[FlyMIA]

Jacksonville is the worse Florida has to offer, Warm Summers, cold winters (for Florida) gets in the 30s and 20s often. Lots of bugs and swamps. High Crime, no real urban area, no night life and your in the real south right next to Georgia. Jacksonville is way too big and spread out too.
Tampa is okay, it has what you expect a city of that size to have.

Ft. Lauderdale area is great. The main reason Ft. Lauderdale is nice is because you are close to Miami but do not have to deal with as many of the Miami problems like Traffic and High Crime area. Ft. Lauderdale has crime and traffic but not as bad as Miami. You have nice beaches near by, two large International Airports , two large sea ports, 4 Professional sports teams, schools in Broward county are pretty good. Your close to Miami which is a definet plus for the weekends and nights out. You wont be bored in Ft. Lauderdale and you have a lot more oppertunities there than Tampa or Jacksonville. Ft. Lauderdale is like a large Suburb of Miami, it has its own things but you always have Miami right there 25min away.

[doggiebus]

I think CTR summed it really well. If I had to pick one to live, it would be Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale, they are cosmopolitan for me. Where Jacksonville is too southern and small for me. The best thing is to come an visit all three to see which is a better fit for you.

[Trusses]

Jax is the best weather-wise, IMO. Whoever said it has "cold winters" is kind of.... well, I wont say. If you can take 100 degree summer days, then they are man enough to take 40 degree nights once in a while. Good grief. LOL. And not sure what the poster means by "warm summers." You mean "hot as hell" summers? That's gonna be Jax, FTL and Tampa. In fact, Tampa will feel the worst, not Jax.

OP, take what some have to say with a grain of salt. I think some people that express their opinions dont even live here.

[jdx]

IslandNomad -

If you've already narrowed it down to Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale, here's what I have to offer:

Both places have everything you're looking for and more. FTL probably has better breezes coming off the Atlantic(to offset the summer heat) than we have here in Tampa Bay, and it can be warmer in the winter. MIA airport will give you more direct flights to more destinations than TPA, but TPA has been rated one of the best airports in the country in terms of orhanization and efficiency. Driving out of state will be more of a hassle out of FTL, although it is not hassle free out of Tampa either.

The Rays (baseball) play in a dome, which I thought was kind of wierd, but in the summer it's a great place to watch games out of the heat. Plus, they never get rained out. The Marlins play outside, which probably contributes to their woeful attendance. There is no way I would go to a Marlins day game in the middle of the summer. Football is probably similar in all three cities.

If you like waves, you won't find any in Tampa.

Ft. Lauderdale and Miami have the best nightlife, however there is no shortage of bars and fine dining in the bay area either.

FlyMIA- I'm not sure what you mean about the comment below. More opportunities for what, exactly?

You wont be bored in Ft. Lauderdale and you have a lot more oppertunities there than Tampa or Jacksonville.

Basically, that's all I have based on your criteria. Good luck!!