My Florida/Hernando County Experience (Tampa, Spring Hill: loan, new house, schools)

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by Floridasunshine

I have lived here 40 yrs and have loved it. I would never go back to PA. Lots of my friends are headed To Ga and NC. I cant understand why. Most of FLorida is northern people. Florida has to get a hold on the taxes and insurance crisis. BUt it seems we are just catching up to the other states.
I guess soon I will be moving to a mobile on piece of land. Now I figured out why so many are doing it in Florida. I wont be able to live in my home when I am old.

Good luck on your move. It's so refreshing to read a post where someone is planning on living within their means. We're also being cautious and realizing what we'll be able to afford in the future and it's sure not going to be an overly inflated house. We've done the house buying, mortgage thing and have no interest in it anymore. It'll just be so much nicer to have an apartment or small condo and not have to worry if there'll be enough $$ to keep up with the expenses. This is ironic~I think you're from the St. Pete area. There's also another member who lives in that area who has figured out a way to live a happy life and do it modestly.

[yukon]

Gee, where I live, hardly anyone locks their doors. And we wave to everyone we pass by in the car, say "hi" to anyone we walk by. My clients - all over the Tampa Bay area - are professional and could hold their own with any business person from NY, LA, DC or any other major metro business city.

"Too experienced" generally equates to "you're asking too high a salary for us".

Are we to expect there are no drug deals made in New York? Some of the best neighborhoods I've lived in (in other states) also had the highest drug trafficking. Drugs aren't limited to poor southern states.

It's been my experience that businesses that close in less than a year often close due to under capitalization, unexpected (and unbudgeted) expenses, and just plain lack of business sense on the part of the owners.

It's also been my experience that businesses who treat their employees as professionals, don't micro-manage the aforesaid professionals, allow the employees to do the job they were hired for, and pay a fair and decent wage don't seem to have as many problems with clock watching, under performing employees. Unfortunately, too many businesses in Florida (and elsewhere) go for the cheapest waged person they can find and find out the hard way they get what they pay for.

Is this where I get to post that I left Ft Lauderdale/Hollywood because I couldn't stand all the rude former New Yorkers who moved there?

[Liz0872]

To all the posters who question and criticize my motives and observations, please read the latest addition of the Tampa Tribune. Pick up a copy if you are in the Tampa Bay area, and if not, please got to their website. It is Hernando Today - Online Edition. Scrool down and check out today's top story and the subsequent articles. Maybe you will then understand where we 'yankees' are coming from. The state of Florida is fiscally irresponsible, with Hernando county being one of the worst in the state. And, it now looks like they will be called on it. Better late than never, I guess.
Additionally, instead of focusing on a paragraph or sentence that is based solely on my personal observations, therefore reflective of my own personal opinion, which I, last I checked, am entitled to, as you all are to have, why don't you try and not be so narrowminded and defensive.
I say again, this just proves my point and lots of others on this board. If you don't fit the mold, you are not welcome here. I am beginning to feel a bit Stepford-ish!!
Oh, and to Yukon...sounds nice where you live. Out west? Beautiful country. Too experienced usually equates to: "we feel that if we hire you, being from NY and all, you may just want to come in with your big city ideas and change the way we do business". "Even if it means your ideas will make us money or make us stand out in a sea of competitors, we are not willing to take a chance." "We may lose our heritage or damage our reputation". OK, OK..I 'll admit I am paraphrasing here, but that is the gyst of what has been said to us. Compensation is never mentioned in an initial interview, at least not in our field at out levels.
Absolutely true--as we found out that you get what you pay for.
As far as drugs---there are more drugs here IN SPRING HILL per capita than in the New York Metro area. Never did I say that drugs are limited to poor, southern states. Obviously, the more money you have, the better quality of dope you can buy, the easier the access and the more officials will turn the other way. Drugs are certainly a problem in NY. Just not as much as here. In HERNANDO COUNTY. Again, people, don't get in a knot..I am not calling all southerners who are below the poverty line drug affiliates. '
Anyway, enjoy the Tribune articles. Hopefully they will shed some light on the serious problems occuring in this county.

[Jammie]

Liz, if you're referring to my statement about "Yankees", check out the upper right hand corner of my posts. You'll see that I'm a Yankee, too.

I was interested in what I believe was your second post on this thread. You mentioned that you had lived in Clearwater and your experience was much different then in Hernando Co. Would you elaborate on the differences and what you liked about the Clearwater area? We're interested in the Clearwater/St. Pete area.

[Playball40]

My husband who was raised in Spring Hill and graduated from Springstead HS believes the fall of Hernando County is due to......well.......NORTHERNERS. Sorry you're unhappy. Perhaps you would be better off elsewhere. But to be honest, as a Florida native (raised in MIAMI and now living in TAMPA) I found most of your thread to be bigotted and obnoxious. Work ethic indeed......

[Playball40]

Originally Posted by Liz0872

Oh, and to Yukon...sounds nice where you live. Out west? Beautiful country. Too experienced usually equates to: "we feel that if we hire you, being from NY and all, you may just want to come in with your big city ideas and change the way we do business". "Even if it means your ideas will make us money or make us stand out in a sea of competitors, we are not willing to take a chance." "We may lose our heritage or damage our reputation". Absolutely true--as we found out that you get what you pay for.

Oh please. Perhaps they didn't hire you because your opinionated and condescending attitude screamed through at your interviews.

[House4Sale]

Thanks for the good news for it's about time they start investigating this mess. 1,000's are losing their homes and it's about time things were exposed. Looks like the staff writer is helping it along. Kudos and many thanks to him for reporting this. If it is as the article claims (and I heard from several that it is, plus all one has to do is look around--), then I hope some of the money has been stashed and is liquid. If you start seeing things done (street lights, etc.), you'll know there is truth to the claim the staff writer and many others make. Maybe now things will magically start working in Hernando!

[Liz0872]

Playball40:

First off, I was being sarcastic to an extent in my post and even added a qualifier. So,

Second, if you honestly believe there is no truth to the part of my post that you quoted, well, the Florida sunshine has really fried your brain. It is very true in this part of Florida. You should know this as your husband was raised in these parts. Or maybe that is a contributing factor to your disdain?
I admit, looking back, we made a mistake by moving here, at this point in our lives, to rural Hernando County. It is just not progressive enough for us. And, now it does not make any financial sense to be here either.
Another one. Living in Tampa...doesn't all this mess affect you and your family? Aren't you the least bit concerned? That is what the gist of my original post was about, save the 3 sentences about morbidly obese, pseudo-handicapped, salad dressing staring Wal Mart shoppers. C'mon now!

[Songbird42]

As I've said before I've been here since the beginning of time, time was that Spring Hill was a sleepy little hamlet with mostly retiree's, homes that were cared for, people went out for an occasional dinner, took walks at night
played bingo, went to the VFW for dinner/dancing, the roads were pulled in at 9PM and the worst thing that would happen was in the summer the local kids would get bored and out would come the baseball bats and the mailbox's
would get smacked. Off to Walmart to buy a new mailbox. This has happened to me and my neighbors at least three times so far.

With more and more people moving into the area, young families with plenty
of kids, mostly NY'ers, LI, Brooklyn and also NJ, with the families came attitudes, in NY we did it this way, kids would yell go F*** yourself, they knew how to give you a friendly finger, some as young a 6/8 yrs old.
And where did they learn this, from the streets of whereever or at home.
I personally know a ex schoolbus driver who was spit in the face by a middle
school child and his father threatened the bus driver, because he dared to yell at the child to sit down in his seat, another a former NYPD cop gave up driving a schoolbus because he said the kids were totally out of control and he wasn't allowed to take action for fear of being sued by parents.

Drugs usually were bought and sold in an area called the "subs" in Brooksville
everyone knew you could go there for whatever you wanted, but soon it started showing up in Spring Hill, today nearly every block has a dealer or someone who can get you whatever you want. Pick up the paper and you see whole families involved in the drug trade, mother, father, sons, daughters
and while our sheriff is trying his darndest to fight this war on drugs, he puts some away only to have those replaced with nephews,cousins.

As far as work ethic, its the good ole boy system down here, don't darn rock the boat, even if it means getting the job done better, and cheaper. Me I've given up with all the nonsense that goes on in Spring Hill, people don't care
they are in there own little worlds and will stay there. Me, I'll stay to myself and let the people that run this county run it right into the ground and ignore the ignorant people around me.

Liz......your wasting your time trying to tell these people anything, their minds are made up this there way is the right way and we're wrong.
After all we're YANKEES and we don't know no better. Oh pleeease give me a break!

[House4Sale]

Songbird, don't lose hope. I have a feeling those articles are going to help quite a bit!

And still, SH is idyllic compared to many for in the next town from us, there are drugs and shootings.

Soon, it will be everywhere in varying degrees. Welcome to the new Millenium.