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It must really really suck to go through life with your point of view.
It must suck to deny reality and pretend everything is perfect when it's clearly not. I respect people's honesty much more than people with their heads in the clouds any day. This kind of denial is Exactly why Florida is in the shape it is now.
Coach, how's that "oil-drenched beaches" part of your funeral dirge working out?
We've spent a lot of marvelous time in beautiful FLA since you started this thread. Fear and ignorance unfortunately damaged a lot of hard-working small business people by reducing visitor traffic this past summer, but the sun and the sand and the water and the birds and the fish and the dolphins will inevitably bring it back. Enjoy your winter up there!
Marco,
I have many friends and family who reside in Florida, and I would never wish bad on anyone. Where you view my original post (of nearly 5 months ago as a dirge), I tried to convey my personal and honest perceptions of the reality of the situation then....a vantage point that too many negatives are overriding the "lone positive of sunshine". I am sure glad that the neither the oil spill, nor the hurricane conjectures came to fruition this summer, but still, their potential consequences seemed to adversely affect tourism (Florida's lifeblood). Now unemployment, on the other hand, seems to have actually worsened since that original post. My 57 year old friend (lives outside of Orlando) tells me that he does not think that he will have his job of 15 years after Christmas. He now halfheartedly cajoles me into coming to Florida to enjoy the sunshine; I could buy his house.... unfortunately, he adds "because no one else will". His diminishing home equity is his lone pension, and he is truly scared at the prospects of his Florida future.
Sometimes we just have to sit back and enjoy what we have now, instead of assuming that there are places better. Interesting that your posts only focus on the sunshine, not the true quality of life for anyone but yourself. Me, I will enjoy what I have today. Winter will be great this year. I will throw an extra log on the fire in the fireplace if it gets too cold, and enjoy having my kids, and great community friends nearby. Maybe my friend from Florida can join us next year, as he is living proof that the good life is not always predicated on sunshine!
The endless non stop oppressive heat & humidity only adds to the misery
Been warm in Florida since Americans started coming here, what made you think that would change
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& F.P.L. (fools pillage & Loot) are thieves.
Florida's residential electric cost is below the national average and right in the middle of the pack of all states.
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One of the highest if not the highest Homeowners ins in the nation.
Yeah, you finally got one right. When you look at no state income tax and lower property tax the extra $800 or so is more than made up for though.
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One of the highest Ga$ price$.
According to AAA, Florida's average gas prices are lower than 26 other states.
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The highest in mortgage fraud,
Possible but it an epidemic through out the U.S. right now. Certainly not just a Florida problem.
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home of Bernie Madoff,
Is this the Bernie Madoff that was born in Queens, graduated H.S. in Brooklyn, went to Brooklyn Law, who's primary residence was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and ran a Ponzi scheme out of his Wall Street firm? Yes Wall Street is in NY. I realize he had a home in Florida, he also had one in France. I wonder if people that ***** about France list Bernie as one of the bad things.
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sea lice in the spring,often times red tide in the fall.
Sea lice, really? Do you know where sea lice are? The coastal waters of the western U.S., eastern U.S., Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Red Tide? Guess what, red tides occur off coasts all over the world and have occurred for thousands of years.
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high auto ins,
Florida was in the #18 spot about $18 above the national average. I am going to have to call this another fail.
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taxes have gone up,
My property taxes have gone down, as has most of the state. Florida also ranks as #22 on property tax as a percentage of home value.
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tax on clothes & food is higher than up north.
Another head scratcher from you. Real food, as in normal groceries, are not taxed in Florida. Yes, junk food and fast food is but when I go food shopping I pay almost no taxes. There are only 8 states that have any kind of tax on groceries so this is really a non-issue.
General sales tax there are 12 states with higher rates and 13 with the same rate. Of course many of these states have the aforementioned state income tax which Florida does not.
Did you bother researching ANYTHING before you just randomly started typing?
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You are very astute with your "wait & see" approach,people are fleeing to>tenn,Tex,NC,SC ,AZ
Retirement here is no longer the land of milk & honey.If given the choice if I was retirement age Tex or Az would be far above FL,,especially South FLORIDUH.
All the data you throw up to back up your claims is just astounding, this was sarcasm of course, Florida is still growing, albeit at a slower pace which is good and will still have retirees move here.
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The media does not report accurtate info FL unemployment is double digit & the jobs people do have FL wages are @ least 8 to 10 yrs behind.
The info the media reports is what the government puts out, do you think they change it on a whim. Yes, Florida unemployment is high as is the rest of the nation.
Wages? Florida is higher than 30 other states in income per capita. Florida also has a lower C.O.L. than 22 other states. If Florida is 8 years behind then I am scared to think how many years behind the other states are.
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Hurricanes are something to consider yes it's an island & the question is not "if" but when will a cat 4 hit???scary...Up north most places one does not have to worry about being wiped off the map & lose everything.
Floods, wild fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards. Nope, no place else has to worry about nature.
I have lived in Florida for over 20 years and the extent of my damage from hurricane is $0. Yes, I realize some have lost everything just as those in midwest and northern floods have lost everything.
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I grew up in the cold & lived in the cold & it doesn't bother me,currently condo is on the market & just waiting to flee my sweaty hot humid island of so called paradise>>dismissed.
I am glad you like the cold, I hate it. That about covers that point since everyone has their own likes and dislikes.
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People who live on a pension who have relocated here still work,,the cost of living is really not much cheaper.
Actually it is as I have shown earlier but when someone move to one of the more expensive areas of the state it is going to cost more. Someone old enough to have a pension should have been able to figure that out.
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Originally Posted by TriMT7
It must really really suck to go through life with your point of view.
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Originally Posted by **NoodLes**
It must suck to deny reality and pretend everything is perfect when it's clearly not. I respect people's honesty much more than people with their heads in the clouds any day. This kind of denial is Exactly why Florida is in the shape it is now.
I broke down Sweaty's post for you Noodles. Could you please tell me who is in denial.
Keep your nestegg, it will go along way in Pittsburgh Pa! One of the ugliest cities in America with nothing to do other then watch the STEELers while everyone else moves to Florida and actually enjoys life with a never ending group of fun things to do.
You capitalized "steel" as though Pittsburgh's economy depends on it. *lol*
As for fun in Florida, jai-alai and dog tracks just don't appeal to me, even though they seem to be everywhere down there.
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Originally Posted by chopchop0
agreed. Pitt has become quite a nice city these days. anyone who thinks its a dingy polluted city where you can't see the sky needs to come into this century.
Better yet, step into 50 years ago, considering David L. Lawrence ran on the "Smoke Must Go!" platform when he won the city's mayoral election in 1948.
And Pittsburghers are the ones labeled "behind the times"? How ironic!
You capitalized "steel" as though Pittsburgh's economy depends on it. *lol*
As for fun in Florida, jai-alai and dog tracks just don't appeal to me, even though they seem to be everywhere down there.
Better yet, step into 50 years ago, considering David L. Lawrence ran on the "Smoke Must Go!" platform when he won the city's mayoral election in 1948.
And Pittsburghers are the ones labeled "behind the times"? How ironic!
Not going to get into the Pittsburgh aspect of this since I don't know why it was brought up to begin with.
I will say that either you stuck to very specific areas when you were in Florida or probably haven't been here for a while.
There are about 11 dog tracks and 6 Jai Alai Frontons active in Florida. For a state of over 18 million people and 54,000 sq miles that is hardly them being everywhere.
Mike Peterson, great post, wonderful research. Thanks.
Coach, I'm glad that in this great land of ours, we have the freedom to choose our place. Is there a state in the Union that is prospering in the current economic environment? You dump all over Florida as if the bad times will be perpetual. They will end. Is it paradise in Ohio, or West Virginia, Wisconsin, Montana, California or the other 49 states?
As for being focused on sunshine, here's the deal. There are people in dire straits up north and in Florida. There are homes over-mortgaged up north and in Florida. There are real estate bargains up north and in Florida. People work, live, pray, play up north and in Florida. THE SUNSHINE IS THE DIFFERENCE. That' why I talk about it.
As for being concerned with my own quality of life, yeah, you got me. I lack the sort of martyr mentality that would have me ignore my own happiness. Just for balance, I derive great pleasure from being valuable and useful to others--every working moment is devoted to improving the lot of others. But a January average daytime high of 72 is just a different lifestyle than a reading of 25 degrees, know what I mean? Before I start work in the morning, I like to watch the crabs on the beach, the birds fishing, the fish jumping. When I get done working, I love to watch the sun set over the Gulf. Those things are not possible up north.
Folks,
There are some good posts here, and some bad posts here. Bad, NOT because I may or may not agree with them, but because sadly, some here have not learned that while it is ok to debate an ISSUE, VIEWPOINT, etc.....it is NEVER ok to berate or be disrespectful to another poster.
This bantering North vs South is getting very old, and has been the ruin of many a good thread. The original post here is months old, and was a correct and popular concern at the time because of the oil spill. I'm no expert here, but it seems like our biggest fears were thankfully not a prelude to reality. We should all be thankful for that.
Follow the TOS...or be infracted, banned, etc......basically post like adults, get along and be nice.
Been warm in Florida since Americans started coming here, what made you think that would change
Florida's residential electric cost is below the national average and right in the middle of the pack of all states.
Yeah, you finally got one right. When you look at no state income tax and lower property tax the extra $800 or so is more than made up for though.
According to AAA, Florida's average gas prices are lower than 26 other states.
Possible but it an epidemic through out the U.S. right now. Certainly not just a Florida problem.
Is this the Bernie Madoff that was born in Queens, graduated H.S. in Brooklyn, went to Brooklyn Law, who's primary residence was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and ran a Ponzi scheme out of his Wall Street firm? Yes Wall Street is in NY. I realize he had a home in Florida, he also had one in France. I wonder if people that ***** about France list Bernie as one of the bad things.
Sea lice, really? Do you know where sea lice are? The coastal waters of the western U.S., eastern U.S., Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Red Tide? Guess what, red tides occur off coasts all over the world and have occurred for thousands of years.
Florida was in the #18 spot about $18 above the national average. I am going to have to call this another fail.
My property taxes have gone down, as has most of the state. Florida also ranks as #22 on property tax as a percentage of home value.
Another head scratcher from you. Real food, as in normal groceries, are not taxed in Florida. Yes, junk food and fast food is but when I go food shopping I pay almost no taxes. There are only 8 states that have any kind of tax on groceries so this is really a non-issue.
General sales tax there are 12 states with higher rates and 13 with the same rate. Of course many of these states have the aforementioned state income tax which Florida does not.
Did you bother researching ANYTHING before you just randomly started typing?
All the data you throw up to back up your claims is just astounding, this was sarcasm of course, Florida is still growing, albeit at a slower pace which is good and will still have retirees move here.
The info the media reports is what the government puts out, do you think they change it on a whim. Yes, Florida unemployment is high as is the rest of the nation.
Wages? Florida is higher than 30 other states in income per capita. Florida also has a lower C.O.L. than 22 other states. If Florida is 8 years behind then I am scared to think how many years behind the other states are.
Floods, wild fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards. Nope, no place else has to worry about nature.
I have lived in Florida for over 20 years and the extent of my damage from hurricane is $0. Yes, I realize some have lost everything just as those in midwest and northern floods have lost everything.
I am glad you like the cold, I hate it. That about covers that point since everyone has their own likes and dislikes.
Actually it is as I have shown earlier but when someone move to one of the more expensive areas of the state it is going to cost more. Someone old enough to have a pension should have been able to figure that out.
I broke down Sweaty's post for you Noodles. Could you please tell me who is in denial.
Awesome post Mike.
It is getting old, those who love Florida and have done well versus those who hate it because they either did not make it in Florida, make bad choices, did not do their research or want to move to Florida and cannot continue to troll along and attack any positive post in the forum.
Instead of working on moving they have to add their nasty comments.
For me I am not being fooled. I know way too many success stories of those who have moved to Florida and done well. Then on the other hand I know way too many horror stories of those who moved to Florida and should not have, did not do well in Florida, made poor decisions or want to move to Florida and cannot.
I Florida lovers far out number the haters and the facts on this board have proven it.
Hopefully those who has problems in Florida will get over blaming others for their issues and move on.
I am believing that some posters here do their best to troll along hoping to find a way to get rid of positive Florida post or get rid of the many who have done well in Florida a love it there.
Maybe we can just have a Florida haters thread all by themselves so they can beat each other to death instead of injecting falsehoods, dishonest reasoning, pure and simple hatred and blame others for what appears to be a ton of mistakes by the haters.
One more time, Florida is not for everyone, but Florida is not the 3rd and 4th most populated state ( moving back and forth in population ) for nothing.
Some people will never be happy no matter what state they live in.
The Florida success stories prove many haters to be totally wrong.
Please let us hear more of the experiences of those who have actually lived in Florida a while..
On a positive note it is actually the best of times to move to Florida if you have significant wealth already. The beach and sunshine are still here and infrastructure greatly improved from the bubble so we will recover with new energy and new capital that will drive business formation and employment again over time...
It is getting old, those who love Florida and have done well versus those who hate it because they either did not make it in Florida, make bad choices, did not do their research or want to move to Florida and cannot continue to troll along and attack any positive post in the forum.
Instead of working on moving they have to add their nasty comments.
For me I am not being fooled. I know way too many success stories of those who have moved to Florida and done well. Then on the other hand I know way too many horror stories of those who moved to Florida and should not have, did not do well in Florida, made poor decisions or want to move to Florida and cannot.
I Florida lovers far out number the haters and the facts on this board have proven it.
Hopefully those who has problems in Florida will get over blaming others for their issues and move on.
I am believing that some posters here do their best to troll along hoping to find a way to get rid of positive Florida post or get rid of the many who have done well in Florida a love it there.
Maybe we can just have a Florida haters thread all by themselves so they can beat each other to death instead of injecting falsehoods, dishonest reasoning, pure and simple hatred and blame others for what appears to be a ton of mistakes by the haters.
One more time, Florida is not for everyone, but Florida is not the 3rd and 4th most populated state ( moving back and forth in population ) for nothing.
Some people will never be happy no matter what state they live in.
The Florida success stories prove many haters to be totally wrong.
There HAVE been threads for people who do not like it here in FL. But guess what happens Sunny? The Florida cheerleaders come right to it to make sarcastic posts, cause arguements and what happens next? Yep, it gets closed. SO... Making a thread for those who have any negativity towards FL at all will get shut down and a few members who have recently posted in THIS thread WILL immediately be drawn right to it, start the arguing, snyde remarks, and that's all folks... It's a lost cause.
My time in FL has been a sucess story mostly, everyone has a few rough times, but I have been pretty good here. My choice to leave FL is for a few reasons one being for a health issue. Only the heat of summer is what makes me want to move back home. Florida will always be my other home.
Another note from a previous post is. The home values are not at rock bottom in some areas yet. My mothers house in Cape Coral had a value of $278,000 in 2005, $160,000 in 2007, $121,000 in 2008, $92,000 in 2009, and last week her new value came in from CC at $81,000. It's a 2,000 SQ FT pool home right on Pelican Blvd, one of the best areas of CC. I don't think the property values have stabilized in this area.
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