[Ian T.]

I might be moving to the Keys in a few months from Minneapolis, Minnesota I have no knowledge of anything down there just looking for a change we have a 3 year old Son and I have heard the community is nice and schools are good what part of the Keys would be best to look for a home or apartment to rent we are not looking to buy at this time just rent for a year or so and see how we like it. Also how are the employment oppurtunities? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[RMD3819]

This will sound harsh but it is meant to be constructive:

Moving to FL "for a change" without a job or an income source is just plain foolish. Double that for the Keys. There is a saying about the Keys: "The millionaires are upset because they are being pushed out by the billionaires".

The cost of living is very high in the keys, and employment is scarce.

I would search this forum for threads about the Keys.

Take a look at the classifieds: KeysNews.com

[Ian T.]

No thank you for the advice

[mquintana]

I lived in the Keys for years. I loved it. Yes, it is very expensive, it always has been. Yes, jobs are scarce, but not scarce enough to find the random, low paying job. Are the Keys a good place for kids? No. As the child gets older, there just isn't as much for them to do and then they start running with the bad crowd-most of the time. There are a lot of kids who were raised by parents who have good intentions, but just get mixed up in all the small town BS. I witnessed this junk and I lived in the largest Key! The worst part is there is only one way in and one way out. Depending on where in the Keys that you would chose to move to, it may take a couple of hours. I lived in Marathon and went to HS there. I hated it at the time. I moved away for about 6 mons. and went back-when I was of legal age. I didn't mind it as much, but couldn't appreciate it then as much. It was home though...and now I miss it more than before. It's a different world down in the Conch Republic-more laid back--and by this I don't mean Key Largo, I mean the middle to lower Keys. There is less crime and this is only due to the fact that there is no where to go to escape-but don't mistake this for zero crime.

[Tando]

[SIZE=3]My wife and I are from Florida and are now living up north. We hate it. I am now fortunate enough to work from home with my new promotion. We have been to keys countless times and have seen the homes for sale. We completely understand all of the tax and insurance issues with living in the keys. We only have one question that revolves around our children. We went to http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/ and are now terrified at what we found. Everyone would agree that there are no guarantees but I don’t want to put my family in harms way. I would like to hear from people who currently have children in the Keys and your thoughts on their safety. The numbers we found on the FDLE site are staggering. Am I being paranoid?[/SIZE]

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by Tando

[SIZE=3]My wife and I are from Florida and are now living up north. We hate it. I am now fortunate enough to work from home with my new promotion. We have been to keys countless times and have seen the homes for sale. We completely understand all of the tax and insurance issues with living in the keys. We only have one question that revolves around our children. We went to http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/ and are now terrified at what we found. Everyone would agree that there are no guarantees but I don’t want to put my family in harms way. I would like to hear from people who currently have children in the Keys and your thoughts on their safety. The numbers we found on the FDLE site are staggering. Am I being paranoid?[/SIZE]

With all due respect, I do think you are being paranoid. The actual risk of a sex offender harming your child is miniscule; I recently read that a child is thousands of times more likely to die in a car accident than be kidnapped or molested. I grew up down there, my parents still live there, and some of my relatives and close family friends teach in school system there. The Keys are not a particularly unsafe place to raise children, and violent crimes such as rape and molestation are not a worry of local residents; they have never been a problem. Honestly, the biggest concern many have about raising their children in the Keys is the alcohol/drugs, but honestly, those things can be found anywhere. Don't get me wrong, some of the local kids get caught up in that stuff, but myself and several of my peers grew up to be normal, well-adjusted, and successful individuals.

My advice to you on which neighborhoods/areas to search is to go by the recommendation of friends and colleagues. I wouldn't avoid a neighborhood solely because a registered sex offender or two lives there. If you would like to ask me specific information about real estate costs and schools, please feel free to do so as well.

[tricon7]

Originally Posted by crisp444

With all due respect, I do think you are being paranoid. The actual risk of a sex offender harming your child is miniscule; I recently read that a child is thousands of times more likely to die in a car accident than be kidnapped or molested. I grew up down there, my parents still live there, and some of my relatives and close family friends teach in school system there. The Keys are not a particularly unsafe place to raise children, and violent crimes such as rape and molestation are not a worry of local residents; they have never been a problem. Honestly, the biggest concern many have about raising their children in the Keys is the alcohol/drugs, but honestly, those things can be found anywhere. Don't get me wrong, some of the local kids get caught up in that stuff, but myself and several of my peers grew up to be normal, well-adjusted, and successful individuals.

My advice to you on which neighborhoods/areas to search is to go by the recommendation of friends and colleagues. I wouldn't avoid a neighborhood solely because a registered sex offender or two lives there. If you would like to ask me specific information about real estate costs and schools, please feel free to do so as well.

This sounds like good, balanced advice.

[rusty78]

The Keys are a great place to visit...and like any other vacation spot...I am sure a great place to live...here are some sites for you to try keywesttravelguide.com - keysnet.com - stateofflorida.com on the state site they offer a relocation guide that will supply you with valuable facts before and after your move...good luck

[daytonHOA]

I lived in the Keys and loved everyday I was there. My husband and I had one teenager who moved along with us and two adult children who moved down later. By the time I left to move closer to sick parents I had six grandchildren born there.

Drugs, Alcohol, Domestic Violence and petty theft including stolen bicycles make up the bulk of the police calls. I would say there is not a bad place to live even in the "worst neighborhoods" I would feel safe walking down the street. The Keynoter newspaper prints every arrest so look there to see for yourself.

It is an expensive place to live and play, especially to put gas in the boat every weekend, and we could make ends meet on my husbands retirement but I had to go to work so we could play.
We lived on Big Pine Key. I chose it because of the Beach at Bahia Honda State Park. I think it is the best beach in the Keys. We had rented in Plantation Key near Islamorada for several years and really loved diving all the reefs and sunken boats there.

Your children will have long bus rides unless you live on the Keys with schools there were some charter schools on other islands but these are the main ones: Key Largo, Islamarada, Marathon, Sugarloaf, Key West

Rent may not be cheap. Insurance has a lot to do with that. We were paying $6000.00 yearly on insurance for our 2 bedroom, 912 sq. ft. house.

I would definately not go without checking out employment first. I came from an area where every employer offered vacation, sick leave and retirement and there was plenty of white collar jobs. Don't expect that in the Keys. Construction and service industries for the tourists are the mainstays. If you expect benefits look to Major Hotel Chains, Banking, city, county and state government jobs. When I was there they were offering special housing help to Teachers, Firefighters and Law Enforcement Officers.
The Key West Citizen and Keynoter newspapers are online.

There is nothing like the trafic jams in the Keys, looking out and watching the fish jump from the aqua waters really calms the frustration.