What is wrong with Sarasota? (Tampa, Cape Coral: transplants, for sale, crime rate)

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

forget the party, were the women free?


And i think the problem many of us floridians have with where we live is when we mov ed here, Florida was a VERY affordable place to live. You didnt get paid much, but it didnt matter cause the COL was so low.

then 2001(ish)-2006(ish) happened and our COL goes sky high but salaries stayed the same. thats enough to depress anyone...

The women were looked pretty free to me. The Off Shore Racing group is pretty racy...I had a great time, myself, however.

From my take of the world, I'd rather be where I'm at here, in SRQ, so I'll deal with the weather, job situation, whatever it takes....I've met the snobs & the blobs....no big deal...they're everywhere, it just takes a little bit of understanding & you can have a nice time where ever you land....I do like living in Florida and have been here so d*mn long, I couldn't leave if I tried.

[Carbondated]

Don't get me wrong, I adore certain aspects of Sarasota. The beach, the water, the animals, the birds, the sunny skies.

But for some of us, we used to be able to add to that list of positives a low crime rate, uncrowded, friendly, affordable houses, jobs that paid enough to live here....etc.

The U.S. has many beautiful areas, with beaches, clean water, a variety of wildlife, sunny skies.

What makes Sarasota unique now? Absolutely nothing. It has no industries, it has a very small insular "cultural" thing, visitors and natives with cold attitudes, and it doesn't have anything that can't be found elsewhere.

It's crowded, violent crime is skyrocketing, there are either low paying jobs, or no jobs at all, and most people can barely afford the cost of living here and can forget about affording a home of their own.

If I moved, I would only miss the natural beauty, which is slowly diminishing from this area too.

[crystalblue]

for those that want to live in an uncrowded area, your def in the wrong place.

florida is expected to add about 3 million people PER DECADE through 2060....

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

for those that want to live in an uncrowded area, your def in the wrong place.

florida is expected to add about 3 million people PER DECADE through 2060....

WE Better keep the florida secrets to ourself then....not telling on myself anymore.

[MichaelNYC]

I have read all the replies,,, and my question is.....

No one has addessed the high crime rate... much much higher than the National Avg.... and I mean much higher... what gives ?

We live in NYC and want to relocate and start a family here... but we feel safer now in NYC,,, amazing to us...

Yet NYC has been a safer city for many many years past.

But what gives with the high crime rate listed each year for Sarasota Please ?

[crystalblue]

y'all keep shipping your criminals down to us...

[Carbondated]

Originally Posted by MichaelNYC

I have read all the replies,,, and my question is.....

No one has addessed the high crime rate... much much higher than the National Avg.... and I mean much higher... what gives ?

We live in NYC and want to relocate and start a family here... but we feel safer now in NYC,,, amazing to us...

Yet NYC has been a safer city for many many years past.

But what gives with the high crime rate listed each year for Sarasota Please ?

There are a number of reasons why Sarasota has a high crime rate.

It is easy for the criminal element to survive and thrive here.

1. The area is mostly retirees, who would not be able to recognize the signs of a crack house or a meth lab next door.

2. People here "mind their own business". Some people have the mentality that it can't happen in my back yard, just because their homes have a huge pricetag. They also have the mentality, if they don't talk about the area being unsafe, then it really isn't.

3. There is such a transient nature to the area, that most people only know one or two neighbors, if they are lucky. The people tend to be unaware of their surroundings.

4. This area has always had a high rate of substance abuse. Dead end jobs, poor wages, general boredom, add to the number of young people using drugs. You name the drug, and it is here. The area was a drop off point for drug shipments in the 1980's, and I'm sure not much has changed. If you have a drug habit to feed, then of course you could expect burgalaries and robberies to happen.

5. Violent crime is on the rise, and the reason for that could be because of the above mentioned, and also an influx of organized gangs and illegals.

Hope this helps...

[MichaelNYC]

Thanks Carbondated... it was interesting to read....
It is amazing but back home where we live in the Bad Crime Ridden NYC,,, has become one of the safest cities... amazing,, when we consider our own NYC safer than other supposedly safe areas...

We really like this area... but the crime stats push us off....

Might go back to consider Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Dunedin ...

We will be speaking with Realtors for 1-2 days here.... and will hear their lowdown

Thanks

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by MichaelNYC

Thanks Carbondated... it was interesting to read....
It is amazing but back home where we live in the Bad Crime Ridden NYC,,, has become one of the safest cities... amazing,, when we consider our own NYC safer than other supposedly safe areas...

We really like this area... but the crime stats push us off....

Might go back to consider Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Dunedin ...

We will be speaking with Realtors for 1-2 days here.... and will hear their lowdown

Thanks

Just to let you know, hubby and I lived in Sarasota for 17 years, in a trendy and now pricey historic area near town and the beaches, and were victims of several crimes - burglaries, arson, peeping tom, exhibitionist (3 times!), not to mention I was chased downtown once on foot by a creep, and once on Highway 41 by a creep in a car as I was coming home from a class. I felt VERY unsafe in the town. The cops told us that crime is seriously underreported there due to the fact they want to keep a good image for the tourists. So as bad as the stats look, in reality it's even worse.

Carbondated made some EXCELLENT points about why and I agree. Drugs are rampant (it was druggies who robbed us), and the high cost of living and low pay exacerbate the problems. Good for you for doing research before blindly moving here. I think you are smart to look into Dunedin, Safety Harbor, etc. Those are nice areas, and I would pick Pinellas County in a heartbeat over Sarasota/Manatee. The area is just sooo very much better in every way.


Good luck!

[crystalblue]

Originally Posted by MichaelNYC

I have read all the replies,,, and my question is.....

No one has addessed the high crime rate... much much higher than the National Avg.... and I mean much higher... what gives ?

We live in NYC and want to relocate and start a family here... but we feel safer now in NYC,,, amazing to us...

Yet NYC has been a safer city for many many years past.

But what gives with the high crime rate listed each year for Sarasota Please ?

part of it i here is due to the weather.

warm weather = more opp for crime.

after all, most criminals would prob prefer to be indoors during the winter months than waiting in an alley to mug someone.