Advice about Port St Lucie (Orlando, Port St. Lucie: for sale, real estate market, apartments)

[papanic]

My husband and I are thinking of relocating to the Port St. Lucie area from Detroit in the next few months. I was wondering if I could get some advice on neighborhoods where we would be able to find someplace to rent for around $1100. Either a house or a townhouse would be nice. What is traffic like in the area? We lived in Orlando from 2003-2005 and I know that you are really restricted in where you live in Orlando because traffic is so bad. It can take more than an hour for a 15 mile commute. Our son will be almost 2 by the time we move. Does anyone have an idea of what childcare rates are in the area, or be able to recommend a few places I could call to get rates and see if they have long waiting lists? Also, what are the schools like in that area? Do you know of any websites that have pictures of the area? The city and county websites have mostly pictures of the beach and we won’t be living there so it’s hard to get an idea of the area. Any advice would be helpful.

[josephhawkinson]

I think there is a long thread about Port St Lucie -just search the threads and you will see- and you can find very good information about Fort Pierce and Port St Lucie area.

[papanic]

I read that thread, and found out some good info. But, I didn't see much about schools or childcare in the area and was hoping some info on those subjects. It seems most people who are relocating are concerned about real estate, taxes and insurance. We won't be buying a home anytime soon, so I am not too concerned with that. The thing I am most worried about is finding childcare. I know in Orlando all of the childcare centers within a 15 mile radius of our home had at least a year waiting list. So you basically have to sign up before you are expecting a child which is crazy. Hopefully all of Florida is not like that or we won't be moving there any time soon.

[TriMT7]

You will definitely will be able to find homes in Port St. Lucie to rent for $1100/month.

A good place to start would be Craigslist.com - search apartments/homes in Port St. Lucie in the "treasure coast" section. With just a cursory glance I see a 3/2 "lakefront" home for $1150, in what looks like a gated or planned community. Then search for Port St. Lucie homes in the "west palm beach" section. Rent.com, of course, is also a good place to start.

Traffic CAN be bad in Port St. Lucie, especially at peak rush hour. They are expanding capacity, however, and if you choose your living location well you can avoid having to travel main corridors to get places. Therefore, I need more information. Where will you be working or need to commute from?

As far as child care, what sort are you looking for? I haven't heard of any sort of "child care" crisis in Port St. Lucie. Off the top of my head I know that there is a La Petit Academy and a place called "Colonial Country Day School", but in the Western part of the City. I've seen several other day cares in the area as well, but if you're looking for one near your home, again I will need to know whereabouts you are likely to settle.

One thing that you should know is that Florida recently passed voluntary, free pre-kindergarten programs for four year olds. Do some research on it, as it may come in handy if you can't afford a fancy pants montissory school.

[pslOldTimer]

I can't help you with daycare in PSL; my grandkids are in daycare in Okeechobee, about 45 miles inland. Like the OP said, there are many daycare centers visible. You might do an online Yellow Pages search for daycare centers and invest a couple of long distance bucks into asking questions -- calling 2 or 3 at random should give you an idea. If you reach one that says they are full, ask for a recommendation to one that has space It would be cheaper than moving here and not finding any space.

I do know a tiny bit of something about the pre-K program because one of my granddaughters is in it. It is provided through daycare centers which signed up for it, it provides a half day of pre-K education at the daycare center, and the state reimburses them for the program.

The city of PSL has several vacation day programs for the summer; you might contact the city recreation department to find out about that.

Traffic is worse than it used to be but not as bad as it is further south or in the larger cities. The are working on it, with several major road projects going on at once. I avoid certain areas at certain times, there are some alternates, many of which are not well known.

[MB2]

Originally Posted by papanic

My husband and I are thinking of relocating to the Port St. Lucie area from Detroit in the next few months. I was wondering if I could get some advice on neighborhoods where we would be able to find someplace to rent for around $1100. Either a house or a townhouse would be nice. What is traffic like in the area? We lived in Orlando from 2003-2005 and I know that you are really restricted in where you live in Orlando because traffic is so bad. It can take more than an hour for a 15 mile commute. Our son will be almost 2 by the time we move. Does anyone have an idea of what childcare rates are in the area, or be able to recommend a few places I could call to get rates and see if they have long waiting lists? Also, what are the schools like in that area? Do you know of any websites that have pictures of the area? The city and county websites have mostly pictures of the beach and we won’t be living there so it’s hard to get an idea of the area. Any advice would be helpful.

Well, traffic is a bit of an issue, at certain times. When I am scheduled for work at 8 am until 5 pm, I get the rush hour madness twice in one day
To drive a distance of 6.7 miles, it will take sometimes 45 to 50 minutes, because I have to come onto port st. lucie blvd. and over the bridge. Well, there is NOT OTHER way to get to my job, nor an alternate route either. But, at other times, believe it, or not, like at 4:30 am, it only takes me approx. 15 minutes to get to my work. (I love that!!! lol)
For you childcare situation....I am working with a lot of moms of younger children, and, yes, that can be a problem.
Most places here are maxed out with children, or not affordable (just quoting some moms).
Well, just about every single one of them have found private people giving care to the children. And, yes, it IS cheaper that way!!!
There is just one mom, she is currently not sure on what to do, because she is not happy with the place her son is in, and she hasn't made up her mind yet on what to do.
How they all found those babysitters...I have no clue, but I will ask them, and find out for you.
Good luck!

[J.R.]

As far as schools go, Florida has a state wide problem ( I think 31 in the nation), but St. Lucie County has an excellent Magnet School Program. These are public schools that are held to a higher standard than the rest. There are not that many and there is a significant waiting list. Your children would need to be signed up ASAP to get in. Most moms around here that are serious about education, sign there kids up at birth to insure a spot.

There are currently 5 elementary schools, but only 1 middle/high school in the magnet system.

I had a family member looking for daycare recently and she felt it was expensive. For a good, clean DC, expect a minimum of $125 per week. If your child in an infant, much more. That may be the going rate everywhere, I don't know.

I cannot say enough good things about the Magnet school program. The highschool even offers a International Baccalaureate program.

Good Luck

[motoracer51]

If it's weather that is influencing your decision, I would reccomend looking at other states as Florida has been ruined. I definatly emphasize that if kids are involved.

Crime, traffic, taxes, housing costs, insurance costs, nasty people, crappy schools, hurricanes are alot of things to overlook just for the sake of nice weather.

[pslOldTimer]

Originally Posted by motoracer51

If it's weather that is influencing your decision, I would reccomend looking at other states as Florida has been ruined. I definatly emphasize that if kids are involved.

Crime, traffic, taxes, housing costs, insurance costs, nasty people, crappy schools, hurricanes are alot of things to overlook just for the sake of nice weather.

Uh huh. And, just what other state is it that you're recommending, that does not have most of the same problems and some of their own, and still has the weather?

[papanic]

All of the worst things about Florida are still better than the best things about Detroit. There are no jobs here. My husband has been looking for a job for a year and he can only find part time work. Michigan is looking at it's 7th year in a row of negative job growth. With that comes a huge increase in bankruptcy filings and two of the top real estate markets for forclosures in the country. Our house has been for sale for 4 months, we have it listed for less than we paid for it and still only 3 people have looked at it. Things are so bad that people are stealing aluminum siding right off the sides of houses at night so they can get money for it as scrap metal. There was recently a story on the news about someone who had all of the support beams and railings of their front porch stolen in the middle of the night because they were metal. Luckily my house is brick. Well, enough complaining about my situation. My husband is an attorney and is licensed in MI and FL. He will never take another bar exam to save his life, so those states are our only options. Florida is paradise compared to where we're coming from.