THE Villages OK? (Orlando, Plantation, Sarasota: salons, condos, violent crime)

[Bangolufsen]

Originally Posted by gardenpearl

I moved to a large gated golf and country club community in Ormond Beach called Plantation Bay. It's about an hour south of St. Augustine. I love it here, very friendly and nice people, beautiful scenery and nature views, and good restaurants, shopping and medical care in the area.

With 5000+ homes planned, it's not as big as the Villages, but I found the Villages a bit too hectic and crowded for me. I also did not want to be that far inland.

We live in Plantation Bay. It's absolutely horrible. There is nothing to do here unless you join the overpriced club, and that club charges you for every activity like dances or dinners. You are far away from all shopping and restaurants unless you count a small local Publix which is still 6 miles away and a lousy Chinese take out.
The main road in the community is in horrible shape with no plans to repair it. The HOA fees are ridiculous for the nothing you receive. ICI builds cookie cutter houses in here cutting every corner possible. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone unless you are old, incapacitated, and just want to watch TV all day. There isn't even any medical care close by. TERRIBLE place.

[Bangolufsen]

Originally Posted by Marble cake

Thank you very much. I'm in SF. nice but way too crowded and rushed. And I find the vibe is nasty people. Of course I met really nice people, but in the 4 months I've been down here I can't tell you how many times I've encounter rudeness. It's shocking to me.

We moved to Plantation Bay from SF. The people are just as nasty on the roads here and there is plenty of traffic. There is a ton more to do in South Florida with much better shopping and restaurants. This is nothing but a congested beach bum town.

[gardenpearl]

Bangolufsen, I've seen you on here moving around Florida for years, saying the same things (or worse) when you lived on the Treasure Coast, and referring to south Florida as hell on earth.

Some who move here from the northeast never adjust and never like Florida. Others, like myself, appreciate the differences, meet a lot of new and interesting people and love it here.

There is no ideal place for everyone, as you see analyzed on these boards at length. So where are you going next?

[Bangolufsen]

Originally Posted by gardenpearl

Bangolufsen, I've seen you on here moving around Florida for years, saying the same things (or worse) when you lived on the Treasure Coast, and referring to south Florida as hell on earth.

Some who move here from the northeast never adjust and never like Florida. Others, like myself, appreciate the differences, meet a lot of new and interesting people and love it here.

There is no ideal place for everyone, as you see analyzed on these boards at length. So where are you going next?

I don't know, but let me clarify. I am a better fit for South Florida because it's more urban, but the traffic is unbearable and the rudest people I have ever encountered are there. No one can dispute this. The auto insurance rates are the highest in the country. It's extremely overbuilt and overcrowded. Port St. Lucie was bad because there was no infrastructure and there were too many rednecks for my taste. PGA Village where I lived with nice, but outside of the community, there is no culture, no good shopping, and no good restaurants. You have to go to Palm Beach Gardens for that. I am getting pretty sick of the Florida mentality in general and my next move may be out of this state for good. Naples is nice but too expensive. Sarasota is too crowded.

[NorthofHere]

Originally Posted by Bangolufsen

We live in Plantation Bay. It's absolutely horrible. There is nothing to do here unless you join the overpriced club, and that club charges you for every activity like dances or dinners. You are far away from all shopping and restaurants unless you count a small local Publix which is still 6 miles away and a lousy Chinese take out.
The main road in the community is in horrible shape with no plans to repair it. The HOA fees are ridiculous for the nothing you receive. ICI builds cookie cutter houses in here cutting every corner possible. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone unless you are old, incapacitated, and just want to watch TV all day. There isn't even any medical care close by. TERRIBLE place.

Why are you letting the community define what you do? You are 15 mins. tops to the Florida Hospital and plenty of doctors via 95, 15 mins to the beach. You are probably 5-10 mins to the River Grille on the Tomoka. Since you only recommend to old, incapacitated people who watch tv all day I assume this isn't you so get out, things are not that far. What else do you have to do all day

[gardenpearl]

Originally Posted by NorthofHere

Why are you letting the community define what you do? You are 15 mins. tops to the Florida Hospital and plenty of doctors via 95, 15 mins to the beach. You are probably 5-10 mins to the River Grille on the Tomoka. Since you only recommend to old, incapacitated people who watch tv all day I assume this isn't you so get out, things are not that far. What else do you have to do all day

Agree. I think you have to get out and explore the area more. There are many good restaurants within 10-15 miles of the place, both on the water and off, and they are opening new ones all the time.

I was surprised at how easily I found good doctors once I made friends and asked some people for references. Traffic on Route 1 is easy most of the time; I rarely even get on I-95 unless I"m traveling over an hour away.

So it's all in your perspective, but I like the fact that this area has less of a crowded, touristy feel than other parts of Florida.

[Bangolufsen]

Originally Posted by gardenpearl

Agree. I think you have to get out and explore the area more. There are many good restaurants within 10-15 miles of the place, both on the water and off, and they are opening new ones all the time.

I was surprised at how easily I found good doctors once I made friends and asked some people for references. Traffic on Route 1 is easy most of the time; I rarely even get on I-95 unless I"m traveling over an hour away.

So it's all in your perspective, but I like the fact that this area has less of a crowded, touristy feel than other parts of Florida.

The area is loaded with low education rednecks who are not my "cup of tea" There is virtually no culture in this area. It's an over crowded redneck beach bum town. There is plenty of traffic, tailgaters and road rage around here. US 1, especially during the season is extremely congested and Granada is bumper to bumper; a piece of suburban hell, really. I am going to move because I hate it here. This place is even worse than Port St. Loser which I felt the same way about. The crime rates in this area, particular Daytona are off the charts. Daytona has some of the worst violent crime rates in the entire country and some of that filters up to Ormond. If it works for you, that's great. I need to be in a place where there are fortune 500 companies, high end shopping and restaurants (not the junk food places around Ormond and Daytona), good museums, and more to do than walking around the block and watching TV. Plantation Bay is particularly bad. The main road coming in needs to be repaved, but they won't do it. All the association does is steal your money and give you nothing. There are no nature walking trails as advertised on the website and ICI builds a piece of junk house slapped together. If you into NASCAR, motorcycles, drinking in bars, and shopping at Walmart, this place is perfect. It's not for cosmopolitan men like me.

[Bangolufsen]

Originally Posted by NorthofHere

Why are you letting the community define what you do? You are 15 mins. tops to the Florida Hospital and plenty of doctors via 95, 15 mins to the beach. You are probably 5-10 mins to the River Grille on the Tomoka. Since you only recommend to old, incapacitated people who watch tv all day I assume this isn't you so get out, things are not that far. What else do you have to do all day

Plantation Bay is in the middle of nowhere; a long drive to go anywhere except a small Publix. I work from home all day and River Grill serves mostly dead animals which I don't eat. The better doctors are in more metropolitan areas. Fortunately, I am in great shape, 6'2" and 180 lbs from doing P90X. I also eat a low fat vegan diet, so I am not dependent on these thieves to stay healthy. I have spent plenty of time out around this miserable town and I know what's here: rednecks, traffic, and suburban hell, and no mall in Ormond. The mall in Daytona sucks.

[carnivalday]

So when are you leaving?

[426HemiCA]

Originally Posted by carnivalday

So when are you leaving?

I'll bet his neighbors can't wait.