Moving to Fort Myers with appliance service company

[121804]

Originally Posted by mrcoolmrcool28

Another great post on this subject! My point is, this IS a bad economy right now, and i've agreeed that "things are not rosie in sw Florida" (see my post) BUT, they are not as bad as MANY other places in The United States a full third of the country is worse off (Forbes.com) and Florida has that great weather year around, I like hot weather. Things WILL get better. In fact only ten years or so Punta Gorda was listed by Money magazine as the second best place to live in the whole country, bested only by Madison, Wis. which really got us looking into this area in the first place.

Again my point is Florida in not all doom and gloom, for many of us, who invested right, saved our money and made the proper decisions in life, Florida just may be the paradise we are looking for and forward to.

That's all fine & dandy.

Yet, again, the question is asked: Will your wife & you be needing to work a full time job in SWFL?

No one has said NOT to move here if you don't have the income or lifestyle to accomodate it. But to move to FORT MYERS at this time with NO employment? A positive attitude doesn't pay the mortgage. Sunny skies don't pay the electric bill or buy clothes for the kids.

I lived in Punta Gorda (PGI to be exact). With a median age of 60(MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2007: Punta Gorda, FL snapshot), it generally likes to take the title of best place to retire; a title it did gain 10 years ago & still holds on to quite dearly as it is perfectly designed for retirees. I say that from experience of living there. Nothing wrong with that but to paint a different picture based because of trying to prove a point is wrong. Another stat: Family in Punta Gorda, FL
The median age is 65. The US median is 37.6Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed. Our realtor was a SWFL native; born & raised in PG. I remember my dh asking her when we were driving down TT (we were going right past the IHOP in PGI) "Who's the main employer in this area?" Her response; "Construction. Then probably firemen & police". I remember being concerned with that comment. Very concerned. And one of my husband's associates in FM being concerned in '06 about the lack of anything other than construction being the main employer. Sitting on his lanai telling my dh "Man, I don't know what I am going to do if construction stops. I don't know what anyone is going to do. I got college educations to think about." Thankfully, he was able to reinvent himself and manages a restuarant. Life was a much different story for the retirees around the pool at are complex, more than a few who mentioned how annoyed they were with the prospect of low income housing coming to PG, and PGI of all places. Not sure if that happened, though.

And the OP is not asking about PG, he is asking about Fort Myers & Naples. The unemployment rate differs in Charlotte, Lee, & Collier. Specifically, the unemployment rate of Lee County : "Lee County's unemployment rate hit 13 percent for the month of June, up from a revised rate of 12.5 percent for May 2009." Unemployment rate for Lee County hits 13 percent - NorthFortMyersNeighbor.com, news, sports, Florida info, North Fort Myers Neighbor.
And you seemed to imply that the unemployment rate is not bad b/c you are basing it on the whole state, which again is spinning to fit your debate.

My personal favorite is "it's going to get better". You can answer this because why? NO ONE can answer this nor provide the perfect answer. If you understood Fort Myers, CC, and Lehigh Acres and understood WHY it boomed, you would see that the statement "it's going to get better" may not apply to this section of SWFL. It boomed sheerly based on construction. When there never has been nor any indication of being a strong professional based (minus healthcare), there is very little to move on.

I could tell you that next winter in WI is "going to be better" or that future winters are not going to be cold based on positive thinking Reality is that based on sheer geographical location this is not very practical thinking. Based on the sheer historical background of FM, it's very concerning to figure out what is going to get it out of its slump. Had I took the sentence "If you don't pick up on some of these deals in Deep Creek, they are going to be gone & will never come back". Year and half later the same house was for sale but $55,000 less.... No one has the answer. And to say "it will get better" to gloss over the elephant in the room is a bunch of bull. It may. It may not. But not being aware & then getting pissed & angry (the OP) at those who are telling the current story (Yachtcare & Hiknapster); well, it makes no sense.

Honestly, I believe the OP came on to sheerly stir up drama & trouble; as occurred. For those who have been on this particular site, these posters come & go with & it's fits the formula of the trolls.

But, MrCool, you are spinning your debate & glorifying it to win a pissing match. It's not going to happen.

You are retiring to PC, FL, not starting up a business in Lehigh Acres.

ANd for a moment if you think we moved to SWFL b/c we didn't like shoveling & were obssessed with the ocean...exact opposite. And we had no direct intention of leaving. And we still have some dear, dear friends who love the area and we are watching & hearing their heartbreak b/c they love the area & have no intention of leaving; they just cannot find a job outside than McDonalds or WalMart (though WalMart does offer health insurance to part timers). Not every single soul in SWFL is in the pits of despair...but, you do have on rose colored glasses b/c you can. Again, nothing wrong with that...you've earned this time...but stop implying that your situation is comparable to a young family who needs to bring in income. It's not.

[121804]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Once again, for retirees, I think swFlorida could be a good bet. Don't move to Lehigh Acres or one of the ghetto areas. Make sure you don't have Chinese Drywall. Have a job. Have a job. Have a job. Check out the schools.

H- Lee County saw a loss of about 10,000 and a gain of about 10,000 over the past few years; basically evened out. I remember PC was seeing a gain of students when we left in '07 b/c of the cheap rental housing in PC & the transient nature of the area on the unemployed. The biggest concern of the lee County superintendent is the impact that midschool year moves are having on the students due to the economy in the area & the overall instability of the classroom. I posted the link a few weeks back when another poster was asking about the quality of schools in Lee County. I believe that Fort Myers Beach did very well in their test scores this past year, though.

Nope, I'm not all doom & gloom. I just can't for the life of my figure out why retirees need to tell nonretirees that their lives are comparable. My next door neighbor is 82....his life is not like mine; actually, he is far more active than me these days

[hiknapster]

I could have sworn that I read, in the past few days, that the school system lost 3,000 students. No matter. I came across this article while looking. They gave away school supplies and had an unprecedented turnout:

People started lining up outside Harborside Event Center at 5 a.m. - six hours before the 10th annual Back To School Festival and School Supply Giveaway began....


By 8 a.m., hundreds of parents and children were waiting in line.
"We knew this event was going to be big because of the (sluggish) economy," event organizer Connie Ramos-Williams said, "but we had no idea it would be this big."
An estimated 12,000 people attended the four-hour festival.

Lee County's unemployment rate is at a historic high of 13 percent with about 37,000 people out of work. About 2,000 foreclosures a month have been filed in the county in recent months as Lee consistently ranks among the top five major metropolitan areas in the country by foreclosure rate.


I think this part is pertinent for someone wanting to start a business in the area:

Statistics show that Sunday's event was sorely needed. More than 62 percent of kindergärtners through 12th-graders in Lee County participate in the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for needy students - the federal government's benchmark for poverty.

Thousands in Lee County turn out for free school supplies, festival | news-press.com | The News-Press

Originally Posted by mrcoolmrcool28

Another great post on this subject! My point is, this IS a bad economy right now, and i've agreeed that "things are not rosie in sw Florida" (see my post) BUT, they are not as bad as MANY other places in The United States a full third of the country is worse off (Forbes.com) and Florida has that great weather year around, I like hot weather. Things WILL get better. In fact only ten years or so Punta Gorda was listed by Money magazine as the second best place to live in the whole country, bested only by Madison, Wis. which really got us looking into this area in the first place.

My wife and I have been at this for a long time, we have made MANY trips all over Florida, and have researched the area for a long long time. We bought in Port Charlotte because of the prices, Yes we took advantage of the real estate bust, because of our research we bought what we think was the right time and got the waterfront property we wanted! Property that would have cost us AT LEAST four times more with three times higher taxes in Wisconsin, Plus we can use it all the time, not just four or five months.

Again my point is Florida in not all doom and gloom, for many of us, who invested right, saved our money and made the proper decisions in life, Florida just may be the paradise we are looking for and forward to. Certainly We've talk to MANY MANY people who have moved to florida and LOVE IT, very few who do not, there's a reason Florida's population grows every year, people are moving there, NOT moving away

Who knows when we get there we may not like it BUT anything is better then these terrible Wisconsin winters!!!

BTW, we just have had the coldest July in history, and the prediction for this winter is for much colder than normal AGAIN! Mr.Cool

Originally Posted by 121804

H- Lee County saw a loss of about 10,000 and a gain of about 10,000 over the past few years; basically evened out. I remember PC was seeing a gain of students when we left in '07 b/c of the cheap rental housing in PC & the transient nature of the area on the unemployed. The biggest concern of the lee County superintendent is the impact that midschool year moves are having on the students due to the economy in the area & the overall instability of the classroom. I posted the link a few weeks back when another poster was asking about the quality of schools in Lee County. I believe that Fort Myers Beach did very well in their test scores this past year, though.

Nope, I'm not all doom & gloom. I just can't for the life of my figure out why retirees need to tell nonretirees that their lives are comparable. My next door neighbor is 82....his life is not like mine; actually, he is far more active than me these days

[121804]

Job recovery will take years

Though GDP data show the economy may have hit bottom, the impact of the 7.5 million jobs lost to recession will linger for years.


State Est jobs lost to recession Est. date of job recovery
Thousands Percent
Michigan -556.6 -12.7 after 2015
Arizona -264.0 -9.9 2014
Florida -699.7 -8.7 2014
Nevada -103.3 -8.0 2013
Oregon -128.6 -7.4 2014
Ohio -392.1 -7.2 after 2015
Rhode Island -35.2 -7.1 after 2015
Idaho -45.5 -6.9 2012
California -1035.0 -6.8 2013

Job loss recovery may take years - Eye on the Economy- msnbc.com

"But it's going to get better".....so, let's pack up our bags and move to SWFL! The sun is going to make it all better.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by 121804

Job recovery will take years

Though GDP data show the economy may have hit bottom, the impact of the 7.5 million jobs lost to recession will linger for years.


State Est jobs lost to recession Est. date of job recovery
Thousands Percent
Michigan -556.6 -12.7 after 2015
Arizona -264.0 -9.9 2014
Florida -699.7 -8.7 2014
Nevada -103.3 -8.0 2013
Oregon -128.6 -7.4 2014
Ohio -392.1 -7.2 after 2015
Rhode Island -35.2 -7.1 after 2015
Idaho -45.5 -6.9 2012
California -1035.0 -6.8 2013

Job loss recovery may take years - Eye on the Economy- msnbc.com

"But it's going to get better".....so, let's pack up our bags and move to SWFL! The sun is going to make it all better.

And chew on this.

Know how we've heard some bragging about how Florida is NOT THAT BAD? And I keep saying it depends on the area. SWFlorida is much worse than most of the state at 13 percent unemployment...

So...

If it's going to take until 2014 for Florida to recover jobs, how long will swFlorida take?

And if they were terrible jobs to begin with, would you really want to recover them?

[121804]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

And chew on this.

Know how we've heard some bragging about how Florida is NOT THAT BAD? And I keep saying it depends on the area. SWFlorida is much worse than most of the state at 13 percent unemployment...

So...

If it's going to take until 2014 for Florida to recover jobs, how long will swFlorida take?

And if they were terrible jobs to begin with, would you really want to recover them?

One of the things my husband mentions (you & him are from the same general area of MA) is that western MA never really got into the housing boom PLUS its vast array of ivy league colleges/universities (think how many jobs go to Amherst; UM; Holyoke; and so on. Mix that with some of the boarding schools. The COL and home prices have always been high there; always will be high. You know what you are paying into, basically. It's been steady there though has taken a hit like everywhere else.

FL has some decent universities..UF, FSU, FIU, MU...none of which are located anywhere near SWFL...but, it would be interesting to see how those areas compare currently to FM/CC/LA (gotta throw LA in there...it was mentioned as a possible area to start up a business which really took the cake...). There is Orlando which is tourist/conference center USA. Miami, which pretty much speaks for itself, and Jacksonville which seems to have weathered some things ok.

What does SWFL offer in terms of long term professional employment (minus healthcare). It does have the airport. A small airport but well run & busy. I honestly cannot think of anything else. The Red Sox & Twin do spring training there. You risk your life going to see a Red Sox game, but it still offers seasonal employment. Everything else I can think of is seasonal and very much catered to tourists/retirees/snowbirds...basic customer service. I really don't consider FGCU a real place. It's nursing program was put on probation by the state a few years back.

We live a wonderful life. Have so much to be grateful for right now. Appreiciate all that I've been given; both the good & bad. One day I hope to be able to sit with my husband and discuss how we'd like to spend our retirement days or where we'd like to vacation. But, we have a mortgage and are raising two young children. First & foremost a quality education is imperative plus being near family.

Just never been one to think sun & the ocean outweighs my kids growing up around their cousins, aunts/uncles and grandparents. All that just happens to be in a state that gets snow. It's really hard to spend Christmas opening up presents from the grandparents over the phone. It seems so futile. The moments my children have had with their grandparents is not comparable to snow and cold. Now, if our extended family lived in TX or SC or FL and my dh had employment that provided a liveable income...we'd probably be in that state.

Yes, posters come on and say "They can always fly to see you!" That's about as good as "It's going to get better!".

H- Another thing is if you look at the location of SWFL. It can't grow N. It cannot expand S. It cannot expand W. And to the east is marshland. It's limited. It's also very small and has a small pool to draw from when it comes from demographics.

It's perfect for tourism and retiring. And for those who can do it, the place is their oyster.

And don't worry, Hiknapster, at least SWFL ISN'T MICHIGAN!! Do you believe that? It's not Michigan? Wow. I never knew that just as I never knew it got cold in northern states. Who would thunk it?

[121804]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

And chew on this.

And if they were terrible jobs to begin with, would you really want to recover them?

Cmon, where's your positive, "git r done" attitude? Even Rhodes Scholars come from the ghetto!

At least it's not Michigan!

[121804]

Hiknapster...."someone else" started posting again right about the time of Mr. OP. Thought Mr. OP sounded familiar with the "right frame of mind I can make it happen anywhere" speel...check out the regular forum & you'll probably catch on...

[faithfulFrank]

Folks, let's not be cryptic.
We have veered a bit off from the Original post...I think this thread has exhausted itself and is ready to be closed.

If anyone wishes to continue posting about the Florida economy, future, etc, it may be better to post it in the general Florida section as a new topic.

Frank