[NEWTOSFLA]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

Louisiana's beaches aren't that bad... They're not Florida but no many are but they are still pretty nice.

No one enjoys West Tennessee. It's the armpit of the earth.

Yeah, i really don't understand the fascination of TN either. What the hell goes on there but freaking Nashville

[annerk]

Originally Posted by michael11747

Still sounds hellish to me. My friends actually worked for the builders, and they pretty much unanimously agree that most of the homes they worked on were built only to code, with some slipping through the cracks. It's an industry wide thing according to them. They would go to bars and joke about it. It might have to do with the depreciation Florida is seeing.

Yes, many of the production builders built crappy homes. Mine is a custom home by a very reputable builder.

As for ID cards, the Y or my health club isn't my home. Where I live, I don't lock my door, so I don't have the same problems as you. A gated community, IMO, seems to be a false sense of security. Kind of like a selling point to elderly couples. If I want to use a public pool, I can go to that for free without an ID card.

I don't care where I live, I lock my door. My neighborhood is in a fairly rural area, I still lock my door. Crime has no boundaries. I locked my door when I rented a small cabin out on a farm in the country and I locked my door when I lived in a crappy area of a city. I have no false sense of security, but it sounds like you might.

And the closest free public pool? No idea but a lot further than I'd be willing to drive for a swim.

[Spring Hillian]

Jobs are a problem everywhere right now. They are there, but the competition for them is great. In a lot of cases, before you even hear about a job, those who are networked already have interviewed for the job. Then, obviously, it has to be a job that meets your particular qualifications and your field of work. I don't know a C.T.A.E from a C.F.C.C. or G.E.R.D. but in 22 years in FL I have never un-willingly, been out of work. Flexibility is sometimes the key. Having more than one skill is important in todays job market. One should never have to live "where my job is" but have a job where they live.

Originally Posted by DARRELL-N-FLORIDA

I actually love and enjoy Fl living. The winters to me are perfect. I enjoy the summer heat, I just plainly love Fl weather totally.
But the jobs well.....what jobs.
Right off the bat they dont pay too well in the first place, not like Ga,NC,TX and many other places.
I live in Ocala,Fl and our jobs well.....what jobs.
This town is all dried up as far as jobs. I am going to C.T.A.E. and C.F.C.C. getting certifications in my field of work.
Once I get all the certs I am after well.....moving my be.
If I move I will miss Fl and all the recreation she has to offer, but I need to work also.

[Spring Hillian]

Growth (population and its resulting effects) is one of the problems in Florida. It had a huge boom time from the late 1980's until 2005 or so.
The cities really grew in that period and the rural areas became populated.
The tide turned and it's rolling out. Hopefully it will stay out and there will be lots of jobs for the remaining "normal" population load. The roads would be less crowded, less load on essential services such as water, waste management, environment, public spaces, etc. Florida was a different place in the early 1990's.

I think the same thing is happening or will happen in Charlotte, NC and other urban centers in states of TN, NC and GA.

Huge land masses that surround cities become suburbs which become part of the metropolis and the suburbs move out further. Look at Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, all the same. They sucked up their surrounding areas.

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

Tennessee is also alot less likely to suffer the fate of Florida..

People talk about fates and stuff, keep in mind states like TN, NC, and GA all have huge land masses probably close to FL and ALOT less population...

[Spring Hillian]

All the things you listed are a direct result of overpopulation.
You forgot the unemployment problem. Make the # 8.

If enough people leave, things can normalize here and somewhere else can play "boom state". Everything on your list would basically disappear and/or dramatically decrease.

Originally Posted by Guardian of The Gulf

Well the main issues people have with FL on this forum seem to be

1. Hispanic immigrants
2. "Rude" people relocating from the northeast
3. Traffic/congestion
4. poor public schools
5. foreclosures
6. suburban sprawl
7. crime

All of that can be found in North Carolina and Georgia. No place in this economy is recession proof and yes FL has been hit hard. But cities like Jacksonville and Tampa whose primary industry is not tourisim will fair better than the smaller tourist/retiree oriented places.

[Spring Hillian]

What hurt Florida is not that it basis a lot of its economy on tourism, has since the 1880's, but the influx of people in search of the better life that Florida offers. It just can't offer it to everybody. The wages didn't suddenly go down. They were always lower than a lot of states. But people still came in search of the better life, knowing in advance the situation on lower wages.

Yes, Florida is overbuilt and over populated. Too many dream seekers who didn't find what they were looking for.

Please define "right to work state".

I'd like to understand how you feel employers "screw people".

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

I don't really know what work has to do with the argument of different states having the same fate as Florida.

No state will ever have the low paying jobs that Florida has because no other state bases their financial integrity on tourism.

What land masses have to do with this argument is that Florida is over-populated and over built. You will never see that problem in the rest of the south.

As far as wages go, Tennessee is also a "right to work" state and until the economy tanked it was a great place to work. Now that the economy is in the toilet and there are thousands of people out of work, Employers are taking advantage and trying to screw people. One of the many reasons why I'm on my way out asap.

[flkingfan]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

All the things you listed are a direct result of overpopulation.
You forgot the unemployment problem. Make the # 8.

If enough people leave, things can normalize here and somewhere else can play "boom state". Everything on your list would basically disappear and/or dramatically decrease.

I think birth control might help too. It's only going to get worse as the years go on, no matter where you are.

[Spring Hillian]

Good synopsis GotG. It's not the state. It's the expectations, qualifications and tenacity of those who come. It may not be an easy place to re-establish a life, but it certainly is a great one.

Originally Posted by Guardian of The Gulf

Florida is only overpopulated in the southeast corner of the state and that has a lot to do with the fact of the everglades cutting the counties in half.

Additionally Georgia and North Carolina are the fastest growing states while Florida growth is slowing down, so how can you say that they won't have a closer population to Florida in the next 10 years or so?

Also Florida has a growing medical field, the space industry, military, universities, construction, agriculture, manufacturing banking in Miami, trade, and transportation. So it's not like tourisim is the only thing it has going for it. But I agree the unemployment is high here but that doesn't make it a bad or undesirable state, it just means you have to be careful where you choose to live and not move here without a job lined up.

[bikerider 2009]

Living in Indiana, which I life 7 months of the year (don't like the present cold temps), we have thought about moving to Florida! We will be young retirees in the next four years, and like the thought of the warmer weather. We won't have to work, but probably would want to stay busy with some part time employment. I guess grass is always greener somewhere else?

[Spring Hillian]

but you basically pay for what you get - if you pay little you get little - you pay more you are very likely to get more!

Nice to see somebody has the right attitude.

A lot of people came to Florida to get jobs in the tourist trade.
It's not an easy career, but it can be very lucrative if you're
good at it and stick with it. Most people who try find that dealing with
their fellow human beings who are on vacation or retired don't mesh
well with their real world which is providing service. If you are a skilled
person, no matter what the profession, it is possible to do well ANYWHERE.

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Mega centers in North Carolina - most if not all mega centers are in NYC - that is just a fact - financial
capital of the world - the firms that opened up in the south were places nE business men wanted to retire to and got a head start. I'm not sure why the geographical location is so important to jobs - I wish they weren't but they are. Not every one in Texas is a rocket scientist but the other jobs help - support staff and so on.

I agree that employers are trying to take advantage, but you basically pay for what you get - if you pay little you get little - you pay more you are very likely to get more!

I cants speak for any of the places you mentioned feeling overcrowded as i work on an island that houses 9 million people - talk about crowded! I would gladly switch places with any one who wants to come to NYC!