Weston or Parkland??? (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood: insurance, townhouse, purchase)

[fromchicagotoflorida]

We are from Chicago and relocating to FL also - tried Boca last year and it was so terrible we moved back to Chicago.
We heard a lot of good things about Parkland - im most concerend about schools and family friendly -
Did you go check it you?

[49_Retired]

A good friend who happens to be a high up Guy at PPD, confides to me all the time about what is really happening to Plantation. The public rarely hears about it but gang activity and all kinds of crime is way up the last 3 years in Plantation. If I wrote in detail what he told me, I would prolly be banned from this website. Cheers!

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by 49_Retired

A good friend who happens to be a high up Guy at PPD, confides to me all the time about what is really happening to Plantation. The public rarely hears about it but gang activity and all kinds of crime is way up the last 3 years in Plantation. If I wrote in detail what he told me, I would prolly be banned from this website. Cheers!

I will have to presume that you have no information.

[Dragonmam]

These Plantation "gangs" must be affiliated with the same invisible "gangs" that have supposedly invaded Coral Springs. Every now and then I have somebody I just met tell me they hear that, "Coral Springs is all gangs now" and that, "the police don't want anyone to know." And yes, often it is from someone who supposedly knows someone high up in the police department or the old " friend of a friend" bit.

Being in a gang is about making your presence known and being in control. If there are gangs here or in Plantation, they really aren't very good at it! I'm not worried.

[AlexRodriguez]

Two years ago I had the same dilemma and I decided to move to Weston from Richmond, VA. I'm a triathlete and I felt in love with the wide sidewalks and bike lanes we have here. Weston is always super clean and hands down "the most beautiful city in South Florida." Yes, half of Weston's citizens are of Hispanic heritage, but most of them are highly educated and speak English (including myself)
I'm currently renting and looking for a house to buy myself. So, in order to get access to all the gated communities, I became a Real Estate Agent and I'm now very familiar with all of Weston's communities. If you need an advice on where to buy in Weston, email me and I'll be more than happy to help you. Also, if you find your dream home, I can help you to buy it and I'll rebate part of the commission back to you - I'm a professional and I don't do Real Estate for a living.

[vsmoove]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

I will have to presume that you have no information.

Excellent presumption...

[vsmoove]

From my perspective, having just recently completed a home search in all these communities (save Plantation), I would generally prefer Parkland over Weston but not by much. I think the Spanish thing in Weston is real... I can't count how many times people just walked up to me in drug stores, supermarkets, etc speaking Spanish to me. They understood and spoke English but the point is that most folks presume that you speak Spanish if you are in Weston and don't look lily white. With that said, it's still a great place and I would prefer to live there over Parkland only because I think the location is better. Weston is close to almost everything in Broward and Parkland is not. Parkland is close to Coral Springs and Boca. I think the schools are just about the same... and as Momma Bear mentioned earlier, "great" for S Florida means "average" for most of the country... so don't move to Parkland or Weston and assume that you'll be getting a world-class public school education for your kids.

[Chuck in Ft Lauderdale]

I just moved to Parkland in December, Heron Bay. Its really nice here, very quiet, fresh air, not too much traffic. Amenities are fantastic, shopping is close there is a Publix and super Walmart 5 minutes away. TThere are a few restaurants, more in Coral Springs.My kids are grown but it seems like a good neighborhood for kids and I am told the schools are excellent. Its kind of off the beaten path but that's a nice aspect of it for me. I read a lot about people here being snobbish, have not seen too much of that, a few people wont say hello to you when you are out for a walk but most will. Most everyone here I have met is nice. Its very rustic peaceful and quiet. They had a few burglaries out here a few weeks ago but they seem to have subsided, honestly there is no place that does not happen now.

Positives: Quiet, peaceful, nice amenities. Not a lot of traffic. houses are nice.

Negatives: a FEW snobby people, some aggressive drivers, kind of a distance from everything. HOA and taxes make it pricey.

All in all I like it here.

[Bjoo]

This as been an excellent forum... I really appreciate the input. Its safe to say that hawk's landing is out of the question. My husband has concerns that he will be driving home from Pembroke Pines to Parkland around the 5pm-6pm hour and get caught in awful traffic. During off peak times, google maps states its a 30-34 minute drive (based on a 65 mph limit). Can any one speak on the commute from Parkland to Pembroke Pines especially during peak traffic times?? I'd assume he'd take the Sawgrass expressway home. His office is near Pembroke lakes mall. Additionally, on some weeks he may have to drive daily to hollywood.

[wizrap]

I am in Weston, and when I drive to that area of Pembroke Pines, during off hours (Memorial Hospital West and the large medical office building is right next door to Pembroke Lakes Mall) it takes me at least 20 minutes -- it's not so much because of the actual miles, but because of the lights on Pines Blvd. That is a very popular road, lots of shops, restaurants and developments and the lights are a killer. So although Google has the drive from Parkland to Pembroke Pines listed as 30-34 minutes, I would still add a cushion of 10, 15 minutes or so to accommodate the lights. That's also a very busy area between the mall, the hospital, CB Smith Park -- lots of lights and traffic.

As far as peak times, I would think you'd want to add an additional 30 minutes or so -- and if there is an accident on the Sawgrass, well, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes on top of that (although fortunately there are not many accidents on the Sawgrass but when we do have one, since it's the main road from going north-south on the west side of the county, there can be tie ups).

What might get old after awhile is the cost of tolls -- my husband works up in WPB and he tries to leave early to take I-95 and avoid the Sawgrass.

As far as driving to Hollywood from Parkland during rush hour? At least an hour, perhaps 15 to 30 minutes more -- I-95 during peak times is awful. I don't know if it's the traffic, or the drivers -- maybe both.