Questions About Florida (Miami, Tampa, Orlando: waterpark, hotel, house) - West Palm Beach - Boca Raton - Boynton Beach - (FL) -Palm Beach County - City-Data Forum

JNC4 · 07-12-2010, 08:23 AM

Hi, My husband and I are planning to move down there and I have a few questions. These questions may seem silly but we've done all our major research and now these little questions are popping into my head. Hope you can help. Thanks

1. Is it law in FL that you can not ever have your house taken away from you? For bankrupcy etc...

2. Is it so hot in the summer that you can't even go to the pool or beach or do anything outside?

3. Can you buy real Christmas trees or just fake ones?

4. Are there any amusement parks (such as Six Flags etc...) close to Palm Beach County?

Native51 · 07-12-2010, 08:34 AM

1) Correct. I believe your primary residence is exempt from any bankruptcy takings.

2) Depends on how well you can take the heat. It can get pretty hot from 11:00 to around 4:00, so I usually do most of my outdoor work outside of those times. Pool is different, I use it as a means to cool off between those hours. If you bring adequate shade to the beach during those hours you'll be ok, again, you can cool off in the ocean.

3) We have real trees just like everywhere else. They ship them down from the Carolinas or Michigan.

4) Two of the larger attractions in Palm Beach County are Lion Country Safari and Rapids Water Park. There are additional attractions farther south in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

TriMT7 · 07-12-2010, 09:01 AM

1) Yes, if your home is homesteaded.

2) No, but as Native51 says, you have to plan. Don't run marathons at 2:00 PM. Bring umbrellas to the beach, etc.

3) Home Depot, Lowes, etc. all carry real trees at Christmas. I get a real tree every year and it's like $30-$40 for a 7-8 footer. The "tree tents" will rip you off.

4) Orlando is roughly 2.5 - 3 hours from Palm Beach County, which is theme park central. Fl residents can get discounted tickets. I know several people who take multiple trips a year to Orlando. Very doable in one day, but you may want to have a hotel to stay the evening in Orlando to rest. Busch Gardens is about 4 hours awar from PBC as well, in Tampa.

As mentioned above, IN Palm Beach County, there is the Rapids Water Park is as good a waterpark as anything in Orlando (except maybe the cool-themed Blizzard Beach), and there is Wild Country Safari, a zoo-safari type park. Smaller attractions in the South Florida area include Boomers.

JNC4 · 07-12-2010, 12:17 PM

Thank you both for responding.

mayorhaggar · 07-12-2010, 05:16 PM

REAL Floridians go to the beach in summer. The water is actually warm and pleasant and there are a lot less crowds. If you go around 5pm-6pm the sun isn't so bad and the breeze from the ocean is pleasant. Sea lice is an issue though in summer.

Also if you have a pool it will be warm in the late spring and all summer long but too cold in the winter to swim in unless you have a heated pool or are a Northerner who doesn't mind frigid water.

JNC4 · 07-12-2010, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

REAL Floridians go to the beach in summer. The water is actually warm and pleasant and there are a lot less crowds. If you go around 5pm-6pm the sun isn't so bad and the breeze from the ocean is pleasant. Sea lice is an issue though in summer.

Also if you have a pool it will be warm in the late spring and all summer long but too cold in the winter to swim in unless you have a heated pool or are a Northerner who doesn't mind frigid water.

what's sea lice?

Native51 · 07-13-2010, 06:25 AM

Sea lice are microscopic larval stage jellyfish that are around from April to early July and they cause little itchy bumps. Some years are worse than others (this year didn't seem to be bad at all). Usually it's not a problem if you shower after getting out. Calamine lotion seems to help if you do get them....