[VinnyRay]

Hello all,
I've been through a ton of "moving to florida" threads, and decided to post my own. My fiance and I currently live and work at a guest ranch in Big sky, montana. She has an equestrian degree, and I work in the hospitality industry (front office management). We have been looking at destin/ft walton beach area for a few months now. We have thought this over and over, and obviously don't want to get ourselves in a bind by moving, but we are very unhappy with our living situation. Besides car payment, and insurance we have one other bill. We have no credit card debt, and will have about 6k saved up. I know the job market as a whole is pretty rough right now. But i haven't read how the service industry is doing in that area? We would be renting so the housing market has no influence on us at the moment. Are there better areas for us to look into for both of our jobs? Any suggestions or comments are welcome! Thanks to city data for a great site!!

[2bohemians]

We live just a few minutes east of Destin along the Scenic 30A. We can't tell you what the employment situation is in Destin or Ft Walton Beach, but we can say that it's tough over our way.

Many businesses were not able to survive the usual slow winter combined with a weak economy, however, some have flourished during this time. Now that Spring is approaching and we are all hopeful for jobs and tourists.

We are starting to see a few more seasonal jobs open up --- there are a lot of peoply applying for them ... and the pay has never been that great around our region.

Certainly Destin will have more opportunities than our stretch of beach because there are more businesses -- be warned though, traffic can be a little kooky during Spring & Summer season. Ft Walton Beach will have even more jobs ... a large majority of them will be military related due to the presence of Eglin Air Force Base.

It's hard to say what this "season" will hold for us. In our personal opinion, Spring will be very telling of how the service industry will fare this year. We are somewhat lucky in that we are a "drive to" destination for many folks in the south ... a quick getaway to paradise ... we've always been that and it's always worked .... time will tell ....

We recommend that you investigate the job situation even more. It sounds like you a fairly "secure" in your current living situation. You've even been able to "save" a few dollars! We love where we live, but Florida is a tough place to make a living and save money too. Although we do believe in "making things happen", we feel the need to be frank with you. Now it's just our opinion --- but with the economy as it is ... we think you should really think long and hard about a decision to move.

All of that said, we have included some links to employment to the major resorts in our area. Thought this might be helpful in your research.



Watercolor Inn & Resort

Sandestin Resort

Seaside

Alys Beach

Rosemary Beach

[VinnyRay]

Thanks for your post! I can't tell you how long and hard we have been thinking about moving. There are certain things that go on with our upper management that we don't agree with. Our well-being and mental health is much more important than making money. That being said, we know that wages are lower there. And we know that we are lucky where we are. I know what the smart decision, to stick around and save money. But worried about waiting for the "upswing" in the economy. Again thanks for the post and the links.

[2bohemians]

Originally Posted by VinnyRay

Thanks for your post! I can't tell you how long and hard we have been thinking about moving. There are certain things that go on with our upper management that we don't agree with. Our well-being and mental health is much more important than making money. That being said, we know that wages are lower there. And we know that we are lucky where we are. I know what the smart decision, to stick around and save money. But worried about waiting for the "upswing" in the economy. Again thanks for the post and the links.

Our pleasure. We hope you found the post helpful. It sounds as though you have really thought things out and we are certain you will make the decision that is best for you and your family. Certainly, there are lots of opportunities in this current real estate market. If you are in the position to purchase, there are some deals to be had. Best of luck to you in whatever decision you make.

[VinnyRay]

I have thought about using my VA home loan as i am ex-air force, but that is going to be a little further down the road. Realistically are we going to be able to find some kind of work $9-10 an hour at least? I know that is a tough one to answer. Are there any equestrian center's in the area or ranch's that my fiance should/could look at? Thanks again

[2bohemians]

Originally Posted by VinnyRay

I have thought about using my VA home loan as i am ex-air force, but that is going to be a little further down the road. Realistically are we going to be able to find some kind of work $9-10 an hour at least? I know that is a tough one to answer. Are there any equestrian center's in the area or ranch's that my fiance should/could look at? Thanks again

VinnyRay,

You may also want to find out more about the $8,000 Tax Credit if you don't know about it already.

As far as finding work. Now knowing that you are ex-air force, if you focus more on the Destin, Ft Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay areas, you may have an advantage in finding work due to the military friendliness of these towns.

We don't have a good answer for you in regard to equestrian related things. However, below you will find some references to Equestrian Centers / Stables that may help your fiance do a little more research into what might be available.

Equestrian Center
208 Vicki Leigh Rd
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547

(850) 863-3295‎

Southern Cross Equestrian Center
4307 Derby Ln
Destin, FL 32541

(850) 654-9309‎




C Breeze Palms Equestrian Centre 9724 Farrier Rd, Milton



STABLES
Niceville Stables



Hope this helps a little.

[beachmouse]

Southern Cross is probably going to be very expensive. Nothing goes cheap in the Kelly Plantation area. How tolerant are you to commute times? If you don't mind a drive, you might see if you can keep horses in the Mossy Head area between Crestview and DeFuniak Springs. You can still sometimes get a 10 acre parcel up there relatively cheaply by local standards.

Ex-Air Force really does help. Check and see if you'd count as a status candidate for jobs at some of the military recreation centers in the area. There's a good-sized Army one kind of tucked away in Destin.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by VinnyRay

I have thought about using my VA home loan as i am ex-air force, but that is going to be a little further down the road. Realistically are we going to be able to find some kind of work $9-10 an hour at least? I know that is a tough one to answer. Are there any equestrian center's in the area or ranch's that my fiance should/could look at? Thanks again

I remember visiting FWB/Destin in summer 2006, and was SHOCKED that burger king employee jobs were advertised at $10/hour. Guess it was hard to find service workers back then.

These days, however, who knows. Best of luck!

[mableclaid]

I live in Panama City Beach and like the previous post said about $10/hr work at burger king, that is quite a typical thing in the summer time. You can find work cleaning motels and condos during the summer ranging from $8-12/hr too, or get paid per condo, which is often a lot more money. Despite the lagging economy I don't think the entire panhandle would be too devoid of jobs at least during the summer. Now the winter on the other hand will prove to be hard to get through if you don't find a permanent job. Panama City is also a military town with both an Air Force base and a Navy base, so you would find the area quite welcoming as well.

As far as one of the comments about a 10 acre parcel of land for cheap, they certainly are right in saying "locally cheap." I'm originally from Texas and was used to acres being between $1-5K. Out here you'd be hard pressed to find anything for anything even remotely close to that.

[lokahi]

Being ex-air force, you should really try to break into the defense contracting industry in FWB. There is a big market for defense contractors, and they manufacture everything from weapons to satellite software.

FWB is a small, southern town that is based on who you know, not what you know. That sounds harsh, but it's the reality. I would advise against moving to FWB b/c the economy has really hurt the area, and it was never a mecca for jobs anyways. If you have a good savings and can wait out a job (for both of you) for at least 6 months to a year, you should be in good shape. The competition for jobs is fierce, and the summer jobs that typically went to teenagers are now being sought out by folks who have been laid off.

I don't want to discourage you, but this is a big move, and as long as you're financially able to weather the storm for while, go for it. If not, I would hunker down and wait it out in a place where you've got a steady source of income.

Best of luck