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[quote=PhilRox;1539135]Grrrrrrrrrrrrr it really winds me up hearing Floridians talking about how much they hate the weather.
The grass is always greener on the other side!
Yes, we do have abundant sunshine. However, with that comes humidity which give me awful headaches and hurts my eyes when I go outside. It's so hot, the sun feels like it's frying your skin and if you move around at all, you sweat like a mule. I don't go outside until I absolutely have to. We look forward to a dark rainy day and my wife is always mad when she is at work when there is one.
We can't sit outside at night because it's still hot, like a sauna and the bugs eat you up.
I live in Panama City Beach. Every month there some pedestrian is killed or badly hurt here because there is nowhere to walk except on the beach on at a walking track. If and when you walk down the road, you are literally taking your life in your own hands because we are not pedestrian friendly at all.
We are finally getting some bike lanes on the side of the road but they are right on the road. The only barrier is a line in the road. The street lighting is from the 1940s and you can't see anyone until you get right up on them.
True, it's cool in the winter, starts getting hot in the spring and is ungodly hot in the summer. It starts cooling down a bit in Oct.
When you live on the beach, there is nothing else to do but go to the beach. Our sand is like sugar and is difficult to walk on.
Believe it or not, the beach gets old after a while.
There is nothing within a 4 or 5 hour drive to the North, East or West of us and only water to the South.
Besides, you can only look at the beach just so many times and it get old. I drive up and down the beach four times per day and seldom even look at the Gulf anymore.
Thunder Storms: We've not had a good one in a few years. It's been so dry here, wild fires have destroyed many homes.
Another thing: This is a tourist town. There are also many transients here. Many people are driving drunk. Every week there is a bad accident here and someone of several are killed. There is a distinct and wide difference between the haves and have not. You have old, rundown trailers with no air conditioner, old or expensive apartments, flop house/crack/meth motels, block (people are always moving in and out). Vacations homes that were built in the 40's - then you have the McMansions. You don't have that neighborly feeling of yesteryear. There are many subdivisions, where all the homes are all similar. There are no cozy little pubs here, like you have in the UK. We have chain restaurants that travelers stop at to get a bit to eat and are on there way.
You can't walk around bar hopping, meeting real friends here.
Sure, there are a few redneck bars here and there but they are nasty, very uncomfortable and can be dangerous. We have no public transportation, so Lord help you if you drink 1 beer and are stopped by the police because you will be going to jail, if even for an hour or so for them to take a breathalyzer test to see if you are drunk. If you've had 3 or 4 beers or are a bit high, you are in for a stiff fine and community service and your license suspended.
There really is no socializing here where you make good, long lasting friends.
Sure, you know a few neighbors - know them enough to be on speaking terms or to wave as you go by, but that's about it.
My wife lived in Helsinki, Finland for over 20 years. She came here with beautiful, clear, wrinkle free, Nordic skin. After a few years of laying out on the beach, she is now paying the price for it.
Personally, I would love to be sitting in a nice, clean comfortable pub, among real friends, having a properly poured beer in a nice glass instead of a Smokey, dirty pub, full of drunks, drinking cheap, watery beer out of a can.
So, you live in the cold with heat for months or live in FL with air conditioning for months. It all depends upon what one is looking for. Besides, there are other areas of this great nation that have relatively short winter seasons. Florida is more and more expensive (along with high insurance rates); however, the wages here are pathetically low. I've live all over this nation so I believe that I am able to evaluate different places in a fair and equitable manner. I hate humidity, bugs, heat, crime, low wages, crowds, etc.
Actually,the climate and variation in geography is the best in CA. BUT, it is also terribly expensive and the quality of life continues to decline. There are pros and cons to every area, but more people are now leaving FL than are coming in because the "dream" has become tainted (to say the least). If you desire to come to FL as much as I desire to leave FL, your desire is overwhelming. I can't wait to leave (you can take my place with my blessings)!!!!
Hi Floridahater...I left Fl in April of this year after 18 yrs of living on the West Coast..from Safety Harbor to the Central part of the State in Brooksville.
The temp & humidity in Florida is not really as bad as you've stated....at least not ALL the time. True, there are many many days when the humidity can be oppresive, but that's Florida. There were many years that the weather was just perfect from November thru March, where I could open my windows in the evening & let the house 'air' out. These were the same months I never had to turn on the A.C. or the heat.
Everybodys different how they react to the heat & humidity, but if you hate FL strictly for the temp, you really should get out - if you can. We left not for the weather, but because of reckless expansion, rising property & homeowners insurance. Our house insurance went from $472.00/yr to over $1600.00/yr. in the last 2 years we lived there (2006-2007).
I kept moving further North to get away from the maddining over-expansion, & found a great location in Brooksville. We actually had 3 Seasons there, with an occasional freeze...but never any snow. We were never bothered by hurricanes, but came close several times. Never had any damage. But the over-expansion bug hit Hernando County & it no longer was the nice place it was when we moved in. We lived near Rt. 19 on the Western fringes of the County.
We moved to a VERY rural area of KY in Jackson County. Although it is a poor area with over 13% unemployment, we are both retired & have no kids in school. The people are just fantastic, the scenery is beautiful, but the prices aren't as low as I thought they would be. The local Wal-Mart in Berea is constantly RAISING prices. I guess we were spoiled in FL, as e had 3 Super Wal-Marts in a 10 mile radius & the prices were appreciably lower than they are at the store in Berea. Plus, the Berea store does not stock a lot of the items we were able to get in FL. Oh well...we just live with it & shop more at Save-A-Lot.
Like you said...there are Pros & Cons to every place you live. There is one thing though you said that I'm wondering about. You said, "There are more people moving out of Florida than are moving in." Can you cite actual statistics to prove that statement? I'd be curious. I used to think that too when I moved out, as it seemed so many people I talked to at the time were moving out to Tenn, Ga., & KY & all points North of FL.
Thanks...I'd appreciate that. Take care.
P.S. This Summer I did a lot of sweating & sneezing here in KY too. LOL
My brother lived in Palmetto in an average house. His property taxes were about $1900 and his homeowners insurance jumped from $600 to almost $1900 a year (and he was lucky to find a company to insure him for that amount!). That's about $325 a month just for taxes and insurance!
He sold his house in December and got out of Florida.
Amen to you brother. I just isn't worth it. I just returned from my fire ant infested yard and did battle again in the muggy heat. Although mold is a problem everywhere, it is especially bad in this humid and hot climate; hence, I have been having problems with shortness of breath. If one ventures outside, the heat alone is a killer.
I welcome all who desire to live in Florida. In my opinion the liabilities far outweigh the assets. Anyone who would like to move here can take my place and perhaps buy my place. I just want out. As I said before, if you are as happy to be moving here as I am to be getting out you are one happy individual! Of course, I haven't escaped yet, but I'm still trying to do so!
Just got our place sold in Spring Hill, near Brooksville, and will save about $5000 per year
in my new "Old Kentucky Home" on taxes and insurance. Some turkey from New Yawk
bought it. I'm just glad to get out. If you like rampant development, higdh taxes and
exorbitant insurance rates, you can have all the sunshine you want. BAH HUMBUG !!!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr it really winds me up hearing Floridians talking about how much they hate the weather.
The grass is always greener on the other side!
Yes, we do have abundant sunshine. However, with that comes humidity which give me awful headaches and hurts my eyes when I go outside. It's so hot, the sun feels like it's frying your skin and if you move around at all, you sweat like a mule. I don't go outside until I absolutely have to. We look forward to a dark rainy day and my wife is always mad when she is at work when there is one.
We can't sit outside at night because it's still hot, like a sauna and the bugs eat you up.
I live in Panama City Beach. Every month there some pedestrian is killed or badly hurt here because there is nowhere to walk except on the beach on at a walking track. If and when you walk down the road, you are literally taking your life in your own hands because we are not pedestrian friendly at all.
We are finally getting some bike lanes on the side of the road but they are right on the road. The only barrier is a line in the road. The street lighting is from the 1940s and you can't see anyone until you get right up on them.
True, it's cool in the winter, starts getting hot in the spring and is ungodly hot in the summer. It starts cooling down a bit in Oct.
When you live on the beach, there is nothing else to do but go to the beach. Our sand is like sugar and is difficult to walk on.
Believe it or not, the beach gets old after a while.
There is nothing within a 4 or 5 hour drive to the North, East or West of us and only water to the South.
Besides, you can only look at the beach just so many times and it get old. I drive up and down the beach four times per day and seldom even look at the Gulf anymore.
Thunder Storms: We've not had a good one in a few years. It's been so dry here, wild fires have destroyed many homes.
Another thing: This is a tourist town. There are also many transients here. Many people are driving drunk. Every week there is a bad accident here and someone of several are killed. There is a distinct and wide difference between the haves and have not. You have old, rundown trailers with no air conditioner, old or expensive apartments, flop house/crack/meth motels, block (people are always moving in and out). Vacations homes that were built in the 40's - then you have the McMansions. You don't have that neighborly feeling of yesteryear. There are many subdivisions, where all the homes are all similar. There are no cozy little pubs here, like you have in the UK. We have chain restaurants that travelers stop at to get a bit to eat and are on there way.
You can't walk around bar hopping, meeting real friends here.
Sure, there are a few redneck bars here and there but they are nasty, very uncomfortable and can be dangerous. We have no public transportation, so Lord help you if you drink 1 beer and are stopped by the police because you will be going to jail, if even for an hour or so for them to take a breathalyzer test to see if you are drunk. If you've had 3 or 4 beers or are a bit high, you are in for a stiff fine and community service and your license suspended.
There really is no socializing here where you make good, long lasting friends.
Sure, you know a few neighbors - know them enough to be on speaking terms or to wave as you go by, but that's about it.
My wife lived in Helsinki, Finland for over 20 years. She came here with beautiful, clear, wrinkle free, Nordic skin. After a few years of laying out on the beach, she is now paying the price for it.
Personally, I would love to be sitting in a nice, clean comfortable pub, among real friends, having a properly poured beer in a nice glass instead of a Smokey, dirty pub, full of drunks, drinking cheap, watery beer out of a can.
Well, you sure summed up everything in this thread in a very succinct manner. Yes, the beach does get old, but it's the lack of depth and roots that I miss. The people are nice; however, as you stated in your post, close friends are a rarity in this place.
The elderly drivers scare me to death. I have been hit twice by elderly drivers (the last time in a gas station putting gas in my car). Moreover, overall,the health care in this state stinks.
I long to see mountains, hills and valleys. I am so sick of a flat and swampy or sandy environment. As you said, the heat is oppressive and there is essentially no break from it from May to the middle of Oct. Insurance is sky high and wages abysmally low. I just fail to see the why people consider this place to be so wonderful. I sure don't see it.
For those that like it, more power to you! It just isn't the place where I would like to continue to reside. There's just no depth of anything here (except heat and humidity). It certainly isn't the people. Of course, perhaps it's better if one is elderly. I'm not.
I hate FL. I hate the bugs, the weather, the fact that my allergies never go away, the schools suck (and, by the way, I am a teacher here and regardless of what I try to do to raise the bar, the students refuse to reach for it due to laziness and having parents who will back them constantly regardless of how little they do). I tried to get out in 2004, but got stuck due to all four hurricanes pummeling my house and it having to be rebuilt and a great deal of mold removed/re-mediated.
I am from the Midwest. I miss the cold. I miss having seasons. I miss not having to deal with tourists. I cannot stand the overly conservative nature (i.e. racist rednecks--see the giant Confederate Battle Flag flying at I-4 and I-75 for proof of this). I cannot even send my kids out to play due to the heat, the pedophiles and the bugs.
For the person who wants to trade, if you want my house you can have it just qualify and take over payments. That may not get mo out of here, but it will help to make it more possible.
I hate FL. I hate the bugs, the weather, the fact that my allergies never go away, the schools suck (and, by the way, I am a teacher here and regardless of what I try to do to raise the bar, the students refuse to reach for it due to laziness and having parents who will back them constantly regardless of how little they do). I tried to get out in 2004, but got stuck due to all four hurricanes pummeling my house and it having to be rebuilt and a great deal of mold removed/re-mediated.
I am from the Midwest. I miss the cold. I miss having seasons. I miss not having to deal with tourists. I cannot stand the overly conservative nature (i.e. racist rednecks--see the giant Confederate Battle Flag flying at I-4 and I-75 for proof of this). I cannot even send my kids out to play due to the heat, the pedophiles and the bugs.
For the person who wants to trade, if you want my house you can have it just qualify and take over payments. That may not get mo out of here, but it will help to make it more possible.
I have had my mobile home up for sale for a long period of time. I am still hoping to leave, but I must sell this place first. Once again, the summer is miserable and hot (it seems to get worse each year). Yes, and the bugs are absolutely horrible. I wish that I could trade with a person who desires to move to FL. If he or she would be happy coming to FL as I would be to leave it, that person would be happy indeed!!! As one educator to another, I wish you good luck in leaving and God's speed. I understand perfectly!!!
PS I also experienced the hurricanes of 2004. I hope that this year will prove to be less severe than predicted.
I lived in Florida for 26 years and my wife was born there. We couldn't take the high prices, crime, and overpopulation anymore so we moved to Frankfort Kentucky where we are very happy.
I was wondering if you still feel the same about Frankfort after you have been there a few years? How is the job market there?
We are thinking of leaving Florida too and looking at Kentucky. Any info would be great.
There is life after Florida !!! Yes we did escape, although it took us longer than we wanted it to. We had to put some plans on hold for a little bit and live in separate states. Not easy, but we persevered and didn't loose sight of the goal. Peace and quiet on our secluded 60 acres of KY heaven.
I would not think twice about doing it again. It all depends on what you want in your life and how you want to live. We are extremely happy to be here and NOT there !!!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates Florida. I was raised in New York and lived there until I graduated from high school, and then moved with my folks to Florida to start a new life. My parents left New York for several reasons: they couldn't take the cold anymore and also felt that their exporting business would thrive better in the Sunshine State, and we have family down here as well. I went through college and graduated with two degrees, had various jobs throughout my stay in Florida and I absolutely hate it. I've never liked the heat and humidity, both are lethal combinations, they are my kriptonite. It's reached a point where I can't even step out of my house to take in some fresh air or go for a nice walk because its so damn hot, humid, and sticky! And whenever I do garden work, I always get eaten up by the bugs and other types of pests lurking about the area. This is especially self evident when it rains. The more it rains, the more unwanted visits I get from ants, flies, mosquitoes, and lizards. And because my house rests next to a lake, I have to be on the lookout for prowling alligators who would love to have me listed on their lunch menu. I've read newspaper articles of people being eaten by alligators and as a matter of fact, three women were EATEN (killed and chewed up) by hungry alligators. One of them was just dangling her feet off of a dock and WHOOSH! She was yanked down into the water, drowned and ripped apart for 15 minutes (what a nasty way to go, too).
There is no water, the lawns are drying up, and we're on water restrictions. And while we're on the subject, Florida's water system is horrific, its not clean.
Check out what the World Health Organization says about it:
The beaches are eroding, crime is at an all-time high, illegal immigrants is on the rise, taxes have gone crazy, there's no affordable home/health insurance, and while hurricanes is something we Floridians have to dealt with for at least half a year, now we also have to worry about tornadoes too because our cars are contributing to global warming, wonderful. Plus, it is extremely difficult to make friends around here and I'm an easygoing, friendly and social guy. But worse of all, it is very disappointing to not find those few friends of the high quality kind, you know, the ones that will always be there for you no matter how bad things may get. Despite the fact that I have some family here, I don't connect with them because their values don't match my own. All they talk about is superficial themes like fashion, gossip, money, power, and status. They are completely materialistic and hedonistic. Heck, I don't even know the names of my neighbors, but in New York I knew the names of all of them. I feel so lonely and unwelcome here. My parents are also fed up with living in Florida and they are considering selling their house and retire to their native country Argentina. As for myself, I want to sell my house too and move back to New York where I have family that I care about. And I also miss the change of seasons too, winter in particular. It's funny, when I was living in New York, I didn't appreciate it at the time and thought that moving to Florida would be a romantic adventure. Boy, was I wrong! Prior to my move to Florida, I was considering moving to California after visiting it years before and loved it. But looking back on it, I'm glad I didn't because California is in worse shape than Florida. For those who love living in Florida, more power to you, but as for myself, I want out. Are there other states that I can look into that have cooler climates?
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How is the job market there?
Prior to my move to Florida, I was considering moving to California after visiting it years before and loved it. But looking back on it, I'm glad I didn't because California is in worse shape than Florida. For those who love living in Florida, more power to you, but as for myself, I want out. Are there other states that I can look into that have cooler climates?
