Broward info needed (Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines: attorney, equity, apartment)

[jpimus]

I live in NYC and I am considering moving down to Broward County to work for the Broward County Sheriffs Office. They are hiring big time and I enjoyed Broward County during a couple of vacations in recent years.I went to college in CT and lived in the northeast my entire life so Florida will be a big change.

My fiance is obviously coming with me and like me she is also college educated and has a good resume so I believe she shouldn't have any trouble finding a decent corporate job.

Can any of you offer any advice of what should I expect life to be like in Broward as a Deputy Sheriff? How can I make such a large transition run smoothly by knowing what to expect living in Broward County?

What towns should I live in if I am seeking a quite and family type area with nice housing/condos. I will be renting for at least my first year and looking to spend 800 - 1400 per month. How is traffic, quality of life, crime, restaurants and schools?

Thank you


Matt

[PBCboy]

Crime is definitely high and the rest varies.

[JSnFla]

u will see much crazier and more bizarre things working as a cop in broward than u ever would in NYC....its the wild west down here with a ton of illegals from 3rd world nations who could care less what the laws are or if u r a cop or not...i would not want to pull over a randon car down here...its a zoo...

[chisoxfan]

Originally Posted by jpimus

What towns should I live in if I am seeking a quite and family type area with nice housing/condos.

Check out Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Cooper City and Pembroke Pines. Add Tamarac to the list if you don't mind being around a high percentage of retirees. Weston is very nice but a tad pricey.

[memoriesbre]

You say that you liked it for vacation? It's a whole different ballgame once you live there. There are nice neighborhoods and all, but you do have alot of crime and violence as well in the surrounding areas. Traffic you ask? It's worse than NY! The houses are tiny and on top of each other in the mid-range neighborhoods, you will be paying close to $450,000 for one of those houses too. We are flying down next week for our son's wedding next week and can't wait to see him, but dread being in that area. People say that NY is crazy? Welcome to Broward County!!
If you are looking for a decent area, try Deerfield Beach. There's a mix of homes and condo's there. Coral Springs is loaded with us New Yorker's too.
Even though we were around people from NY there, I still missed being back up north. We ended up moving back to the Northeast 3 months ago.

Florida is wonderful for vacation, but living there for some isn't the best choice.

[jhlcomp]

Sometimes when I read these posts I feel like I am living in a totally different city. But, then again, not being in law enforcement, and just going home-work-home makes for a pretty sheltered existence.

I live in Broward. My office is in Plantation. My home is in Weston. If you are working for BSO which area will you be in -- do you know? One of the other posters mentioned some areas and I have to agree with their recommendation. You will find an apartment in the upper bracket of your price range.

Rent for a while and take day trips or weekend trips around south Florida to get better acqainted with the area. We like living here and have not experienced one iota of the problems other posters have listed.

Welcome to south Florida!

[harry chickpea]

"I live in NYC and I am considering moving down to Broward County to work for the Broward County Sheriffs Office. They are hiring big time... "

Be aware of the high-stakes politics going on with Jenne and his detractors. You can almost be guaranteed to be jumping into a sizzling frying pan where members of the force and the public are polarized on the issues. Ask some of the people working there, or who have just left, for their candid opinions. You may find it nothing to be concerned about, or it could affect your decision to hire on. As has been stated above, south Florida ain't Mayberry.

[jpimus]

I want to thank everyone for their replies, you all have been very helpful. I have a few more questions for those who can help. Is the Broward County Sheriffs Office highly respected by the public? And are they viewed differently then the local town or city police such as Fort Lauderdale police or Plantation police?

Also, anyone know of any website/forum where I can speak to officers about BSO?


Thanks again


Matt

[harry chickpea]

IMO, BSO officers are generally decent hardworking people. I respect them more than Hollywood (which isn't saying much), but not quite as much as the Margate officers, who (again, IMO) do a fantastic job of policing without being overbearing. I've seen too many little dictators and misfits in police service, and regard most police forces as more like a group of people scared to lose control and working out their time to retirement than an effective representation of community values, but you could do worse than BSO if you can stand the politics. Try Margate first though.

[proud to be American]

Originally Posted by jpimus

I live in NYC and I am considering moving down to Broward County to work for the Broward County Sheriffs Office. They are hiring big time and I enjoyed Broward County during a couple of vacations in recent years.I went to college in CT and lived in the northeast my entire life so Florida will be a big change.

My fiance is obviously coming with me and like me she is also college educated and has a good resume so I believe she shouldn't have any trouble finding a decent corporate job.

Can any of you offer any advice of what should I expect life to be like in Broward as a Deputy Sheriff? How can I make such a large transition run smoothly by knowing what to expect living in Broward County?

What towns should I live in if I am seeking a quite and family type area with nice housing/condos. I will be renting for at least my first year and looking to spend 800 - 1400 per month. How is traffic, quality of life, crime, restaurants and schools?

Thank you


Matt

I come from a family that has a long, long history with BSO.
My Father is retired from there my Brother is a Deputy working in Lauderdale Lakes and have several uncles retired and current working there along with several friends.
I worked for several years as purchasing director/Security operations supervisor for former Sheriff Nick Navarro.You did not mention if you were being hired into the academy or if you were already certified from NY?
I think with the current Broward County living standards (cost of living) infastructure type jobs have taken a huge hit.Hard to live on a starting Deputies salary now compared to if you started 8-10 years ago and bought a home then.With a degree you could try and move up the ranks as you gain seniority.But, until then you could work alot of detail work it is abundant.
Are you selling a home with sizable equity in NY to help the transition period?

This is not the Broward County that New Yorkers invaded years ago.
When New Yorkers first started migrating to Broward they actually sold homes in New York that would fully purchase a home in South Florida and still have alot of money left over.

Broward is not the only County to look into try Southwest Florida, Port St. Lucie,Martin County etc..

P.S. The current Sheriff is not exactly a "Deputies man"
He will throw your a$$ under the bus real quick to save his own.
This Sheriff is a politician/Attorney first Sheriff second.