Moving to Fort Myers !!! (Miami, Tampa: environment, real estate, gated)

[florida1]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Florida1 has had many monikers on this board. She was banned once, tried another name and they figured out who she was, so she started posting at her workplace. They figured that out, since she pretty much says the same thing, sometimes word-for-word.

For quite awhile now, she has posted, I suspect, on her coworkers computer. It seems to be only during lunch breaks and at the end of the work day.

Whatever she does, she works for a developer in downtown Fort Myers. I guess her job depends on these postings.

Either way, I don't see why there was this latest rant. Gosh. I was telling a young girl how to have some fun in Fort Myers!

By the way, I have no ulterior motive. A lot of these Fort Myers people, especially snowbirds, are trying to move to my area. I haven't even bought a home, yet. I have everything to lose by posting here.

Let me first say hiknapster, that my posts weren't even directed at you. While I may not agree with everything you say, you actually can say SOME good things about the area and you actually give people advice whereas most people automatically start scaring them away. However, your lovely post about me has definately changed my opinion of you. I use my own work computer by the way and this is my first time joining the board. As far as me working for a developer downtown, could you please name a developer downtown? There are no businesses downtown besides SunTrust Bank, Wachovia, and the Justice Deptartment (that I know of). I don't even go downtown except for rare occasions and I would be the first to say that Downtown Ft. Myers is possibly the worst place in the entire county to buy a home/condo unless you are RENTING in the highrises. I post in the afternoon because that is generally when I have the most time to surf the web as my work load is much heavier in the morning. I would never go on a co-worker's computer by the way. Besides, all the other computers in this office belong to employees that rank much higher than me. I'm not a wimp, but I'm definatelty not gutsy enough to sneak on my boss's computers.

As for someone who complained about the snowbird population in Ft. Myers, you seem to be pretty happy that they are all moving to your area. Retirees moving to Tennessee has nothing to do with the job market by the way (they don't work). It has more to do with the fact that it is becoming too crowded in this area. How come you list cranky retirees as a reason for people not to move here when apparently they are all moving to Tennessee?

The unemployment rate in Lee County is exactly the same as the national average (maybe even like .1% lower). As the GulfShore article mentioned, there are more companies in Lee County making over $16million this year, than there were making over $13million last year. Sure construction is going down the tubes, but the fact that more companies made the list this year means that Lee County is starting to rely on other industries besides construction. I would be the first to tell people not to move here if they were going into real estate or construction. I would even advise them not to move here unless they had a job lined up.

As far as the 12 y/o being found in the suitcase (as Floridamove2 mentioned), that incident took place in Arcadia which isn't even in Lee County. The body was sent to Sarasota for autopsy so can you explain to me why you are posting this in a thread about Ft. Myers? As far as her age goes, all they know is that she was over 12. That could mean she was 13 or 57. Basically, all they know is that she was an adult. Way to exagerate and leave out important facts though.

I can see I am getting bashed on this thread so I'm just going to stop posting now as it would be useless to post anymore. I think I have more than proved my point.

By the way, if you really want to stalk me hiknapster, go ahead. You seem to have a lot of time on your hands to check what time I post and the words I use. The fact that you did it to other people on this forum tells me that you have quite a bit of time on your hands.

[hiknapster]

Florida1, if you are not that other person, than I truly stand corrected and I apologize. Your posts seemed very similar to hers. You cite the same things.

I do not have a lot of time on my hands. I work a 40-hour week and have a child. As you know, it doesn't take a lot of time to post on here. I enjoy this forum very much.

If you are not that person, than I hope you will continue to post. I think all opinions are welcome.

As far as the low unemployment, you and I know that is mostly low-paying service jobs. Very little industry in Lee County.

And you are right. The snowbirds are coming to my area, much to my chagrin. But there are also a lot of nice Lee Countians moving here, too. People that got sick of dealing with rude people.

Honestly, I am not stalking you. I just type fast and have a good memory. Well, that is slipping fast. I AM 45.

But getting back to the matter at hand, I hope that young girl has a blast in Fort Myers. Free condo? She can't go wrong!

[florida1]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Florida1, if you are not that other person, than I truly stand corrected and I apologize. Your posts seemed very similar to hers. You cite the same things.

I do not have a lot of time on my hands. I work a 40-hour week and have a child. As you know, it doesn't take a lot of time to post on here. I enjoy this forum very much.

If you are not that person, than I hope you will continue to post. I think all opinions are welcome.

As far as the low unemployment, you and I know that is mostly low-paying service jobs. Very little industry in Lee County.

And you are right. The snowbirds are coming to my area, much to my chagrin. But there are also a lot of nice Lee Countians moving here, too. People that got sick of dealing with rude people.

Honestly, I am not stalking you. I just type fast and have a good memory. Well, that is slipping fast. I AM 45.

But getting back to the matter at hand, I hope that young girl has a blast in Fort Myers. Free condo? She can't go wrong!

Thankyou very much for your apology. I apologize if I sounded rude to you but honestly you are one of the few negative people I respect. You actually can say positive things about certain areas. I just get fed up when people complain about the afternoon rain, and then turn around and complain about water restrictions. I noticed you think that Estero/San Carlos Park is a nice area. Well, since Estero/San Carlos Park aren't cities yet, I include them in with Ft. Myers. When I say Ft. Myers is a nice place to live, I am definately not talking about the "ghetto" area. I am talking about the areas down by FGCU and toward the south end of the city. I would never advise anyone to live anywhere north of Colonial Blvd. as I know that this area can be a little shady. I agree that the service industry is a big player in Lee County's economy. However, more people in the United States are employed in the service industry than any other industry in the nation. That problem exists everywhere. I feel that the fact that people are being priced out (which I feel is horrible) actually means that the area is getting a better economy. While people are being priced out, homes are still selling (not at a record pace though) which tells me that there are people that can afford to live here. I'm really expecting this area to take off. FGCU is adding a business/development park. Many new companies are popping up in SW FL too. I'm still waiting for Crist to do something about taxes and insurance though. Did you here that State Farm is dropping a large amount of customers that live in coastal Florida? It is stupid things like that that make Florida an undesirable place to live. Crist knows this and seems like he really is going to try to sock it to these insurance companies. Lets hope he is sincere about this!

On a side note, I worked in the service industry as well and believe me I know how rude people can be. I found that it was snowbirds mostly (the retirees that live here are much nicer than the snowbirds IMO). The snowbirds definately are leaving though and I am very HAPPY about that! Many of the new people moving in I find are very nice though.

I know I said I wasn't going to post anymore but I just wanted to thankyou for your apology and wanted to apologize myself.

To all the people considering Ft. Myers, I wish you luck on making your decision.

[hiknapster]

Florida1, no need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I thought you were this other person that keeps logging in here.

First of all, she called me racist. If you read some of my other posts from awhile back you'll see that nothing could be farther from the truth. I was really hurt by that. I also felt that she was extremely racist, herself.

But the other big problem was that I felt she was being intentionally deceitful for monetary gain. I hate that. These are people's lives. Giving misinformation is a horrible disservice.

I think we agree on a lot of things!

I DO like Estero. I like Three Oaks in San Carlos is very nice. It really is. Great community spirit there. We would take our daughter there every Halloween.

Most of San Carlos, I think, is seedy. It's one of those places that looks nice on the outside, but it has a terrible drug problem, and it is only getting worse. You could easily live right next to a crack house and not realize it until you move in, and you start seeing people going in and out, day and night.

There are some parts of Estero that still has that "old Florida" feel, too.

I agree about the full-time retirees. I think most are very nice. I asked a snowbird once, exactly what was the problem? You know what she said? She hated having to keep up two residences. It was just too much work, at her age. She said that often, a couple do the snowbird thing, but it is only ONE-HALF of the couple that really wants to, and the other half is miserable. She said it is usually the wife that gets stuck doing all the work.

As far as home prices, I think they are sure better than they were in October 2005 when we watched Fort Myers from the rear-view mirror.

[daisytoo]

Many of the bad points about Ft Myers have been posted here, so I won't repeat them.

I live in a sweet, small town inland from Ft Myers and dread having to go into the city. In fact, I prefer to travel up to Punta Gorda or Port Charlotte area for shopping.

Here in our beautiful town we refer to Ft Myers as Ft Misery. And that does seem to wrap it up.

[Floridanative2]

Originally Posted by florida1

I would also like to add that I read the monthly tourism reports. Tourists' satisfaction with Lee County stands somewhere between 90%-95% which is quite good.

florida1, you have a lot in common with inftmyers, any relation? Just wondering where I can read this report too. Thanks.

[Lucies12]

Originally Posted by homeCMGrown

i said GOOD, NICE, POSITIVE, OR UPLIFTING...tarastomsgirl please stop. you're such a downer. seriosuly.

Welcome to Southwest Florida! There ARE a lot of dumb things about this area, but I've got to say probably the worst is all of the miserable, negative people unhappy with everything! I moved here almost six years ago after I graduated from college, and overall have found the area to be great. There has been a lot of growth which has brought more industry, more and better job opportunities, more educational opportunities, more things to do in the area. We've had some growing pains too, but if you can look at the positive and not just the negative, as well as the great possibilities this area has, you will find that it's not so bad.

And I don't know if I'm just more attuned to weather changes than some of these people, but I notice a change in seasons. I love the winter here--so do a LOT of other people, which is why there is a Season and why Florida is such a popular vacation destination. 70s and 80s, not much rain, sunny. But summers are fine too--many locals actually prefer summer because of less traffic, better parking, smaller crowds at beaches, restaurants, etc. The water is SO comfortable in the summer, water temp is usually in the low to mid 80s (which is really nice!). The best thing about Florida weather is that if you love outdoor activities, you can enjoy them here year-round.

Drought has been happening all over North America. The areas where it's NOT happening are growing sparse--along with drought naturally comes water restrictions and wildfires. Red tide can happen anytime, and the beaches I frequent seem to experience it more in season than the summer--it's fairly unpredictable. It sucks, but so do some of the crabby old people here, and we haven't figured out a way to eliminate either of them! There are hurricanes, but hey, at least there's advanced notice! I moved from tornado alley, and they can flatten a town even faster than a hurricane. Be intelligent, prepare, evacuate if necessary (and maybe plan for your first hurricane party!).

Once you move here, you WILL notice other downers, and will probably even live next to some--don't let them get to you! Enjoy your life. Florida (like every other state) isn't for everyone, but it's a great experience to have and get the T-shirt.

[firemed]

Brought more industry. Name two!

[florida1]

Originally Posted by Floridanative2

florida1, you have a lot in common with inftmyers, any relation? Just wondering where I can read this report too. Thanks.

leevcb.com As far as the whole me being another person deal, I've already covered that. Now let me ask you, why did you post crimes that didn't even happen in this county in a Ft. Myers thread?

[thebigr]

Southwest Florida grew real fast in the last 5 years. I think a lot of people are real mad about that. Traffic is bad but the infrastructure has not kept up. In time it will all work out.
I lived in Fort Lauderdale in the 80's and this is just a repeat of what happened there.
I am leaving because I love to ride motorcycles all over the USA and this is just too far south to do a lot of it. Don't like to ride in the same place to many times.
But Florida has been very good to me, came here with nothing and will leave much better off.
It's not a boring place, plenty of money here, you just have to find it. And with a negative attitude chances are slim.

Tarastomsgirl I feel your pain! I used to be a pissed off person just like you but luckily I grew out of it. Sure hope you also can. It takes more energy to be mad than happy.