Florida Living?? Just a Dream? (Miami, Orlando: college, wages, quality of life)

[Spring Hillian]

There are over 800 labor unions in Florida.

Federal regulations cover work hours. Anything over 40 is overtime just like the rest of the country. You work 10 hour shift, you get paid for 8 plus 2 hours in O/T.

Sounds like the original poster is looking for quality of life. Get away from that cold weather, get into a more attractive lifestyle. Dare to do what you dare to dream.

I've been in the ocean on Christmas and New Years day. What we consider "cold water" is a normal day in June for a Northeasterner.

When I lived in Orlando, any apartment complex worth the rent had a pool or two along with a rec center and laundry facilities. We spent many early evenings relaxing by the pool thumbing through the mail, reading the paper, sipping a after dinner cocktail.

Unemployment is rampant across the nation. If a person has the financial backing to be out of work a while and still be able to meet their obligations as a well planned relocation should be done, they should have little problem finding employment in the service industry.

Originally Posted by Parrotrosie

Well , there are no regulations here to protect how many hours you are required to work, so a six hour shift would be unlikely. I hear of 10 plus hour shifts being normal. Nights, weekends, etc. Six day weeks...

Don't think you will make more money here, there are no unions...you will probably make less. PLEASE please investigate wages down here before you spend the money and effort and move , is all I am saying!

There are rides not far from AC, you have Ocean city, Cape May, and Wildwood! You also have Six Flags, not too far from the mountains for vacation and all that entails. You have State parks and city life with museums. What do you think you will find different down here OTHER than it is warm year round (I do find that very attractive myself) There are theme parks and beaches...how is that very different than your view of AC? If you are working all the time, or making little money, the theme parks will be out....they are extremely pricey!! To stay by the pool, you have to have a home or rent an apt with a pool, or join a rec center with a pool.....not like vacation.

I am not saying , don't come...I am just trying to say, come with realistic expectations. It is not paradise here..there are TONS of folks with out jobs..and lots of competition for the jobs there are. You can't swim all year round down here...it's actually too cold already... but there are lots of other things to do outside...yes!

[NJPhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

There are over 800 labor unions in Florida.

Federal regulations cover work hours. Anything over 40 is overtime just like the rest of the country. You work 10 hour shift, you get paid for 8 plus 2 hours in O/T.

Sounds like the original poster is looking for quality of life. Get away from that cold weather, get into a more attractive lifestyle. Dare to do what you dare to dream.

I've been in the ocean on Christmas and New Years day. What we consider "cold water" is a normal day in June for a Northeasterner.

When I lived in Orlando, any apartment complex worth the rent had a pool or two along with a rec center and laundry facilities. We spent many early evenings relaxing by the pool thumbing through the mail, reading the paper, sipping a after dinner cocktail.

Unemployment is rampant across the nation. If a person has the financial backing to be out of work a while and still be able to meet their obligations as a well planned relocation should be done, they should have little problem finding employment in the service industry.

"Workers in states with right to work laws have a consistently lower quality of life than in other states—lower wages, higher poverty and infant mortality rates, less access to the health care they need and poorer education for their children."

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/legislativealert/stateissues/upload/rtw.pdf (broken link)

[NJPhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Unemployment is rampant across the nation.

That may be so, however Florida has the 4th worst unemployment rate in the nation.

Unemployment Rates for States

[Spring Hillian]

That is what organized labor wants you to believe. Without members they can't exist and their cash cow dies.

Originally Posted by NJPhilliesPhan

"Workers in states with right to work laws have a consistently lower quality of life than in other states—lower wages, higher poverty and infant mortality rates, less access to the health care they need and poorer education for their children."

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/legislativealert/stateissues/upload/rtw.pdf (broken link)

[JustinsMama]

Congrats Sunny-Days! My husband also got a job down there (better paying than the one he has here with salaried management position in the near future) and will start December 6th (we'll follow a few month's later). So I guess that's two of us on the Florida boards that can change our status from talking about to (successfully) doing it.

P.S. My condolences on your mom...

[Spring Hillian]

Yes, 4th worse. Gee whiz.

Originally Posted by NJPhilliesPhan

That may be so, however Florida has the 4th worst unemployment rate in the nation.

Unemployment Rates for States

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by JustinsMama

Congrats Sunny-Days! My husband also got a job down there (better paying than the one he has here with salaried management position in the near future) and will start December 6th (we'll follow a few month's later). So I guess that's two of us on the Florida boards that can change our status from talking about to (successfully) doing it.

P.S. My condolences on your mom...

Thank you for both.

We are planning on being down in January or before if we can get everything here done.

Congrats to you and his job. Some people simply have no idea that there are jobs in Florida that are good paying jobs. They just wont accept the fact that Florida is the 4th most populated state and all of those people have had or have jobs or they could not stay in Florida.

Then they ignore that the majority of people who leave end up missing the life they had in Florida and end up back in Florida. Many right here on this forum have done so.

Of course they ignore the success stories of those who have recently moved to Florida and have done well.

Every state is bad right now with this economic mess that seems to be getting worse instead of better with the wasteful spending that is going on with us getting nothing for it.

I will say it again, if I was unemployed and had to find a way to make some money to survive it would be in Florida, not a midwest or NE state as Florida has tons of ways to make extra money year around while cold weather states have almost nothing.

Florida wont be a dream for us much longer, it will become a reality soon.

Congrats again on your DH job and getting to move to Fla!

Sunny

[NCNewbietoo]

As a "service industry" worker I can tell you serving jobs are scarce. You and 500 other people will be applying for the same job. I have friends who have lost their jobs as servers.Yes at the better venues. Our unemployment is around 10 percent. I know it seems feasable to you,but as a person trying to get OUT of FL we are being VERY cautious . If you can find rent for less than $1000 a month, you do not want to be in that neighborhood. Plus you have the responsibility of children. We have the fifth worst schools in the country. Good luck.

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Yes, 4th worse. Gee whiz.

Moderator cut: personal attack

It is sad that some people failed in Florida, blame the state and the people and then have to hide who they are so they can come back as a new poster to continue to blame Florida for their failures.

I would rather be dirt poor in Florida and then dirt poor in the crime ridden burbs of Philly.

[GABMER]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

Moderator cut: personal attack

It is sad that some people failed in Florida, blame the state and the people and then have to hide who they are so they can come back as a new poster to continue to blame Florida for their failures.

I would rather be dirt poor in Florida and then dirt poor in the crime ridden burbs of Philly.

I dont think its bashing or failing, most of them talk about facts in Florida. I understand why newcomers dont want to hear about it but again I would encourage anybody not to rely on opinions just refer to the facts.