Lake Nona to KSC - commutable? (Orlando, Melbourne: house, new construction, school districts)

[SunnyDazy]

My husband is thinking of taking a job at Kennedy. If he does we would be relocating to Florida and I would have to start a professional job search the Orlando area. On paper, Lake Nona seems to be a good location with a decent (under 1 hour) commute between Kennedy and Orlando... but I am out of state and have not actually been down to check out the area in a few years. Is that a correct assumption?

If not, then are there other areas close to Orlando that are family friendly and that would not be an awful commute to Kennedy? We would be looking for a 4 bedroom house in the 300K range.

[kyle19125]

You might try a job search in the Melbourne area which would eliminate the need for a lengthy commute to/from Orlando. There are many nice family-friendly areas near Kennedy Space Center which include Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, Viera and Rockledge. Brevard County Schools overall are ranked among the top several school districts in the state (out of 67 districts).

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by SunnyDazy

My husband is thinking of taking a job at Kennedy. If he does we would be relocating to Florida and I would have to start a professional job search the Orlando area. On paper, Lake Nona seems to be a good location with a decent (under 1 hour) commute between Kennedy and Orlando... but I am out of state and have not actually been down to check out the area in a few years. Is that a correct assumption?

If not, then are there other areas close to Orlando that are family friendly and that would not be an awful commute to Kennedy? We would be looking for a 4 bedroom house in the 300K range.

Lake Nona makes sense if you have to be in Orlando and he has to be in KSC. Just make sure you get a Sunpass when you move down.... the 417 and 528/beachline are tolled.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Lake Nona makes sense if you have to be in Orlando and he has to be in KSC. Just make sure you get a Sunpass when you move down.... the 417 and 528/beachline are tolled.

And rather heavily... You DO NOT want to be stopping at each toll booth...

[BPevehouse]

SunnyDazy,

The daily commute in tolls from Lake Nona to I95 or beyond will cost $4-$5 just for the tolls jumping on at Narcoossee Road and the Beach Line (528).
The drive would be less than 30 minutes, which 5 years ago was easily done without tolls except a 25 cent charge at the SR 520 exit.

SunPass does offer discounts with your common routes, but think more along the lines of a cup of coffee savings, rather than anything else. I used to do the drive daily back in 2007-2008 to my office in Merritt Island, when it was half the price. Now I only do it a couple of times a year if I can help it.

I will say this based on my experience, as we still do a lot of investing in Brevard with renovating homes. Your $300k in Orlando is equal to $400k or maybe more in Brevard, with the exception of Viera.

If you have the time, I would suggest maybe looking at jobs in North Melbourne and South Rockledge (The Viera Area).
From KSC, it would be roughly a 20 minute drive and with the growth in the Viera area, you might find the type of professional job you are looking for. Viera is the new hub of Brevard County and many parts of it are relatively new construction with tons of amenities. This location would also allow you easy access into Melbourne for a job if you so desired as well.

As far as other areas in the Orlando area that make sense for the daily commute to KSC, and major parts of Orlando, you have selected the best. I would say the 2nd best location might be the Avalon Park area, but that would add on at least 10 if not 15 minutes to your husbands drive and not put you any closer to major parts of Orlando. And the clients I have helped in Lake Nona, love it there... so I don't think you can go wrong with Lake Nona, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't suggest the Viera area as a starting point, just as much as suggesting Lake Nona.

Brady Pevehouse