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I've made my living in municipal public utilities (and yes, that includes the collection and treatment of sewage) and I can tell you first hand that large sewage spills that get into the beach areas (in my case, Tampa Bay and the Gulf) aren't that rare. Things break and the sewage keeps coming. When this happens and IF it's reported to the DEP, many times a swimming area will be closed. Fact of life when humans live near the water. Are municipalities forthcoming about their spills? Not hardly, sometimes huge fines are involved. Is it getting better? You bet-there was a time, not too long ago, that there was no oversight and semi-treated and untreated sewage was dumped straight into the bay. It took lawsuits by concerned citizens and yes, environmental groups, to make cities clean up their act. People in Florida don't like their beaches covered in poo and toilet paper.
The problem of repetitive red tide is being addressed by banning the use of nitrogen rich fertilizers during the rainy season. This is being done on a local level, mainly because our state lawmakers aren't known for doing the right thing.
To the OP- yes it's safe to swim in the ocean for the most part.
I'm moving to Florida because I hate cold weather. I don't mind bugs, snakes, gators, and even hurricanes. I just hate cold weather. I come from Michigan where we have brutal winters and brutal summers. It gets hot and super humid in July and August. I can handle heat and humidity any day when the flip-side is dealing with more cold, snow, and ice.
Location: Lakewood NJ/Murrells Inlet SC/ N. Naples FL/Swainton NJ
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I just took the dog for a walk in the current zero degree wind chill temperatures here in Central NJ. It snowed most of the day, but unlike the last three big storms, it did not really accumulate much. As I was cursing the cold I was also asking myself why this winter seems so long and brutal. Sure it's been colder than normal. And sure we've had a lot more snow than normal. But why was I feeling it was never ending??
Then I realized..... This is my first winter as a retiree! Before July 1 I worked two jobs and left the house at 5 am and got home at 10 pm 5 days a week. I also worked Saturday mornings. I had been doing that for quite a long time. Winter was always just as bad and I still hated it, but when you are working inside most waking hours, it does not seem as big a deal. However, when you are retired and home all day or running around doing things, the winter weather really sucks!
I guess if I were really into skiing or other winter sports I might like winter a little. But I am not (yeah I like to ski, but it's never been something I would go out of my way for). But being stuck in the house or having to brave the elements to go to the gym or the store or whatever is not my idea of fun.
Then I realized that is why there are so many "snow birds" who flock to warmer climates like Florida. At 50 degrees I can still ride my bike, take long walks on the beach, whatever. I know I will enjoy next winter spent in Naples a whole lot me than I am enjoying this winter. I will think back to this winter before we owned our condo and smile......
Last summer we went to the beach at Wildwood Crest in NJ. My son, age 3, was digging in the sand when all of the sudden we noticed a syringe right next to him! The needle was bent back, but still, there it was. My husband had been joking about needles on Jersey beaches. I grew up in FL and never saw anything on the beach other than some tar down by Ft. Pierce.
By the way, last June in New Jersey, it was rainy and freezing cold the entire time we were at the beach! Lame.... Give me a FL beach anytime. I remember going to New Smyrna beach a long time ago in December when I was home from college and having a great time! Where else could you do THAT?
Last summer we went to the beach at Wildwood Crest in NJ. My son, age 3, was digging in the sand when all of the sudden we noticed a syringe right next to him! The needle was bent back, but still, there it was. My husband had been joking about needles on Jersey beaches. I grew up in FL and never saw anything on the beach other than some tar down by Ft. Pierce.
By the way, last June in New Jersey, it was rainy and freezing cold the entire time we were at the beach! Lame.... Give me a FL beach anytime. I remember going to New Smyrna beach a long time ago in December when I was home from college and having a great time! Where else could you do THAT?
Yeah, we've been to Wildwood, NJ in June and it's been cold and rainy. I like the boardwalk in NJ. You do get alot of nice days here in FL to go to the beach. In the summer sometimes it gets too hot to go to the beach. I know it sounds crazy, but if you bring a canopy or umbrella, it's fine.
Living here is just like anywhere else. It has it's pros and cons. What I've noticed here though is the absurdly amount of clueless people, (in the Orlando area anyway). I really don't know where these types come from, probably by-products of the lackluster school system. But we do have the best weather, most lakes and best sunsets I've ever lived. I like living here, but the people here are downright stupid. Sorry if I offended anybody, but for the size of Orlando and it's population, people here are still rude and it seems like most people's education level are stuck in middle school. It boggles my mind how such a beautiful place has so many idiots per capita.
Last summer we went to the beach at Wildwood Crest in NJ. My son, age 3, was digging in the sand when all of the sudden we noticed a syringe right next to him! The needle was bent back, but still, there it was. My husband had been joking about needles on Jersey beaches. I grew up in FL and never saw anything on the beach other than some tar down by Ft. Pierce.
By the way, last June in New Jersey, it was rainy and freezing cold the entire time we were at the beach! Lame.... Give me a FL beach anytime. I remember going to New Smyrna beach a long time ago in December when I was home from college and having a great time! Where else could you do THAT?
I've frequented NJ beaches, mostly Wildwood, and have never found anything like that. I'd have to think this was an isolated incidence, just like it's not terribly common in FL, despite what some want you to think.
I'll add a few more things to the list. I have people say to me, "come on it can't all be good." Tell me something bad about Florida. So here goes, the negative side to living in Florida. Well, negative for some people.
Some people find it to hot for their liking, especially in the summer months June-August. It does get really hot here. I usually plan my day and if I'm gonna go for a jog it's probably not going to be at 12 noon, if you're gonna mow the lawn it's probably best to do it in the early morning or late afternoon. I suggest planning a trip here in the summer to make sure you are comfortable with the heat. You don't want to move here and then find out you're not all that fond of hot weather.
It's a tropical climate and tropical climates bring bugs. You will find a myriad of different species of bugs in Florida. There are many natural remedies to getting rid of the pests as well as having your home sprayed for bugs on a quarterly basis.
Mosquitoes are one of the most talked about bugs in Florida. Mosquitoes are most prevalent in in the rainy season, June-August. They lay their eggs in standing water of ditches, buckets of water and stagnate water. This area has airplanes that fly over in mosquito season and they spray for them. To cut down on the mosquitoes around your home make sure you eliminate any standing water around your house. There are many sprays, candles and bug zappers you can use to get rid of the pesky bugs.
Snakes are an issue that I hear about regularly. There are 45 different types of snakes in Florida with only 6 being venomous. Most won’t bother you and just eat things like small rodents, rabbits, rats, mice, and other types of small animals. The majority of snakes are good to have around the yard and control any over abundant rodent populations.
Many of the venomous snakes like to live in wooded areas under rocks or around swampy, marshy areas. Generally, they don’t want to be bothered when encountered, so if you leave them alone usually they’ll run the other way. Often times when people get bitten is when they try to handle a snake, not realizing that the snake is poisonous. If you kill a snake the snakes reflexes are still “live” for a short period after you have killed it, so don’t immediately handle it or you might get bitten.
The six snakes that are venomous are The Southern Copperhead, which is only found in the panhandle area and not in SW Florida. The Cottonmouth, commonly called a water moccasin, which is primarily found around brackish water and marsh areas. The Eastern Diamond Back, they like palmetto thickets, under brush and Gopher Tortoise holes and are found throughout Florida. Next is the Timber Rattlesnake which is only found in 9 counties in Florida and SW Florida is not included in it's range. Moving on to the Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake, which is found throughout Florida around ponds and in underbrush. And lastly we have the Eastern Coral Snake, which of my 37 years living here have never seen one. Supposedly they are found throughout Florida. If you absolutely hate snakes you could get this stuff called Snake-Away and I heard this keeps them away from your house or where ever you put it.
The latest news reports state that there is now an invasive species of Burmese Python known to inhabit the Everglades and they are large enough to eat goats. Although they are not poisonous they can be a danger to humans due to their large size. I have never seen this type of snake in SW FL.
Another animal that some people are concerned about is alligators. Alligators tend to stick to the rivers where the water is brackish (a mixture of salt and fresh waters) and they also like the golf course water traps.
Alligators seldom attack humans, and fatalities from such attacks are extremely rare. Alligators are naturally afraid of humans, but they lose that fear when people feed them. There has been several alligator attacks due to people feeding them.
The most likely time to see alligators is at dusk. Often during the day you can catch them sunning themselves on the shoreline. Once the sun goes down they become more active. I wouldn't recommend swimming in a place known to be inhabited by alligators. It's also wise to keep dogs and cats away from the shoreline of waters known to be inhabited by alligators. Most dogs and cats are about the size of the animals alligators prey on-raccoons, birds, fish, turtles, etc Stay away from any small alligators or nests because the female alligators can become extremely dangers when protecting their young. Also don't go trying to get a lost golf ball a golf course water trap. They love to hang out in places like that.
If you live on a freshwater or brackish water canal and have small children or pets I always recommend getting a fence as an extra precaution.
You can greatly reduce your chances of being attacked by an alligator by just using some common sense. Generally speaking, if you don't swim in the rivers or the water traps you should be pretty safe. If an alligator shows aggression toward human you can call Florida Fish & Game and they will remove it.
Then you have the Chinese Drywall. This certainly has been an issue. Most of the CDW was imported from Chine between 2001-2007. Hundreds of millions of sheets of Chinese drywall were imported from 2004 to 2006, but Chinese drywall has recently been found in homes built or remodeled as early as 2001. Chinese Drywall has been found in 30 states and the District of Columbia and is estimated to have been installed in over 100,000 homes in the United States. See Map. Unfortunately, this does not paint an accurate picture as most affected homes have a mixture of safe and tainted drywall.
The majority of Chinese drywall is 1/2", but not always. Here are some clues that the home has CDW. Does your home smell like rotten eggs or ammonia (sometimes a sweetish smell)? I've also been in homes where it smelled like raw sewage. Is it more noticeable when entering your home and then seems to dissipate? The level of odor varies greatly in each home as does each person’s ability to detect the odor. Of course, the strength of the odor also depends on how much drywall was used in the home. The home may not smell and still can be affected by CDW. In short, do not rely on your nose alone, particularly since many develop olfactory fatigue after being exposed to Chinese drywall.
Chinese drywall corrodes electrical wiring. Check the electrical receptacles in your walls to see if the wires are blackened. Pull off the electrical plate and look inside. Obviously, do not touch anything - you could get shocked. There should be a copper wire inside. The wires in this photo have been corroded from Chinese drywall. The breaker panel should also be checked. I've also seen plumbing fixtures that are pitted and if the A/C has been replaced and the home is relatively new-that's also a clue that the home may have Chinese Drywall. Some of the sheets of drywall are stamped Knauf or National Gypsum on the back.
Signs of an electrical problem include, a circuit breaker which frequently needs resetting without an apparent cause (particularly a GFCI or AFCI); lights that flicker without any apparent cause; bright flashes or sparks anywhere in your electrical system (this may indicate arcing conditions in the wiring); buzzing from electrical systems, switch plates, dimmers and outlet covers that are discolored from overheating; and a smell from overheating plastic. CDW was manufactured during the time that hurricane Charlie hit so even if your home is older it could be effected. I always recommend a home inspection
Moving on to the next concern I hear is hurricanes. Really a hurricane can hit anywhere in Florida. I think that the Miami and Key West have the highest possibility of a hurricane strike. You need to be prepared where ever you live. I am a native Floridian and have lived in or close by Sarasota county my whole life and have never evacuated, not to say that I wouldn't but I've never felt the need to.
Anywhere you live in the world you will be faced with some kind of natural disaster-tornadoes, typhoons, tidal waves, earthquakes, blizzards, etc. At least with hurricanes you will have advance notice before they hit. If you choose to leave you have the opportunity to do so. This is not the case with most other weather situations.
Since 1992 Hurricane Andrew, the Florida Building codes have been up graded in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 to deal with damage from wind. Even new manufactured homes are safer than site built homes pre-94 The newer the home since 94, the less insurance you will pay. Insurance for pre 94 homes is difficult to get/keep and you will pay a lot of money for coverage.
Some hurricanes are large and can cover the whole state, while some like 2004 Charley was an oversized tornado. Some years we have to watch for a dozen and other years only one or two. The hurricane season runs from June to November with the peak amount in September.
Here's a chart that shows the probability of a hurricane strike in each area: Florida Hurricane Coastal Strike Probability
Hurricane strike probabilities are only statistical
estimates. Be prepared as storms approach.
Another concern I hear is about sharks. I get asked quite a bit if I’ve ever seen a shark at the beach or if it’s dangerous to swim out at the beach. Fact is that since they have been keeping records on shark attacks there has never been a fatal shark attack from Bradenton to Naples. If you're talking shark attacks, the Atlantic side has far more attacks than the gulf side. One reason you get more attacks over there is the amount of surfers. Surfers mimic a wounded animal and in turn look like lunch to a hungry shark. Most of the sharks that are off the coast of New Smyrna are Tigers, Spinners, Bull, Reef and Blacktips. Ponce Inlet is specifically known to be pretty active with sharks. You really don't have that great surfing on the gulf side unless a storms brewing. The gulf side is also much warmer than the Atlantic side. http://www.underwatertimes.com/news....id=10863094725
Next concern I hear is about the job market. Yeah it's pretty bad here. The unemployment rate is hovering somewhere around 10% right now. It's usually easier to find a job on the medical field then some other markets. The construction market is pretty tough right now. I would not suggest moving here without a job lined up.
There are some areas of town that are better than others which is pretty easy to figure out in the Sarasota area.
On the sex offender issue. I wouldn't say there are any more here than anywhere else. I just think we have a better system of keeping track of them. Which I think is a good thing. You can go here to check to see if any live in the neighborhood you are considering: http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/off...yyt!-928531442
So, if you can live with the the bugs, the heat isn't an issue, aren't afraid of mosquitoes, snakes, sharks or gators, can prepare for hurricanes, have a stable job lined up, are willing to have your home inspected for CDW and can figure out where you want to live...you should be good to go
Please tell me that's someone dressed for Halloween!
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