[Coconut1]

Has there ever been a worse time to be in Florida?

I imagine years like 1816, 1855 and a couple of others were probably pretty brutal years.

[BucFan]

If you think FLA has it bad, think what Louisianians have gone through lately and a few years back.

[Nomadicus]

FL is having good times compared to the times my folks tell me about during the great depression when weeds in the yard were used for food. Yes times are good. The glass is nearly full. The glass never runs over anywhere. Why is FL the chosen state to be slammed when the northern states are struggling too?

[Ken E]

If you are retireing with a great pension from working hard your entire life, why would you even think of living in Fl year round. If you can actually afford it there are much better places than Florida to spend the summer months. There's some pretty good deals on properties down here right now, but i think the reality of it, is that their just selling for what they were actually worth all along. An awful lot of people really got screwed a few years ago. After you retire , i would come down and rent for a while to see if you really like it. You might be suprised.

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by BucFan

This thread needs to be condemned for being stupid/idiotic. The premise that your friend is having some sort of pension difficulty makes FLA a bad place? Come one, you can do better than that.

Worse time in FLA?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew

It would be so easy to come back at you with a similarly personal slam, but I refuse to stoop to that level of ignorance. So far, I read nothing in your post that remotely suggests that Florida is a better place than what it was in 1992, the year of Hurricane Andrew. Yes, the hurricane of '92 devastated Florida, but the state economy boomed with the aftermath of rebuilding, with better jobs, the infusion of relief funds and insurance monies, and a nearly nonexistent unemployment rate. Is another devastating occurrence the only means for Florida to jump start its economy with the infusion of funds?

[marcopolo]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Forget about the (Will many soon be oil drenched?) beaches and Disney, is there possibly a worse time than the summer of 2010 to be living in or visiting Florida? This is not meant to sound as a slam, but can projections for the Florida lifestyle be any more dire?

I am about to retire with a substantial Northern pension, but my best friend ( 56 years old), who chose to live in Florida 35 years ago, may never afford to retire. He used to brag about the housing appreciation, his year-round swimming, the beaches, his multiple business successes. He told me that his housing appreciation would more than offset my developing pension and his diminished wages. Unfortunately, he is about to lose his job and his retirement nest egg, his Florida home, is now worth less than half of what it was just three short years ago.

As an outsider, who has long envied my colleagues living the Florida good life of 5 short years ago, I have resigned myself to "wait and see" about my Florida future. Unfortunately, Florida has the lingering double digit unemployment (probably worse than what is actually being reported), and appears to be brutally slow in its economic recovery. Throw in the dismal predictions of the ever-expanding oil spill, the 8-11 Atlantic hurricanes predicted for the summer, the devalued housing market, the uncomfortably hot and humid temperatures, and one is tempting fate when planning a Florida stay (or move).

Enough of the gloom and doom. Is there an good news coming out of Florida to offset all of the bad and dismal? Please forget about pleasant the winter weather (the predecessor to 9 months of unbearable heat plus humidity) and the beaches, isn't there more to Florida this summer?

Helllooooo....when you buy something, it is better to pay a low price instead of a high price. The housing bust in Fla is a gift to people in your circumstances.

As for the economy being crappy, have you noticed that we have alternating cycles of expansion and recession across the whole country, and conditions change? Or were you looking for a mythical place where the economy always grows?

Sunshine, beaches, no snow or ice...it's paradise, and this Northerner is pleased as all get out to be a new Florida property owner--who treasures every day he can spend there.

[BucFan]

Haven't seen the oil drenched beaches that the OP is talking about. Have they hit FLA?

[ognend]

Originally Posted by **NoodLes**

You obviously weren't here during the crazy hurricane season of 2004, right after that our property taxes were increasing out of control. Then the housing bubble burst, and even before that employers in the Orlando area were laying off people left and right, even from the most basic jobs. It's not so bad here now, even though I still don't like Florida. Every year we have unbearable summers and add to that the yearly hurricane season where your property is constantly in danger of being severely damaged if not destroyed. And holidays just don't feel like holidays here, it doesn't get too cold and I still love the smoky crisp air from out West when the holidays come around. Like they say it's cool to visit here, but living here year round is a whole different ballgame.

I always wondered about people who live in FL and whine about the heat and humidity. If you don't like either, living here is a mistake. You would probably be better off in the Southwest.

[KasperFile]

You kidding me 1992, the year of Hurricane Andrew was bad times here, on the contrary it was a boom do to all the welfare hand out and insurance clams, no longer then 3 months after Andrew you would see everyone driving new 50k cars and getting their crap shacks redone with the best of materials .

[mango23]

Originally Posted by KasperFile

You kidding me 1992, the year of Hurricane Andrew was bad times here, on the contrary it was a boom do to all the welfare hand out and insurance clams, no longer then 3 months after Andrew you would see everyone driving new 50k cars and getting their crap shacks redone with the best of materials .

I am glad you said it I didn't have the nerve.
Many never went back after they got paid off. Thousands moved up to Broward and we had sort of a mini boom. Everybody in any kind of related building trade was making money hand over fist. I know one roofer who retired on Andrew. All that insurance money got pumped into the local economy.