Does living in florida really suck that bad? (Jacksonville, Miami: appointed, to rent)
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I am a 38yr old with a wife and 2 kids ages 8 and 10. We live in Northern Delaware and are needing a major change... Employment is not an issue as I run a successful internet business and can work from home.
i have been researching Florida for some time and the more I do, the worse it seems...
We LOVE the beach, fishing, boating, swimming etc... These are the things that have me worried about a move to Florida. (by the way, we are thinking Port St John, Cocoa AREA and buying a home with a screened in pool)
1. Your house and yard will be INFESTED with Huge Palmetto Bugs, Giant Spiders and Massive Swarms of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes!
2. The heat is unbearable for 8 months out of the year and you will do nothing but sit inside with the AC on full blast mounting massive electric bills.
3. The beaches get Red Tides all the time and smell horrible and burn your eyes. When there is no Red Tide, the waters will be filled with stinging jellyfish and man-o-war. They are also littered with trash and medical waste.
4. If you venture outside of your fenced yard you will be attacked by Killer Alligators, Venomous Snakes and Spiders. And be eaten alive by mosquitoes and other biting insects.
5. Insurance is unaffordable IF you can find a company to insure your house... because a Hurricane WILL find you and destroy your home!
6. Crime in Florida is a Huge problem and will WILL fall victim of it. Murder, Rape, Massive Pedophile Kidnappings etc...
Am I crazy to feel a bit apprehensive about moving to Florida after reading all the above "FACTS" ???
I visit Orlando and Miami once a year and LOVE it every time I go, but people tell me that IF I move to Florida I will experience the above listed issues and I will absolutely RESENT my decision to move to the Sunshine State.
PLEASE REPLY WITH HONEST "REAL" info to help me make my decision before I destroy my families life with a wrong move...
Number 2 is true. Number 5 is partially true-a hurricane may or may not hit your home. Number 6-crime rates are some of the highest in the country, but odds are you won't get raped or kidnapped. Maybe murdered, though. I live on the Gulf coast, and the Red Tide is a problem from time to time (every couple of years) and I HAVE been stung by jellyfish (not a Man O' War) and stepped on stingrays, but that's somewhat rare.
I'm thinking of moving to your state for the same reason you're thinking of moving to mine, and trust me, Florida will be different than Delaware. Good luck.
1) I live in central FL and yes I see bugs sometimes, very rarely in my house, and my yard isn't infested, I do things in my back yard a lot and never have issues with bugs, ants are what annoy me the most, but that still isn't a huge problem
2)It gets really bad from around June-September but I'm still outdoors just as much as during the rest of the year, those are the months everyone goes to the beach, the theme parks, etc.
3) I don't live on the coast but in my whole life of living here red tide has only prevented me from going to the beach once, and I go multiple times throughout the year.
4)false
5)In central FL only one hurricane caused some what severe damage in my whole life of living here, and my house wasn't destroyed, it was still livable.
6) crime is an issue in some areas, but there are even more areas where it is safe and crime isn't much of an issue. I've lived here all my life and I've never been a victim of crime.
Much of what you have read is greatly exagerated IMHO. I've lived in Florida for 29 years, my husband was born and raised in Orlando, the ONLY one of the 5 issues you posted that we have EVER had a problem with is the one regarding insurance and that was only for a couple of years right after the 2004 hurricanes. My insurance currently is about the same price point as it was prior to 2004. I do NOT find it too hot to be outside 8 months of the year. That is a HUGE exageration - I would agree to about 3 months of the year - but even then we spend alot of time in the pool, it's just too hot for me to jog, etc.
We have NO bugs in our home and NO bugs in our yard except pesky mosquitos at certain times of the year they CAN be bad but there are things to use such as sevin. Use it at the beginning of the season on your grass - works like a charm.
Florida is great for anyone who loves water sports, boating, year round gardening (except for this winter, lol), year round golf, tennis, etc. and hot weather! If you like cold weather, 4 distinct seasons and snow, you will be disappointed.
1. Your house and yard will be INFESTED with Huge Palmetto Bugs, Giant Spiders and Massive Swarms of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes! Only partially true. The only thing we've ever had a problem with (and we live in Daytona, about an hour and a half north of Cocoa) is mosquitoes and that is during the summer, especially if its rainy. But, you can have tons of mosquitoes in the summer just about anywhere. I have family in MN and they're much more previlent there.
2. The heat is unbearable for 8 months out of the year and you will do nothing but sit inside with the AC on full blast mounting massive electric bills. Its very hot June through September, but you can spend a lot of time in the pool and at the beach. You do have to do your mowing early in the day or in the evening though and you won't want to take long walks or jog too much. If you're on the coast evenings are actually more bearable most of the time than they are in the summer in the mid Atlantic states! The rest of the months are usually very pleasant. In the winter we get some freezes and frosts (even this year and a few times in years past, a little bit of snow) and sometimes 80 degree days, but most days in central FL between October and April the temps range from the 40's to the 70's.
3. The beaches get Red Tides all the time and smell horrible and burn your eyes. When there is no Red Tide, the waters will be filled with stinging jellyfish and man-o-war. They are also littered with trash and medical waste. I have lived in Daytona all of my live and have never seen a red tide in person! Of the five of us in our family, only twice have we dealt with jellyfish stings (our younger son once and our 10 y/o DD for the first time this summer. I am a teacher, off in summer and we go at least twice a week to the beach. It really is rare.
4. If you venture outside of your fenced yard you will be attacked by Killer Alligators, Venomous Snakes and Spiders. And be eaten alive by mosquitoes and other biting insects. What????????????? I've only see Alligators and Gatorland, or in Gainesville around U of F!
5. Insurance is unaffordable IF you can find a company to insure your house... because a Hurricane WILL find you and destroy your home! Hmmm.... we were threatened with losing our coverage by State Farm, but they decided to continue in the insurance business as I think they have in most areas of FL now. I am not sure about afforablity since I haven't lived anywhere else, but I do know rates are a lot less expensive if you live on the mainland side of town and not in a flood zone. We were effected here by three hurricanes within 6 weeks in 2004 (all category 1s), but that is extremely rare. I have experienced a few tropical storms in my lifetime here and the worst we've had to deal with is loss of power for a few days and torn out patio/pool enclosure screens. Like I said, that has really been pretty rare though. We do get some threats and scares, but rarely do they seem to materialize.
6. Crime in Florida is a Huge problem and will WILL fall victim of it. Murder, Rape, Massive Pedophile Kidnappings etc... I've never experienced this and I've lived in FL all my life (I'm 50). Now I am knocking on wood!
Keep in mind that you always hear the bad things which are happening and the negative. In FL you can enjoy, among other things: a long season of water activities such as boating, fishing and swimming and lots and lots of water available! pretty much year round sports for kids (though I will admit the winter softball league for our DD had us freezing our rear ends off a few times!) If you live in Cocoa you'll be an hour from Disney, Universal, Sea World, etc.
You'll be about two hours away from the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
You'll be about three and a half hours away from the FL Marlins Orlando has a professional basketball team Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa have pro football teams Daytona has Nascar You would be very close to the cape and easily be able to see shuttles launch There are lots of things to do within a very short driving distance!
1. Your house and yard will be INFESTED with Huge Palmetto Bugs, Giant Spiders and Massive Swarms of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes!
2. The heat is unbearable for 8 months out of the year and you will do nothing but sit inside with the AC on full blast mounting massive electric bills.
3. The beaches get Red Tides all the time and smell horrible and burn your eyes. When there is no Red Tide, the waters will be filled with stinging jellyfish and man-o-war. They are also littered with trash and medical waste.
4. If you venture outside of your fenced yard you will be attacked by Killer Alligators, Venomous Snakes and Spiders. And be eaten alive by mosquitoes and other biting insects.
5. Insurance is unaffordable IF you can find a company to insure your house... because a Hurricane WILL find you and destroy your home!
6. Crime in Florida is a Huge problem and will WILL fall victim of it. Murder, Rape, Massive Pedophile Kidnappings etc...
1. There are bugs here. In most cases you won't have a "huge" infestation. I hear the occasional anecdotal story of this but have yet to meet someone personally who has had a "huge" infestation. The mosquitoes can be bad but they aren't generally inside. As for the spiders learn which are good and which are potentially dangerous. I see wolf spiders in my house a couple times a week, but they're the good guys eating all the bugs you don't really want.
2. Yes. It's Florida. The heat can be unbearable. I don't think it's for 8 months, though. More like four. And you do acclimatize, although that can take a while.
3. We get red tide from time to time, but I don't think it;s even once a year. I have lived here for nearly seven years and I think there have probably been about red tides where I was living maybe three times in that stretch. And yes we have jellyfish and sharks. They tend to be migratory so if you are concerned about such things stay out of the water during migration season and/or stick to beaches with lifeguards.
4. The biting insects can be bad, especially in the heat of summer. The danger of alligators, snakes and spiders is hugely overblown. Respect them and more likely than not you will not have any problem. I note of the three the fatalities or even serious injuries associated with alligators is pretty small. Of course there is a risk that you could get hurt by any of these things. Without looking up the numbers I would reckon your likelihood of being in a car accident is much higher.
5. Insurance is expensive. Hurricanes are definitely a risk. You can minimize these risks with shutters, living inland and other things, but it is a risk you live with. If you don't live in a really risky area you will find someone to insure you, even if it's Citizens. And you can add windstorm mitigation improvements to make you more insurable.
6. Crime is a problem in Florida. I don't know how it compares to all other states. I understand that the economy has caused crime to go up but that while crime rates re going up for property crimes (burglary,etc.) crime rates for violent offenses like murder and rape are not increasing at the same rate and may even be decreasing.
WOW!! You guys are all great! Thanks for taking the time for me!
If this is a representation of the people I will meet in florida I am on my way... I have been in Delaware all my 38 years and this is a BIG TIME move for us and we are all a bit weary that we are making the right choice.
We need the beach, sun, fish and weather!
We will be driving down in April for a week to look at homes to buy or rent (probably going to rent 1st unless we find that "dream home"
1. Your house and yard will be INFESTED with Huge Palmetto Bugs, Giant Spiders and Massive Swarms of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes!
2. The heat is unbearable for 8 months out of the year and you will do nothing but sit inside with the AC on full blast mounting massive electric bills.
3. The beaches get Red Tides all the time and smell horrible and burn your eyes. When there is no Red Tide, the waters will be filled with stinging jellyfish and man-o-war. They are also littered with trash and medical waste.
4. If you venture outside of your fenced yard you will be attacked by Killer Alligators, Venomous Snakes and Spiders. And be eaten alive by mosquitoes and other biting insects.
5. Insurance is unaffordable IF you can find a company to insure your house... because a Hurricane WILL find you and destroy your home!
6. Crime in Florida is a Huge problem and will WILL fall victim of it. Murder, Rape, Massive Pedophile Kidnappings etc...
1. slightly exaggerated but yes...
2. Coming from MD, the heat was welcome... A few months it can be rough but it affects people differently... It never bothered me but my stepdad hated every second he was here in the summer...
3. Not much of a beach person...
4. Depends on where you live in FL...
5. Homeowners/renters insurance is typically more expensive in FL... Severity of hurricanes depends on where you live...
6. FL is a huge state and like any other there are good and bad parts...
Its hard to make such generalized statements about such a large state... The climate in NE FL is much more mild... It is 37 degrees here in JAX... Typically hurricanes don't directly hit here and the wildlife is closer to normal here...
I was so happy to get out of MD when I moved here, it was life changing...
I am a 38yr old with a wife and 2 kids ages 8 and 10. We live in Northern Delaware and are needing a major change... Employment is not an issue as I run a successful internet business and can work from home.
i have been researching Florida for some time and the more I do, the worse it seems...
We LOVE the beach, fishing, boating, swimming etc... These are the things that have me worried about a move to Florida. (by the way, we are thinking Port St John, Cocoa AREA and buying a home with a screened in pool)
1. Your house and yard will be INFESTED with Huge Palmetto Bugs, Giant Spiders and Massive Swarms of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes!
There are a lot bugs. The worst are the fire ants. Your yard will have them, unless you apply pesticides. personally, I think pesticides do terrible things to people and are especially dangerous to children and pets.
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2. The heat is unbearable for 8 months out of the year and you will do nothing but sit inside with the AC on full blast mounting massive electric bills.
The heat IS awful for eight months a year. It's fun your first year, but gets old fast.
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3. The beaches get Red Tides all the time and smell horrible and burn your eyes. When there is no Red Tide, the waters will be filled with stinging jellyfish and man-o-war. They are also littered with trash and medical waste.
The beaches are ok. You will get sea lice in the spring, but the ocean is the ocean. The thing to keep in mind is that if you live here and work here, you will get to the beach a lot less than you think. It isn't like being on vacation.
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4. If you venture outside of your fenced yard you will be attacked by Killer Alligators, Venomous Snakes and Spiders. And be eaten alive by mosquitoes and other biting insects.
No likely, but there are alligators and poisonous snakes and sometimes you have to use your head.
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5. Insurance is unaffordable IF you can find a company to insure your house... because a Hurricane WILL find you and destroy your home!
Insurance rates have been dropping lately. Hurricanse do happen, but it's unlikely your home will be destroyed. On the other hand, my office was leveled in a hurricane a few years ago.
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6. Crime in Florida is a Huge problem and will WILL fall victim of it. Murder, Rape, Massive Pedophile Kidnappings etc...
Crime in Florida IS a huge problem. This isn't something to joke about. There is a lot of it. Watch the news on tV and all of the stories in the first 10 minutes are crime stories. You don't realize how bad it is until you go somewhere else. Don't kid yourself about this. Crime is bad.
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Am I crazy to feel a bit apprehensive about moving to Florida after reading all the above "FACTS" ???
I visit Orlando and Miami once a year and LOVE it every time I go, but people tell me that IF I move to Florida I will experience the above listed issues and I will absolutely RESENT my decision to move to the Sunshine State.
PLEASE REPLY WITH HONEST "REAL" info to help me make my decision before I destroy my families life with a wrong move...
Vacationing in Florida is nothing like living in Florida. Not even close.
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