Moving from Austin TX to Ft Myers next summer (Cape Coral: appointed, 2014)

[rainbowlove83]

Hello,
I'm a 30 yr old single, no kids, Female from Austin TX and I am planning on moving to Ft Myers in June 2014. I was wondering if Florida required its residents to have annual vehicle safety inspections? I've been researching and can't seem to find an answer. They make us do that here in TX.

I've been reading a bunch of topics on here and I'm almost afraid to move now with all the bad things people are saying about the job situation. I was planning on moving there with at least $16,000 saved up and looking for a job once I get there. I would be looking for an office administrative or clerical position. Every time I do a job search for office clerical positions in Ft Myers, several entries always come up. Certainly it couldn't be as bad as people are suggesting it is? I was hoping to find some reputable temp agencies that I could apply at as well.

Anyway, I look forward to moving to Florida. I have a friend who lives there in Ft Myers and I have always enjoyed it the times I came to visit him. I am so sick of Texas and ready for a change. :-)

[Hemidancer]

Originally Posted by rainbowlove83

Hello,
I was wondering if Florida required its residents to have annual vehicle safety inspections?

No, annual vehicle safety inspections are not required, which means that there are a lot of dangerous pieces of crap on the road. I personally have my car inspected every year to ensure it's safe, but sadly, its not a requirement.

Originally Posted by rainbowlove83

I was planning on moving there with at least $16,000 saved up and looking for a job once I get there. ........ Certainly it couldn't be as bad as people are suggesting it is?

I would say this is not a good plan - you should definitely have some sort of employment lined up beforehand, or at the very least, talk with some recruiters before you get here and get their feedback on job prospects in your field.

Originally Posted by rainbowlove83

Anyway, I look forward to moving to Florida. I have a friend who lives there in Ft Myers and I have always enjoyed it the times I came to visit him. I am so sick of Texas and ready for a change. :-)

It's a great place to live, but be sure to do your homework first in terms of housing, jobs and weather. If you just show up hoping to 'wing it', you may be disappointed.

[rikoshaprl]

I agree about doing your homework first. But there is 90% employment here (10% unemployment) so there is a good a chance for you to find work. If you come around this time of year you could probably find a waitress job while looking for something better. The season starts this time of year with lots of snowbirds here until about March or April.

[Samiamnh]

What the heck.....you're young and single and should get a pass for not always being practical.It will be a great adventure and you'll eventually find some work that you like.Besides,there's all those nice beaches

[xoomer]

I moved from Texas to Cape Coral a couple of years ago and, as mentioned before, there are no car inspections here. However, the cost of registering you car will more than make up for the money you save by not having an inspection--probably double what you pay in Texas. Car insurance is about the same if you can find someone to return your calls when searching for a quote.

This is about the worse place in the states to look for a job. From what I've seen, about the only jobs available are minimum wage and/or temporary. If I were in your shoes, I would try to find someway to work on the Internet to make a living so you wouldn't have to depend on the local economy.

[rainbowlove83]

Hey thanks for the advice. I am handicapped and wouldn't be able to perform a waitressing job. My clumsy butt would drop the food lol! I currently work as an administrative assistant at a state agency here in TX and have been at my current job for 10 years. I need to work a job that I can sit more than stand. I have bookmarked the state of Florida employment website and hopefully I can find a state job there. My current position doesn't transfer unfortunately.
My other option is Ft Lauderdale, there seem to be more state jobs over there and I love Lauderdale as much as Myers.
I will have enough income for six months, so I am going to see what I can find. Worst case scenario, I'll move back to Texas.

[rainbowlove83]

I definitely believe you guys about it being hard for even the locals to find jobs. My poor friend, who has lived there for years has been out of work since 2011 and even he has not been able to find a job since! He does have a felony on his record so I imagine that throws a whole other challenging element in the mix. He seems to think I won't have any problems finding work here since I have a clean record.

One other silly question, what is the insect situation like? I hope Florida doesn't have nasty cockroaches like TX does. I keep hearing about Palmetto bugs and how they are similar to roaches. yuck!

[Kim in FL]

Rainbow, I wouldn't come here without a job. What you're looking for a) doesn't pay much and b) there are hundreds of applicants every time one opens up. Clean record or not, you're going to have a tough time. A lot of times it's not what you know, but who you know.

Having some savings is good, at least you can get by until you do find a job. Finding a rental without a job is another story...they wont' usually take your savings into account because you're already living off of it.

The reason you friends isn't working is because he's a felon. No one around here will hire them..day labors will, but that's about it.

[QubanitoLoco]

Originally Posted by rainbowlove83

Hello,
I'm a 30 yr old single, no kids, Female from Austin TX and I am planning on moving to Ft Myers in June 2014. I was wondering if Florida required its residents to have annual vehicle safety inspections? I've been researching and can't seem to find an answer. They make us do that here in TX.

I've been reading a bunch of topics on here and I'm almost afraid to move now with all the bad things people are saying about the job situation. I was planning on moving there with at least $16,000 saved up and looking for a job once I get there. I would be looking for an office administrative or clerical position. Every time I do a job search for office clerical positions in Ft Myers, several entries always come up. Certainly it couldn't be as bad as people are suggesting it is? I was hoping to find some reputable temp agencies that I could apply at as well.

Anyway, I look forward to moving to Florida. I have a friend who lives there in Ft Myers and I have always enjoyed it the times I came to visit him. I am so sick of Texas and ready for a change. :-)

If you are not an elderly republican 65+, stay away from SWFL....

[Sweetbottoms]

why move here? You're young. You're moving from a vibrant city to a retirement community thats seasonal at best when it comes to jobs. Hope you like closes down at 8pm kinda town. Downtown Ft. Myers is a dump, they've been trying to revive it for I dunno 10 years. Still mostly boarded up shops. And have you looked at crime stats for Ft. Myers? Its shocking when we don't hear of a stabbing, robbery or murder for more than 2 days.. mistake mistake. tsk tsk.