, Fort DeSoto North Beach, Sanibel and Captiva Islands?

Yeah for you!!!! Add in Anne Marie Island, Venice Beach, Bradenton, Cocoa Beach...I can go on but I thnk you can get the picture.

Look guys - if you are that disinfranchised with the state - I am very sorry - but that is not the case for all of us. Why do you stay? What you do need to realize - life is not peaches and cream anywhere. Every state has problems - if they didn't it would be called 'Heaven' and no more troubles would exist. Taxes and permits are different everywhere, life is different everywhere. How boring would it be if it were all the same?

Do you all post these horror stories to keep others from moving down? I am really curious about that.

My last trip to Florida was in October. I noticed alot of construction down Tamiami Trail and it looks like they are widening the road to make improvements.

Mother nature has not been nice in recent years and months, but I don't think any Govenor or City Council can fix that. All they can do is help pick up the pieces when it is over. And, that takes time.

If I have learned one thing is this life it is this : " You can please some of the people most of the time, and most of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time".
How True!!

Those of us who have only vacationed in Florida or have family there and live in other states - long for and dream of warmer weather, sand, Palm trees and so many different birds and wildlife than we are used to.

I was raised in Kentucky. Still here. Its a great state, but still with it's problems. I love the knobs, the beautiful untouched forests, cobalt blue skies in the fall and the horse farms which stretch for miles.

But - it is 12 degrees here right now. We will not warm up until sometime in late April, May. That's life here. I picture myself doing the 'Sanibel stoop' just to get through the winter, and have created a florida feel in my house to remind me of where I want to be. Shells everywhere, sand in planters, and palm pictures and potted palms all around.

For my 40 year old body stricken with Fibromyalgia - I would take a hurricane and the other bad occassional weather anyday to have most days filled with sunshine and warmth.

Have you guys ever experienced ice so thick that the power lines break and it takes days, weeks to repair? Have you experienced earthquakes that can rock you from your bed? Snow so deep the city is paralyzed for days and threatens to crush the roof on your house?

It matters not where you live - there will be something unpleasant. But please - stop spoiling the dreams for the rest of us. The truth is good, but constant negativity - who needs it? We all have to make our own decisions - knowing a rose garden doesn't exist everywhere.

I can't travel to the Bahamas or Hawaii, or any other tropical paradise. But Florida is a realisatic goal. My parents have retired there to Sebring where they lead a very relaxed, healthy life. They bicycle everywhere they want to go (except to the grocery or beach), they have a garden in their backyard with fresh tomatoes and peppers year round. Cactus and the "Bird of Paradise" flowers grow in the uncleared lots in their neighborhood. They have their own fruit trees which give them fresh organic juice, and the lanai is a restful spot where they relax at the end of a sunny day with a glass of wine. And the little lizards who live in the flower bed all have names - they are so cute. The armadillos are funny to hear in the wee hours of the night - usually around 3:00 a.m. or so I could hear them rustling around.

Oh, and 80 degress on New Years day - that is truly a holiday gift.

Sounds like paradise to me....But we all have our own opinions of what paradise is...don't we?

KimmieyKY

[Muggy]

Kimmieyky, as a moderator you should appreciate this thread. The existence of this thread prevents many other threads from getting off-topic. It's also is clearly labeled so that anyone wishing to hear only positive things about Florida could easily avoid it.

Furthermore, anyone's motivations for posting in this thread aren't any different than anyone's motivations for posting something "positive" in another thread. Most of us just want to share our experience. Florida provides a very unique experience unlike any other state; good and bad. Most people that post here live and Florida and have repeatedly stated that they enjoy living in Florida. They have also contributed greatly to other threads...

I find your comments outside the bounds of the stated mission of the moderators. I think you may be emotionally involved with the topic being discussed.

This is a thread for the worst of Florida, if you have a beautiful photo, please post it in the "Florida Pics" thread created by Shores9. There are also many other threads to share positive experiences.

This thread is entirely for bad experiences and photos.

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by Keikis

Good link, Muggy. I agree with you that the worst of Florida is the sub-human mentality that thinks that they have the right to treat creatures (one of Florida's greatest attributes) with frivolity, carelessness or out-and-out mistreament. Having lived all over the world and the U.S., and as a FL native, why do we have such a large number of backward, ignorant people in this state?

Sunrico, your posts of the impaled bird and the Christmas display of a bleeding deer are perfect examples of these low-lifes' mentalities. It seems that we have an unusually high number of human cockroaches in the south that have to prove their obvious lack manhood by showing power over defenseless creatures. Disgusting.

Keikis,

I will say that you can find low-lifes' mentalities in every state of this nation. The thread and quote Muggy "This is a thread for the worst of Florida, if you have a beautiful photo, please post it in the "Florida Pics" thread created by Shores9. There are also many other threads to share positive experiences.
This thread is entirely for bad experiences and photos."

I enjoy and love the area that I live and I would not go any other place to live. Again read Muggy previous post about this thread. Please don't be judge and jury, at one point someone will disagree with you and use the same words that you typed.

[sunrico90]

Anyone want to continue the thread?

Florida future Nascar drivers....

[dallaskeffer]

Originally Posted by mike jones

OH PLEASE

I work in Detroit

These pics are not scary.
Detroit is like Beirut without the air sirens.
You guys in Florida are babies compared to the urban decay we got.

Murder Rate??
We get 46 murders on the weekend.
Second highest in the country

Number one in STDS
Number one in Obesity
Dead last for our pro football team

Thats how we do it in the D!!

I have never seen a city anywhere with more rot, decay, crime and dysfunction than Detroit. The taxes are awfully high, too! City services are almost nonexistent, many of the people are uneducated thugs and rogues, and the roads destroy your cars. A hurricane would probably improve this place, if a nuclear bomb is not available.

I generally do not like Orlando, but it is light years ahead of Detroit. Miami is an overwhelming concrete megalopolis with more traffic than I can stand, but, wow, does it ever beat Detroit with culture and cleanliness! Southeast Michigan has few beaches left that you can swim in--all closed because of pollution levels and sewage.

Thus spake Dallas in Detroit who is moving to Florida come hell or high water.
Well, high water anyway--hell is in Detroit.

[backtofla]

anyone in any state can post this kind of stuff. especially if the op posts about half of the threads.

[dallaskeffer]

In all of my years vacationing in Florida, my impression is that the worst thing in Florida is the number of northerners who do not respect the land, the wildlife and other people. New Yorkers, especially, drive like maniacs and try to run everyone else off the roads. Don't be fooled by those Florida license plates--most of the northerners are driving rented cars. They throw litter all over the place and generally behave with reckless disregard. Yes, I have been a vacationer from up north in Detroit, but I am a native of southern West Virginia. There seems to be a huge difference in manners and attitudes between northerners and southerners. A noticeable lack of passion in northerners strikes me. Complacency rules the north. I, for one, cannot wait to become a Floridian, even if not native.

[Floridabound09]

Although I feel people should be allowed to post this as we all need to see all sides, my idea is to let them know there is far worse then what has been posted. Sure, all states have good and bad, but Florida DOES NOT have the worse, not even close. Therefore I can sort and seperate the rubbish and the point of making Florida appear dirty to those who do not know it, I for one have experience most all major cities and some small ones too that I can relate to and no way does Florida win the Heisman for the worse. Not even close.

Some people have not seen other cities that beat anything Florida has to offer.

Try Chicago, Baltimore, NYC-Bronx, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Philly, Louisville, Memphis, St. Louis, no need to add more, anyone of these cities has the worst of any Florida town beat by a mile.

I have been in the cities, allot, and been in every major city in Florida and most of all the small towns and there is no way the worst of Fla is worse then these above.

Until you have experience being in a cross fire, a gang fight inwhich we witness a stabbing, have a brick tossed in your window, you car spray painted as you stop at a light, tires cut while paying for gas, someone telling you to leave the city you dont belong here, piles of homeless asking you for money to get something to eat, etc then you do not know how good you got it.

I have seen all those above and in those cities above and can honestly state in hundreds of trips to Florida I have not seen anything yet that compares to things we seen in St Louis, Detroit, Chicago or Baltimore.

I appreciate the idea that someone sees Florida as dirty/bad and they have the right to state what they feel, but I just do not see those same people with any comparisons to change my vision of Florida.

One trip through the south side of Chicago and you will be forever changed.

[UKOK]

On a lighter note, let us not forget this!

[UKOK]

Oh, and don't forget about redtide.