The truth about Cape Coral/ Ft Myers SWFL Area (Miami: condos, attorney)

[TedTAce]

Gees what a shallow urination contest.

I don't agree with NH's delivery, but as the expression goes, a bad day of fishing is still better then a good day at the office.

After 2 years here (in TN) and one fishing encounter where I caught a duck instead of getting a nibble by a fish, Florida is certainly MY home choice.

[ChrisA70]

That's why we are all created different. To each his own. I am here in FL. Ya, a few things here I like, but more up north than here... Year after year this heat is getting to me more, I HATE IT... I am outside 90% of the day, if someone sits in an AC'd office, well isn't it just paradise.....LOL....

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by TedTAce

I don't agree with NH's delivery, but as the expression goes, a bad day of fishing is still better then a good day at the office.

.

But he isn't going to an office. He sometimes sings at night in a bar or restaurant, whether he's in MA, NH or FL. It's part-time.

[nhkev]

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

I am for sure not impressed. Nothing like making yourself look conceited.

I prefer to wake up, go outside where it is low 70's, tinker with my truck, load it up with camping gear, go to Vermont, NH, or out in western MA. Drive off into the woods smell the fresh air, swim in a lake where the water is not 95 degrees, or worry about being eaten by a gator, go hiking, cook out, sit around the fire....

Winter... Go outside play in the snow with my daughter, throw a few snowballs, go inside, hot chocolate or coffee, watch a movie. Cross country ski.

Chris you totally missed the point and yet you get it perfectly- I'm not bragging what I am saying is that whether i'm on vacation or not I still try to enjoy what life has to offer and this post of yours is exactly what I'm talking about ... I know you don't like florida and prefer the north , My point is if you moved up north and did none of the things you mentioned you like doing what would be the point of being there.

[121804]

Originally Posted by nhkev

your post says it all... and I see why you only got 5% .... it's all you deserved. I'm not on vacation anymore.... so what did I do yesterday? I woke up went out on the boat from 11am to 6pm fished , swam, played in the water with my kids, then went to work ,in the resturaunt business , which i've been involved in one form or the other for 25 yrs).

I didn't waitress in that area (thank the heavens for not having to endure a service sector job in that part of the country) nor did I state I got 5%. I got stiffed plenty of times, left pennies for a tip, and sometimes tips of 200-300% I waitressed for 9 years..I know something about it

What I was saying was that there is a big difference in being on vacation and waitressing in a tourist/retiree area.

To knock the people who WORK there and judge them on doing things you HAVE NO CLUE about shows a lack of, well, pretty much everything.

You entertain, you DO NOT serve food nor MANAGE a restaurant.

Enough of the spin.

But, again, hey, your atttitude goes great with the SWFL mentality of someone who has never lived there full time & needed to earn an income.

I did lots of things yesterday too but don't need to pat myself on the back for it. I find much happiness but don't need to tell everyone else how to find it according to my agenda and way of life.

You vacation in SWFL. You don't live there. Give it a break.

I could care less what a person likes or if it is too hold or too cold or too snowy or too sunny...

What is wrong though is when vacationers/retirees/snowbirds think they know more than those who work there full time and are trying to survive & then judge those people for their work ethic. They seem to be having a crappy day? Well, with some of the "I am a super duper positive sunny person who loves to spread joy & happiness ..." get your head out from under you and maybe take 3 seconds to think what others are going through. IF you can do that, either stay at the place of business or leave. But, that's null and void, obviously, it's not possible for some.

There are many different variables in life but comparing your VACATION to living in a place and working there...that's plain ridiculous.

[121804]

Originally Posted by TedTAce

Gees what a shallow urination contest.

I don't agree with NH's delivery, but as the expression goes, a bad day of fishing is still better then a good day at the office.

After 2 years here (in TN) and one fishing encounter where I caught a duck instead of getting a nibble by a fish, Florida is certainly MY home choice.

Ahh, no s$it Who would rather waitress than sit on boat, drink a beer and chill?

Some places are a HECK of lot easier to work in and endure than SWFL. I know that b/c I walked the walk. I've lived in several different states and a different country (due to military, not "I don't like it here so I want to move").

I don't mind working. I don't mind vacationing. But, I prefer to work in an area that is 180 degrees NOT a place like SWFL. After living there, I know why & it's my preference.

I am not a retiree, so I really cannot comment on what THEIR life will be like in SWFL.

I am not a snowbird, so I have no clue what it is like having the luxury of two homes in which I can pick & choose the climate of the month to endure, so I cannot comment on what their life will be like in SWFL.

The first fall off the high horse of supremacy can hurt the bum a little & it appears many are still on the horse...

But, it is a pissing match. You have snowbirds telling working families how life will be and vacationers saying how the working class of SWFL don't meet their standards.

Really, it's stupid.

I guess I should go on the Australia forum and start to comment on working there & raising a family since I have vacationed there....

Turks & Caicos is beyond beautiful. Ever wonder why people just don't up there & move there? Check out the wages compared to cost of living

[yachtcare]

The bottom line, if you want the truth...........

The FUNDAMENTALS of what made this area liveable, has eroded to the point, that it is unliveable, unless, you are independantly wealthy.(Not that there's anything wrong with that, I wish I were) Either such as nhkev, or the average retiree that has a nestegg and can budget themselves because they have a routine group of needs or activities.

Services have dwindled to a ghost of what they were. Nobody here does anything unless it is absolutly necessary. Lately many find themselves working twice as hard, for about one quarter of the take. I've noticed recently, those that have the $$ have begun gaming(preying) on those that dont, making them compete more, and undercut their competitors prices even more. The taxes, and other associated costs continue to go up. Regardless of the (somewhat mythical) property tax "breaks" at the local level, the municipalities just ramp up methods to wring revenue out of the citizens in other ways.(roaming wolf packs of aggressive cops, businesses getting hit with snap "code" & fire inspections, resulting in fines, utility bills on the rise, etc.)

So, in brief, what little work can be found, now has to be done at bare minimum wage, or far less than it was even a year ago. Those of us that are self employed, can often put in more hours doing a job at an agreed upon fee, than will even equal minimum wage. More and more people are simply packing up, and driving away. The area's economic woes are feeding upon themselves. SW Florida is literally eating itself. If you are on vacation, you wont see it. Try to run an income producing venture here, and it becomes wide screen apparent real fast. Even when (IF) the job market recovery begins, it wont start here, for some time after it starts everywhere else. Even amongst my regular core of customers, that have kept me afloat for the past two years, half of them have already told me they arent planning to come here this winter. I'll still make some income, looking after their interests, but at the same reduced pace as the summer months. Now, dont cry for me, as I suspect the same is true for other service businesses as well.

A close friend, that rents from a gentleman that was a (losing) candidate for local (county) office last year, was served papers over the weekend to inform him his landlord hasnt made a mortgage payment since last September, and the property(along with several others that landlord owns) was now in foreclosure.

AT THE BEST, it's become a zero sum game in SW Florida at this point. For a great many, it is simply a losing proposition, heading towards total loss. And there doesnt seem to be any end to this trend in sight. Watched two more in the neighborhood pack up and go away this weekend, and stopped at a garage sale further north toward the hospital. They planned to be headed out in their RV by the end of the week.

The downward vortex keeps getting stronger and stronger, and yet like moths to the flame, the gullible keep headed right into the whirlpool of economic destruction that is SW Florida.............dont have a job? got enuf money to get ya by a couple months? come on down!!!!!!!!

[nhkev]

Originally Posted by 121804

I didn't waitress in that area (thank the heavens for not having to endure a service sector job in that part of the country) nor did I state I got 5%. I got stiffed plenty of times, left pennies for a tip, and sometimes tips of 200-300% I waitressed for 9 years..I know something about it

What I was saying was that there is a big difference in being on vacation and waitressing in a tourist/retiree area.

To knock the people who WORK there and judge them on doing things you HAVE NO CLUE about shows a lack of, well, pretty much everything.

You entertain, you DO NOT serve food nor MANAGE a restaurant.

Enough of the spin.

But, again, hey, your atttitude goes great with the SWFL mentality of someone who has never lived there full time & needed to earn an income.

I did lots of things yesterday too but don't need to pat myself on the back for it. I find much happiness but don't need to tell everyone else how to find it according to my agenda and way of life.

You vacation in SWFL. You don't live there. Give it a break.

I could care less what a person likes or if it is too hold or too cold or too snowy or too sunny...

What is wrong though is when vacationers/retirees/snowbirds think they know more than those who work there full time and are trying to survive & then judge those people for their work ethic. They seem to be having a crappy day? Well, with some of the "I am a super duper positive sunny person who loves to spread joy & happiness ..." get your head out from under you and maybe take 3 seconds to think what others are going through. IF you can do that, either stay at the place of business or leave. But, that's null and void, obviously, it's not possible for some.

There are many different variables in life but comparing your VACATION to living in a place and working there...that's plain ridiculous.

yes I entertain now but it doesn't mean that is the extent of my resturaunt experience... but regardless to bring this back to reality. If I am a paying customer at an establishment am I wrong to have an expectation that the wait staff comes over with a smile and says something like " Hi welcome to the krusty krab, my name is Kevin I'll be your server this evening can I start you out with a beverage?" As opposed to someone just coming over with a puss on their face and looking like you're interupting them?? Why this hit some kind of nerve with you is puzzling? So to knock them and judge them? yes when I'm footing the bill and deciding how much of My money to give them for a tip for their service. and the reason why I went through with my day is in response to your post saying that vacation is different from reality . I'm just saying it doesn't have to be. I wasn't attempting to brag or impress anyone... Maybe I do go through life with rose colored glasses. But what is the alternative? Chris 070 says he wants to live in the north , likes to hike, make snowballs , and play in the snow with his daughter. Does anyone say to him "Well if you lived up north it wouldn't be like that it only snows for vacationers, and if you lived here you wouldnt enjoy hiking anymore.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by nhkev

yes I entertain now but it doesn't mean that is the extent of my resturaunt experience... but regardless to bring this back to reality. If I am a paying customer at an establishment am I wrong to have an expectation that the wait staff comes over with a smile and says something like " Hi welcome to the krusty krab, my name is Kevin I'll be your server this evening can I start you out with a beverage?" As opposed to someone just coming over with a puss on their face and looking like you're interupting them?? Why this hit some kind of nerve with you is puzzling? So to knock them and judge them? yes when I'm footing the bill and deciding how much of My money to give them for a tip for their service. and the reason why I went through with my day is in response to your post saying that vacation is different from reality . I'm just saying it doesn't have to be. I wasn't attempting to brag or impress anyone... Maybe I do go through life with rose colored glasses. But what is the alternative? Chris 070 says he wants to live in the north , likes to hike, make snowballs , and play in the snow with his daughter. Does anyone say to him "Well if you lived up north it wouldn't be like that it only snows for vacationers, and if you lived here you wouldnt enjoy hiking anymore.

Get use to it, buddy. You are going to see a lot more sour pusses. Southwest Florida is the land of the unhappy and rude. It's one of the biggest reasons I left, and that was well before the crash.

We don't say anything to Chris because he IS a New Englander and has lived in both places.

You, on the other hand, tried to portray living and working in swFlorida, when you are not doing any of that. You sang a few songs at a bar one night while you are on vacation. Soon you'll be back in Boston, occasionally singing some songs. Nice life but it's not typical for most people.

You were disingenuous and you know it. You own investment property in Cape Coral, for crying out loud.

[121804]

Originally Posted by nhkev

and the reason why I went through with my day is in response to your post saying that vacation is different from reality . I'm just saying it doesn't have to be.

Life and work in SWFL. Support your family there. Then get back to us on this post

As a parent, one of the jobs is to teach a child how to endure tough times and that life is not a vacation. A vacation is earned, not a priviledge. And there are lots of bumps in the road. And there can be really bad days, weeks or even months..as a parent, I am going to teach my children how to endure those things, not sugar coat them with song, dance & a tap of Dorothy shoes b/c that is beyond unfair to children. My dh grew up in that sort of crap..let's just smile and keep thinking happy!!!!...and he struggles greatly know as an adult when life hands him punches & mommy isn't there with her smile & pretend everything is like a DisneyWorld vacation. I am not saying to sit around and be miserable and constantly tell your children how hard and awful life is...but to give the message that vacation and reality are the same?? That makes no sense.

Vacationing on Sanibel is not reality. It's vacation.

You are in the entertainment business. That is not mainstream. There is nothing wrong with that, but it's not mainstream, so I do not intend for you to think very mainstream but you are also missing logic.