[funy]

For all of you who are relocating to Florida, you need to know the results of some official studies. This is not hysteria or resentment. It's real. Be informed!

If you only read one article from this post, read this one, which is an FSU report about overpopulation. Our wells are running dry. It's one of the most lethal places for pedestrians. Our fisheries are choking. Orlando and St. Petersburg are so plagued by "road rage" they've been called the two angriest cities in the US. I can attest to that fact!
http://www.rinr.fsu.edu/issues/2008spring/cover01_a.asp

Florida population expected to double in 50 years, destroying its wildlife and agriculture. Some counties such as Manatee will be completely built out even sooner. "What this report paints is a nightmare scenario," said Dan Lobeck of Control Growth Now. "It's certainly an eye-opener.":
Population may double in 50 years

Overcrowding pervasive in 92% of Florida hospitals, resulting in death, permanent disability, additional procedures, and increased length of hospitalization:
Hospital Overcrowding

Sarasota high school students have to stand in class because of overcrowding:
School Overcrowding

School overcrowding is due to immigration:
Without Immigration, School Enrollment Would Not Be Rising at All, Says FAIR.

[compelled to reply]

It's a worse case scenario, but definitely could be real, so keep on moving to North Carolina everyone!

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

it's a worse case scenario, but definitely could be real, so keep on moving to north carolina everyone!

:d:d:d

[Margel]

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[funy]

Only one article describes a worst-case scenario. The others give an accurate description of the current state of affairs in Florida.

What's interesting to me is how I haven't found anyone yet who cares, besides a few native Floridians and a committee or two advocating responsible growth. Does this strike a chord with anyone? Or is everyone content focusing on their own happiness, regardless of the consequences to others and the environment here?

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by funy

Only one article describes a worst-case scenario. The others give an accurate description of the current state of affairs in Florida.

What's interesting to me is how I haven't found anyone yet who cares, besides a few native Floridians and a committee or two advocating responsible growth. Does this strike a chord with anyone? Or is everyone content focusing on their own happiness, regardless of the consequences to others and the environment here?

Well, what do you expect? A lot of this is outdated info anyway - the article on Sarasota schools is YEARS old, these days the students are dwindling, and teachers being let go. With this economy lots of development has fallen by the wayside. Also, many people are now moving to other states besides Florida. The worst droughts this year were not in Florida but other areas of the south like Georgia, NC and Tennessee. We haven't as fared badly in that regard.

It's a different day and a different age right now, and one small silver lining in this bad economy is that our state will get a breather from overdevelopment, etc.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by funy

Only one article describes a worst-case scenario. The others give an accurate description of the current state of affairs in Florida.

What's interesting to me is how I haven't found anyone yet who cares, besides a few native Floridians and a committee or two advocating responsible growth. Does this strike a chord with anyone? Or is everyone content focusing on their own happiness, regardless of the consequences to others and the environment here?

The main reason you might not find a few that care might have to do with the fact that those articles are outdated. Florida has been shedding students from it's public schools for a few years running now, so you might not get a lot of people who want to go into the immigrant-bashing thing and blame the immigrants for overcrowding in the public schools. The hospitals are a serious issue, but all over the state, there has been a LOT of growth both in medical field employees and in hospital beds, so I see that more as "growing pains" rather than something permanent. The "angriest city" study was by a sensational exercise magazine and the sample sizes were quite small. That article is also missing out on some of the worst because it mentioned Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Miami as being "some of" the worst cities in the country for pedestrians, but failed to mention Fort Lauderdale, the #1 most dangerous city for pedestrians in the nation and probably the western world, so it didn't even do a good job pushing it's agenda. It also did not reference any of it's data (according to the dedicated road rage study, Miami was the only Florida city in the top 10).

Most of the environmental and water issues are very real, but it's hard to say what we can do about it...yet. However, it seems like nowhere is being spared and compared to a lot of ecosystems, Florida's sensitive ecosystems have actually fared pretty well (think of places like the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Hudson River Valley, etc). I am not justifying the destruction of our envrionment, nor am I saying that nothing needs to be done about it, but just wondering where we can move to with a "clean" envrionment in the first place, without destroying it. I do think that Floridians need to become more aware of what exactly they destroyed to live here, however.

[Artsywoman]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

The main reason you might not find a few that care might have to do with the fact that those articles are outdated. Florida has been shedding students from it's public schools for a few years running now, so you might not get a lot of people who want to go into the immigrant-bashing thing and blame the immigrants for overcrowding in the public schools. The hospitals are a serious issue, but all over the state, there has been a LOT of growth both in medical field employees and in hospital beds, so I see that more as "growing pains" rather than something permanent. The "angriest city" study was by a sensational exercise magazine and the sample sizes were quite small. That article is also missing out on some of the worst because it mentioned Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Miami as being "some of" the worst cities in the country for pedestrians, but failed to mention Fort Lauderdale, the #1 most dangerous city for pedestrians in the nation and probably the western world, so it didn't even do a good job pushing it's agenda. It also did not reference any of it's data (according to the dedicated road rage study, Miami was the only Florida city in the top 10).

Most of the environmental and water issues are very real, but it's hard to say what we can do about it...yet. However, it seems like nowhere is being spared and compared to a lot of ecosystems, Florida's sensitive ecosystems have actually fared pretty well (think of places like the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Hudson River Valley, etc). I am not justifying the destruction of our envrionment, nor am I saying that nothing needs to be done about it, but just wondering where we can move to with a "clean" envrionment in the first place, without destroying it. I do think that Floridians need to become more aware of what exactly they destroyed to live here, however.

As an avid walker, I attest to the horrible conditions for pedestrians here. I am from Nova and there are parks and sidewalks everywhere. Here in Tampa I have to walk on the side of the street and have obnoxious drivers race by me. This is also in a residential neighborhood!

[Artsywoman]

Originally Posted by funy

For all of you who are relocating to Florida, you need to know the results of some official studies. This is not hysteria or resentment. It's real. Be informed!

If you only read one article from this post, read this one, which is an FSU report about overpopulation. Our wells are running dry. It's one of the most lethal places for pedestrians. Our fisheries are choking. Orlando and St. Petersburg are so plagued by "road rage" they've been called the two angriest cities in the US. I can attest to that fact!
Florida State University : Research in Review

Florida population expected to double in 50 years, destroying its wildlife and agriculture. Some counties such as Manatee will be completely built out even sooner. "What this report paints is a nightmare scenario," said Dan Lobeck of Control Growth Now. "It's certainly an eye-opener.":
Population may double in 50 years

Overcrowding pervasive in 92% of Florida hospitals, resulting in death, permanent disability, additional procedures, and increased length of hospitalization:
Hospital Overcrowding

Sarasota high school students have to stand in class because of overcrowding:
School Overcrowding

School overcrowding is due to immigration:
Without Immigration, School Enrollment Would Not Be Rising at All, Says FAIR.

I am starting to see a lot of what you mentioned.

[funy]

i'm not giving up on this one...