[ALD1963]

Freaking hysterical!!!!!! 4am and couldn't sleep.... thought I would see how many others HATE Florida... all I can say is lmao!!!

[ALD1963]

Originally Posted by FLSucks1

Welcome to St. Petersburg located in Pinellas County, Florida!

It's always sunny, little rain, very humid & lots & lots of oak trees. Hope you don't have allergies. It will be a problem.

First things first. Do you have reliable transportation? You will need one here. Buses only run until 10pm. You will probably need a 2nd job if you live here & coming alone because we have one of the lowest salaries in the nation & most of the jobs available are telemarketing or stripping. You have to be a good salesman here; on the phone or naked...or both.

There are no payphones here at all, not even in the malls, so please have a cell phone or a friend to pick you up. You can walk home but we don't have sidewalks, no not one. It's all "green", well more brown than green. Our dog owners don't really care about the lawns & the city doesn't really care too much either.

You need a car. If you don't have one, you can buy one but remember we do NOT have a Lemon Law, so you will get screwed no matter where you go for a car here.

Well, you don't have a car yet, you have to walk everywhere. Sorry about that. Well, try to walk in the day time. Most of the streets are not well lit, which explains why so many pedestrians get killed walking here. But you can invest in a bike. Unfortunately, that statistic is just as high for vehicular homicides. Oh, & if you have a motorcycle, lucky you don't have to wear a helmet here, which also explains the death toll.

A lot of the older drivers who can't even walk to their cars are still allowed to drive here, so they won't see you through their non-existent peripheral vision nor will they hear you through their hearing aids. The DMV here does NOT feel it necessary to retest an older driver. You can renew & you are good to go!!! Still driving at 95? You betcha! Look at grandma go! WHOA! Was that a speed bump?

Okay, so you need a place to live. North, South, East or West? The streets here are all marked like that & we love our names too, along with dead ends & no U-Turns. You will get lost. Invest in a GPS. Trust me.

That's a nice apt complex, right? You will have to download Watchdog, especially if you have kids. There are TONS of pedophiles living in St. Petersburg, FL! Please check out your neighbors before moving in & that includes apartment complexes where you will find drug dealers, hookers & meth/roxy addicts galore. The office won't mention it, of course, they only want you to pay. Getting in is never an issue if you have money, no matter what background you're trying to hide.

Best way to check? Drive by at night. Make sure you have your windows rolled up all the way, especially if you're on the South side & check out your new neighbors. Are they pointing a gun at you? Probably. Keep driving & don't turn your head.

Maybe you prefer the West side, by the water? Get ready to pay NYC apt prices & rental insurance for the water damage you will have. Doesn't matter where you live really, St. Petersburg is full of flood zones. Check out your zones before investing any money. You will be evacuated in our many hurricane bluffs.

North is better but you are still in St. Petersburg, so really, you're still a loser. Anything with a 727 area code is pretty much beat.

You have a place, a car that's making all kinds of noises & you can't take it anywhere because there are so many small businesses here that are unethical, it's scary. Hope you can fix your own car.

You need a job. If you have 2-3 hrs a day to blow on temp agencies, please go. Let's see, there are so many to choose from, they are all the same. They will test you, promise you & low ball you to death. And when your food runs out & bills need to get paid, don't say I didn't warn you because these agencies will not call...unless you like Telemarketing work.

Florda is a "Right to Work" state, meaning they can fire you for the color of your tie & the way you smile.

If you choose to move to St. Petersburg, it would help if you come with a lot of money, a lot of time, no children, no pets and prepared for everything to be slower than normal, more annoying than normal, deal with annoying & incredibly ignorant people, low lives, drug addicts, racists & angry people in general.

FACT: St. Petersburg was ranked as the most angriest city in the nation. I don't make this up.

FACT: St. Petersburg salaries do not match living expenses unless you are coming in with cash & degrees in hand. And if you have a degree, don't be surprised to share a cubicle with someone with absolutely no education, who will do the same job as you at half the pay. You will probably get laid off.

FACT: US 19 - When you see women walking with water bottles on the street, usually very dirty looking, sometimes barefoot baring sores & visible track marks; those are our hookers.

If you aren't running yet, then call the SPPD when you need something.

Wow...LMAO, couldnt sleep and thought I would log on and see how many others hate Florida....

[sholomar]

I'd like to move to FL but I make near 20 bucks an hour here and only pay 550 a month in rent for a one bedroom and that includes all utilities and it's quiet and peaceful here with no loud neighbors. It's cold and boring here but it seems like cloud nine compared to the descriptions in this thread.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by stockwiz

I'd like to move to FL but I make near 20 bucks an hour here and only pay 550 a month in rent for a one bedroom and that includes all utilities and it's quiet and peaceful here with no loud neighbors. It's cold and boring here but it seems like cloud nine compared to the descriptions in this thread.

Appreciate what you have!

[RMD3819]

Originally Posted by stockwiz

I'd like to move to FL but I make near 20 bucks an hour here and only pay 550 a month in rent for a one bedroom and that includes all utilities and it's quiet and peaceful here with no loud neighbors. It's cold and boring here but it seems like cloud nine compared to the descriptions in this thread.

That salary and rent are a fantasy in Florida.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

That salary and rent are a fantasy in Florida.

Unfortunately, so true!

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by cfbs2691

Agreed! This is a VERY EXPENSIVE state.
Be prepared to spend AT LEAST $1,300/month for a no frills apartment in an ok area.

I'm not lying when I say I hear people gasp at the prices in the grocery stores.
From what I former New Yorkers tell me.. the cost of living here is little better than NYC, but not much.

You're absolutely crazy.

1300 for how many bedrooms? WHERE in Florida?


And your friends in NYC must live in a crappy part of Queens or Harlem, because you certainly can't touch anything in any desirable part of Manhattan for 1300/month!

[bigpunn03]

Ok here is my situation: I live in ohio married with 3 children. We have a combined income of around 100K\yr. I'm in the IT field and my wife is a LPN. We like the weather in FL and want to try something different and are thinking of moving to:

1. Orlando
2. Jacksonville
3. Tampa
4. Tallahasee

We are laid back family in our mid 30's. Kids range from 8-16 yrs old. We like to hit the beaches, ride bikes, motorcycles, walk the dogs, go out to bars and grown-up clubs. We looking for a quiet suburban feel with good schools, low crime, goods jobs and nice people.

[cfbs2691]

Stay in Ohio until you both secure jobs.

[KenFL]

Originally Posted by tonyg535353

..... My longtime g/f (Nicole) has a job transfer lined up for Thanksgiving this year. Myself I am a 29yr old male, who currently works at a machine shop in Ohio as a Supervisor for the past 7 years and will be receiving my personal trainers certificate.


Nicole, has the option to choose out of 5 different locations in Florida. Our options are:
1. Miami
2. Lake Mary (Orlando)
3. Tampa
4. Jacksonville
5. Ft. Myers

Can anyone please give me some advice on the best place to move regarding what we are looking for and myself being able to find work. Obviously, my employment is top priority!!!

Things we are looking for:
1. Employment (myself)

Jobs can be had anywhere. I often question what the people that can't find employment do for looking... My 18 yo son got a job the first day he seriously looked. In my job, we have a revolving door, hire and fire constantly. People want to make big bucks and do nothing to earn it, show up late, have more excuses to miss work or leave early, anything except do what they get paid to do... I honesty have seen some screw up just to get fired, I guess they have to have an excuse for their loved ones, 'it wasn't my fault'... Never is... Pick up a newspaper and tell me there are no jobs...

2. Safety (less crime)

Entirely depends on the neighborhood...

3. Politeness

Subjective... A lot depends on how you act toward others... And again, neighborhood... If you do speak Spanish, the Spanish people are some of the nicest around...

4. Biking, Walking, dog trails

Lots of old railroad tracks are being taken up and converted to bike trails in Tampa metro and outlying areas. Many types of parks as well... Typically we do expect you to pick up after your dog though...

5. Restaurants & activities for ealry 30's crowd (We are not into the club scene, but do like to have a drink and socialize on occassion)

Any metro area will have this, again neighborhood...

6. Distance to the beach.

No place in FL is more than 60 miles from salt water... (We are not very wide...)

That is the order of importance to the both of us, any info would be highly appreciated and thank anyone in advance for taking time to advise me.

My responses are in red italics above...

What city? It really depends on what you are looking for...

Ft Myers would be the baby of the bunch.

Miami would be the monster in terms of size and craziness.

Jacksonville would be more laid back and the more rural of the big boys. A friend saw a bear in the middle of one of the main streets last year.

I really can't say much about Lake Mary, been there, just never paid attention... [shrugs]

I find Tampa to be a good mix... You can find anything that you want anytime, lots of medical facilities, shopping, lots of schools (although Largo/Seminole have probably the best overall of the metro area...), good ethnic foods of all flavors/fresh seafood- fine dining to hole in the wall, good weather (we typically do not get direct hits by devastating hurricanes-knock on wood!), consistently some of the lowest gas prices in the state are found in this area, I think the Gulf coast has prettier beaches and calmer seas than the East coast, ...

Do your research...

This is my opinion and observations of living here for 50 years, yes, I was born here. I have lived in other places, however Tampa is always home and I was always glad to be back!