Key West... The place to relax and have Fun in the sun (Bradenton: vehicle, gay)
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Thank you SO much for taking the time to write all that out. It's very much appreciated.
Yes, I know all about the GM-skeeters and how much of a failure they are. I was hoping you guys could avoid having them introduced to your area. Good luck with the public vote!
I've worked very hard to build a garden on my current land. The dirt is hard clay, and I'm forced to garden under 70' maple trees, so I've had to do raised beds and containers for all my food-growing. I'm happy to hear that you've found a way around the poor soil down there. That's exactly what I would do. I would love to be able to grow all my own food, but it's impossible where I'm located. We get approximately 4 months of harvest time before the frosts threaten to arrive.
Lol! Fantastic news, since I would offer none of those things you listed. Lol. I am very insistent on being "different" and finding niches that need filled. I'm a jill-of-all-trades and would cater my business plans to what the area needs.
All in all, though, it sounds like the Keys are a nice place to visit, but "you wouldn't want to live there". I was really hoping that wasn't the case. Obviously, there *are* people living there, but it sounds like a strained lifestyle unless you have plenty of money going in.
Thanks again, Starfish.
Re: gardening, if you're willing to do a lot of work, and invest some money, you can get a lot of reward because we have a year-round growing season here. The temperature has never hit freezing anywhere in the recorded weather history of Monroe County. The lowest Key Largo ever got was 36, and the lowest Key West ever got was 42. So you can grow a wealth of truly tropical plants here. There also also many interesting natives that are of course perfectly designed to handle the rough conditions here, and many of them are great ornamentals and offer either edible or medicinal qualities. I find the time and money investment worth it, because in the long run it cuts out my food bill nearly entirely. Plus, when it works out it's really fun and exciting! One thing you might want to consider, if you were good at it and had enough space where you moved, would be to grow organic produce at home, and in a few years when you finally have a surplus, sell some it on the island where you live.
You sound like the kind of person who would do well here, from a personality standpoint. I cannot deny that for most people, the Keys are better to visit than to live. But I adore living here, and hope to stay for as long as possible. There are definite downsides, but for certain people like myself it's such a great fit otherwise that it is worth it. I would recommend choosing a cheaper island to live that is near a bigger commercial island, and commuting in to conduct your business. Like Tavernier to Key Largo, or one of the Lower Keys like Summerland or Big Coppitt (NOT Stock Island!) to Key West, or something close to Marathon (Marathon itself might offer enough cheap options though that you can afford to live right in it). You would need to be ok with sacrificing on amenities and diversity of things to do - it's not a metropolis. But if you love tropical weather and ocean, we have that in abundance here, so you're never going to run out. If you can find an affordable housing situation and a job to afford your bills until your business kicks in, which is the hardest part, the rest is manageable.
Note though that we do have the most expensive govt. marketplace insurance in Florida, with monthly plans starting at $300/mo that don't really cover anything, and skyrocketing from there. That is very relevant down here where few people have jobs that provide health insurance, and a lot of people live hard lives that create a lot of medical needs. Car insurance is also expensive, on par with Miami's rates (meaning some of the highest in the country). Except for Key West, there is no public transportation to speak of. You can save money with a scooter or a bike, but both are dangerous to ride on/next to the highway.
The people who do the best down here are hard workers, capable of being practical and accepting a less than perfect situation, and highly motivated. Resilient Keys residents can always find another way to make a buck, so they can make their rent. If you love it here enough, you can always squeeze that one more roommate in, add that extra shift with the 3rd job, or convince a new person that they need to pay for your business services. If you're a go-getter, the Keys make for an interesting experience that can be very pleasant. The reality is though, the Keys image attracts absolutely anything but the "go-getter" type, which is why so many people are having such a rough time. It does make it easier though for the hard workers to get and keep a job, by contrast.
This is an isolated lifestyle. People are extremely friendly, but it is small town living where everybody knows everybody's business, and where dating options are terrible. You're not going to spend your weekends shopping. Actually, because of the tourist economy, a good 50% of Keys residents spend their weekends and holidays working. But, if you want to spend your whole Tuesday kayaking or snorkeling in turquoise waters away from all the noise, you can do that. And, except for the hurricanes, you can do that nearly every Tuesday practically forever...as long as you show up the rest of the week to work all your shifts.
Living in the Florida Keys is full of extremes. It is partly astoundingly idyllic, and partly truly terrible. You need a high tolerance to go with the flow and not get ruffled when things go wrong, and you have to love this landscape and climate more than anything else, so that just being here every day makes up for anything else that happens. The longer I'm here the more I get to experience, and the more I love it. But, there are cheaper places to see sunshine and live by the ocean. But nowhere else in the US has the unique ecosystem, mindset, and lifestyle that we have here. You can be as weird as you want here and nobody will look at you funny. Even our daily news has a sense of humor. The islands are full of characters. The islands are also chock full of wildlife - more than anywhere else in SFL. You will see endangered and unusual plants and animals every day on most islands, and although that's not usually true in Key West or Stock Island, it is true there too if you take the time to leave land and head out on the water. And it will never freeze, which none of the other counties in Florida can say.
For me, it has been the best move I could have made. For most people, it is just a terrible fit though.
Thanks again for all this great information. It's very helpful.
One of the main reasons I looked down there for relocation is because it's one of the last places I can find that doesn't freeze. I would very much like to grow food all year instead of pulling up plants every single year and starting over each time. I know that certain plants will eventually need replaced, but I'd like to leave it up to them to decide when they're ready to die rather than me having to pull them b/c of winter. I really dislike doing that to them.
You said something before about water issues. Are there restrictions? If so, how are you managing to have enough fresh water for your container plants?
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Originally Posted by StarfishKey
You sound like the kind of person who would do well here, from a personality standpoint. I cannot deny that for most people, the Keys are better to visit than to live. But I adore living here, and hope to stay for as long as possible. There are definite downsides, but for certain people like myself it's such a great fit otherwise that it is worth it. I would recommend choosing a cheaper island to live that is near a bigger commercial island, and commuting in to conduct your business. Like Tavernier to Key Largo, or one of the Lower Keys like Summerland or Big Coppitt (NOT Stock Island!) to Key West, or something close to Marathon (Marathon itself might offer enough cheap options though that you can afford to live right in it). You would need to be ok with sacrificing on amenities and diversity of things to do - it's not a metropolis. But if you love tropical weather and ocean, we have that in abundance here, so you're never going to run out. If you can find an affordable housing situation and a job to afford your bills until your business kicks in, which is the hardest part, the rest is manageable.
I definitely don't need or want a metropolis. I'm not a typical American shopper, though I do like being able to buy what I need easily enough. I do need internet and space to grow my food. I'm okay with laid back since that's been kinda forced on me anyways, through circumstance. The isolation is the only thing that may be a problem, since some of my work is materials-based; meaning I would need to keep an inventory of ingredients and such. Your description of the shipping situation is a little daunting. I'm honestly used to Amazon Prime for many household things, and that's 2-day. I wait much longer for most of my raw materials and containers for business, so I'm used to things taking 1-2 weeks to get to me. If I'm down there, it would likely take 3-4 weeks from the sounds of it. That may or may not be practical, depending on how much space I had for storage.
See, the thing is that my eventual location will probably dictate which direction I go with my self-employment. I haven't landed on one certain thing because I don't know where I'll be living. If I'm isolated from the mainland, I would probably need to go more towards a service-based or internet business. Inland, I can more easily do my product business or anything else that required me to keep inventory and have ready access to shipments.
It's a very long story, but in a nutshell...I'm having to reinvent myself after a decade-long illness that took me down and just about killed me. Before my kid was born, I was a blue-collar worker doing the factory and restaurant thing for 15 years or so. I quit my job 15 years ago to raise my son, and I started contracting work at home from my former employer. Eleven years ago, I had a run-in with an IPL machine which ruined my life for a long time. The contract work ended and I haven't brought in an income for 10 years. Several years ago I had to start cancer treatments because my body wasn't able to handle everything that had been thrown at it. My son's father has been supporting us with 2 jobs. During this time, however, I've learned an incredible amount of information and have done things that I might not have done if the IPL incident hadn't happened.
I do a *lot* of different things now, and am good at all of them--though I lack the energy to do everything I want to do. I make natural/organic personal care products, organic cotton and hemp fabric creations (just starting with that), and I also want to make custom crystal jewelry (I have all my supplies but need the time and energy to get started on production). Before I got sick, I was considering opening some kind of catering business, and I still am keeping a food-based-business option open (just not here b/c I don't like this state). Organic only, of course. I can foods from harvest time, and make a fantastic salsa that I could sell if I had a licensed kitchen and all. I do a lot of baking, but that wouldn't go over well down there, I guess. Lol. Not unless there are people there wanting Midwest-type foods (meatloaf/mashed taters kind of thing, plus all types of baked desserts). I'm in the process of learning the art of bread-baking and fermentation. I've just started making my own fruit wines from organic and homegrown fruits and organic juices. I have a mulberry tree hanging over my fence and it drops fruit on my side of the fence, plus I have four raised beds of strawberries. The rest I buy frozen in bulk from Azure.
Let's see...Oh, I treat myself for cancer holistically, and help friends learn more about natural medicine. I spend a lot of time online trying to help people with practical things like that and gardening and home-stuff, in general (pro bono, of course). I homeschool my son, but it's not hard because his work is self-guided, for the most part. I grow as much of our own food as possible, including starting my plants from seed. I write non-fiction quite well, and I've done editing work.
Unfortunately, several of those skills can't be transferred into an income because I lack the degrees and/or licenses needed. Obviously, I can't treat anyone for cancer in a clinical setting without a degree or two and a clinic. My editing skills are good but most businesses want someone with a 4-year degree, no matter how good you are. I don't have the time or money to go back to school at this point in my life. I can't do a home-based food business where I am (not sure about other states and cities; I'd have to check codes) because I don't have a commercial kitchen.
So as you can see, I'm pretty flexible (albeit limited for now). I'm not sure how many of those skills or interests would be useful in the Keys, however. I know I can cook, waitress, or bartend, but I really don't want to have to work 2 or 3 jobs. I can't. Not now, at least. I'm hoping by the time I can leave this state that I will be much better so that I *can* work a couple jobs, if needed. I'd rather not work for someone else, though. Maybe if it was a job I *really* liked and which paid enough so that I only had to have one employer, but that doesn't sound feasible down there.
I would like to grow organic produce to sell to the restaurants down there, but that would take land which is expensive and maybe not even in existence. I kinda doubt there are many big plots in the Keys where largish amounts of produce can be grown, and besides that, I don't have the ability to buy land at this point in my life.
What do the tourists want down there? What is missing either for them or for the locals and/or businesses?
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Note though that we do have the most expensive govt. marketplace insurance in Florida, with monthly plans starting at $300/mo that don't really cover anything, and skyrocketing from there. That is very relevant down here where few people have jobs that provide health insurance, and a lot of people live hard lives that create a lot of medical needs. Car insurance is also expensive, on par with Miami's rates (meaning some of the highest in the country). Except for Key West, there is no public transportation to speak of. You can save money with a scooter or a bike, but both are dangerous to ride on/next to the highway.
I don't worry about the healthcare thing. I just pay the penalty. They don't cover any of the things I do, anyways, so there's not much sense in it. If they paid out for supplements and such, I would buy insurance. Until then, they can kiss my ***. Lol.
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The people who do the best down here are hard workers, capable of being practical and accepting a less than perfect situation, and highly motivated. Resilient Keys residents can always find another way to make a buck, so they can make their rent. If you love it here enough, you can always squeeze that one more roommate in, add that extra shift with the 3rd job, or convince a new person that they need to pay for your business services. If you're a go-getter, the Keys make for an interesting experience that can be very pleasant. The reality is though, the Keys image attracts absolutely anything but the "go-getter" type, which is why so many people are having such a rough time. It does make it easier though for the hard workers to get and keep a job, by contrast.
I work as hard as I can considering my circumstances. I was an energizer bunny before the IPL, and it's been hard getting back up to that speed. I am extremely resilient and have had to deal with a lot of stuff. Unfortunately, I'm stuck right now, in more ways than one. I also have to be practical and my logic is telling me I may not be able to live somewhere so expensive unless I can come up with something soon that suits me and my eventual location, and which brings in some serious cash so that I can start saving for a move. I will be able to move in about 3-5 years, I guess, unless I can be doing something that supports me and my son until he's "of age" and doing his own thing. I would definitely relocate sooner than 5 years if I had the opportunity and could bring my son. I don't want to leave him here for his dad to raise alone but I can't support him myself right now. His dad and I will be divorcing, if you haven't guessed. We stay together because of my son and because I literally couldn't have left before now (due to the IPL). We are civil but quite unhappy. We do this so my kiddo can have a decent childhood; one that was much better than my own.
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This is an isolated lifestyle. People are extremely friendly, but it is small town living where everybody knows everybody's business, and where dating options are terrible. You're not going to spend your weekends shopping. Actually, because of the tourist economy, a good 50% of Keys residents spend their weekends and holidays working. But, if you want to spend your whole Tuesday kayaking or snorkeling in turquoise waters away from all the noise, you can do that. And, except for the hurricanes, you can do that nearly every Tuesday practically forever...as long as you show up the rest of the week to work all your shifts.
Living in the Florida Keys is full of extremes. It is partly astoundingly idyllic, and partly truly terrible. You need a high tolerance to go with the flow and not get ruffled when things go wrong, and you have to love this landscape and climate more than anything else, so that just being here every day makes up for anything else that happens. The longer I'm here the more I get to experience, and the more I love it. But, there are cheaper places to see sunshine and live by the ocean. But nowhere else in the US has the unique ecosystem, mindset, and lifestyle that we have here. You can be as weird as you want here and nobody will look at you funny. Even our daily news has a sense of humor. The islands are full of characters. The islands are also chock full of wildlife - more than anywhere else in SFL. You will see endangered and unusual plants and animals every day on most islands, and although that's not usually true in Key West or Stock Island, it is true there too if you take the time to leave land and head out on the water. And it will never freeze, which none of the other counties in Florida can say.
It all sounds very nice, except for the problems already pointed out in this thread. My mom vacationed there once and absolutely fell in love with the Keys.
Wow, your situation is very specific, but I'm going to answer it here because I think a lot of people reading will probably relate to one or other parts of it, even if not the entire scenario. I titled it to be more accessible for people to find what relates to them:
Large-scale Gardening/Agriculture
Re the gardening: No, there is no chance you could afford a large plot of land to grow on commercially, and even if you could, the land would be terrible for that purpose. Small-time yard growing, and growing in containers, is what works here.
Water
Water is doable, but you should know that the Keys is actually the driest county in all of FL. We get torrential rains for half the year, and drought so bad we get brush fires the other half. There are workarounds if you grow your own food, but not for growing food at the commercial level. Our water is piped in all the way from Miami, and Monroe County does not have a single reservoir! So that means water here is very expensive, and in a precarious position to get contaminated or interrupted at various points due to storms or accidents along the 130+ mile stretch of pipes. In the old days before heavy development, Keys residents used large cisterns on their properties. Today, many of us are going back to that idea, using rain catchment barrels. You can throw some organic mosquito dunks in there, and these serve just fine as year-round water sources, filling up in the rainy season, and slowly emptying throughout the dry season. But a hurricane might cause you to lose your water that year. The cost is enough to keep people from using too much water. The plants vastly prefer rainwater anyway, since the piped water is not good quality.
Materials and Large-Scale Shipping
I have not had to ship things of the type you are speaking of, but I think you are overestimating the amount of time it would take. I would add an extra week, and no more, for materials shipping However, one thing you need to be aware of is that depending on where you live, many companies will not ship to the Keys at all, or will not drive down certain streets because they are not rated for the load or don't have space to turn around, or will charge extra to ship to Monroe County if they will at all because it is so isolated. That can be a problem with moving companies for instance. But most places CAN get Amazon deliveries - especially on the islands with higher populations, like Key Largo, Marathon, Key West. I would check with your suppliers beforehand as to if they will ship here, and if there are extra costs associated. Try with the specific address you are considering, because it can vary by address. Some will go to Key Largo only but not further down, so that is a vote in favor of being at the top of the island chain.
You sound like you have the type of resilient personality and interests that would do well here. But, it might not be the best solution for other reasons.
Medical Access
If you need access to industrialized medicine from time to time, you will need to go up to Miami to get it. The Keys are terrible for good healthcare. I understand that's not your main objective in terms of your medical treatment plan, but even so, you need to consider this for yourself and your son.
Kids in the Keys
The Keys are NOT a great choice for kids, especially as they become teenagers. We actually have good schools, which have an A rating as far as the FL school rating system. There are also Montessori schools in the Keys, for those that prefer them. But not so many families can afford to live in the Keys, so socialization will be limited. The higher populations of kids are on Key Largo, and Key West and its surrounding area.
Middle and high school age kids get bored here quickly, and are surrounded by temptation in a party county to drink and do drugs. Key West particularly is an awful place for teenagers, with people falling down drunk and getting high for all over the place, and little else to do because the parents are so broke all they can do is afford a place to live, no excursions on the water. And there's not a ton else to do, although there are a few parks and more affordable museums.
It is a good place for kids who love to learn about the ocean, though (especially if you can afford to do the activities that involve spending time on the water). But, the isolation and likelihood of hurricanes here make bringing a kid here especially precarious, and of concern. You need the extra money to evacuate every hurricane season, and in some seasons you might have to evacuate multiple times.
It is very common, especially in Key West, for parents to have to rent out part of their apartment or house just to be able to survive - meaning that the kid is vulnerable to these renters. Monroe County has a higher percentage of sex offenders in the population than other places, as well as a high incidence of mental illness. Most of the renters are not the type you'd want your kid exposed to, all the more so in Key West where people just want to rent so they can party non-stop. I know a lot of people who have been affected by this, so I'm not just making it up. A lot of times it results in teenagers on drugs, and younger kids getting molested by the renter.
If you have the money to live on your own, and your kids is young, the Keys can be a very nice place to have kids. I am considering having children here myself. But if I could not afford my own house here, or at whatever point the kids reach 11 or so, I don't think we would stay.
Dating Scene
The Keys are also a truly terrible place for dating, especially for women interested in men, so if that's going to be in your future, consider that too. If you like dating a 55+ alcoholic drifter with a history of domestic abuse, you'll have your pick of men here. But if you're looking for younger, handsome, kind, well-adjusted, with a steady job, this ain't the place. It's not impossible, but it's definitely not likely.
Baking
I don't know if there is a market here for Midwestern food. People DO like baked goods here, but you will have competition, so yours will need to stand out, and appeal to the tastes here. Tourists tend to like tropical-themed sweets, and locals tend to like fancy upscale mainland-style treats that they generally can't get down here. Another thing to know about the water, though is, that all of SFL has hard water. This means it is almost impossible to get good bread down here, which would be in huge demand if you can do it, especially Italian-style or bagels, but would be really expensive to manage. You'd probably need a water-softening system, and even then, it might not be a guarantee they would come out right. The humidity here can also affect baked goods. We have very sub-par pizza, Italian and French bread, and bagels because of this. It is one of the things people in SFL end up missing most about points in the country further North.
Craft Businesses
Depending on your ability to make a great product and market it well, you might find a market here for your jewelry, and your fruit wines. Salsa too, but the tomatoes may be a challenge to get here in high quality and quantity, as it is too hot to grow most tomatoes reliably, especially in the summer/fall.
Jobs and Housing
You could get a service job. But they pay terribly, and have no benefits. And, you likely wouldn't want to stay with them long-term because it wouldn't be fulfilling. You'd probably need several low-pay jobs to start with, just to make the rent on an apartment or shared house (there aren't a lot of legal apartments down here). Your body would probably get burned out quickly that way. There are few jobs here that require a 4-year degree... but that means there are few jobs here that pay on the level of jobs for people who have one. Average pay in the Keys is $10/hr, with 30 hrs a week available. They purposely stop at 30 to avoid paying for benefits. Average LEGAL (above-flood, meaning likely stilt building) 1-bedroom apartment cost, at the low end, is about $1300/mo. Room rental in a house including a private bathroom and shared kitchen access is about $900/mo. That means just the one job will cover just the room rental, after taxes - not even a full apartment, should you be so lucky as to find one. Housing here routinely requires first, last, and security (3x rent) up front to move in. So you likely need in the vicinity of $3k up front just to get in the door. There are some rooms available with shared bathroom for less, but the more you do without, the harder it will be for 1 adult and 1 kid to safely and affordably live there.
Please note - do NOT bring pets to the Keys and expect to get a rental! The vast majority of people who move here have one or multiple pets, and the vast majority of rentals are strictly no-pet rentals! There are tons of renters to choose from, so they do not need to rent to people with pets. Don't come down with an automatic disadvantage - a lot of people end up living in their cars with their dogs and being harassed regularly by the police to leave the Keys. If you bring a pet here, have the money to buy a house.
Alternative to the Keys
Given that you are probably going to be strapped for cash, but you want a large area to grow food on, and minimal freezes, I would recommend you look into property in Homestead/Florida City. It is the center of SFL's agricultural businesses, and is subject to generally a max of one night of true freeze a year. Plenty of sun, far more rain than the Keys, and cheap property. The soil is a bit better than in the Keys, too.
That area has both easy access to Miami, and the Keys (particularly the Upper Keys). It also has way more availability of jobs that actually pay something and have benefits, and easy shipping routes, as well as plenty of access to certain materials locally as a lot of suppliers are based out of there. About 99% of the agriculture there is NOT organic, but there is just beginning to be small-level interest in organic growing.
I would NOT recommend it for kids though. There is little to do, and a decent amount of crime.
No part of SFL is affordable and ALSO low in crime and ALSO has things for kids to do. For that type of location, heading further up North in Florida, or maybe closer to your own home, would be better.
Hurricanes
Keep in mind, too, that building a business in SFL that is heavily reliant on growing or physical materials, means the risk of being wiped out every year due to a hurricane. We are long overdue for a major storm direct hit to the area, so every year that goes by statistically increases the likelihood that we will get a bad one. Homestead was absolutely leveled by a Category 5 hurricane in 1992, Hurricane Andrew. They have since rebuilt, and have thankfully not had a hurricane of that magnitude hit again in the past 33 years. But all of SFL is vulnerable, as as sea temperatures keep rising, we continue to have increased likelihood of serious storms.
Critters
Don't move to SFL if you are afraid of cockroaches, snakes, scorpions, mosquitoes, etc. This is the swamp, and borders the Everglades. All of the counties in SFL puts you at risk of critters, and the more rural or isolated the place in which you live, the higher the incidence of crocodiles and things like that. Generally, these things are not a real threat to your safety, but more of a problem for people who have phobias. Millions of people live in SFL and do not get eaten by a crocodile.
I hope some of this was helpful to you, and to others who are considering a move down here. The Keys are not a very practical place to live. They are great if you have a ton of money, or if you don't mind doing a ton sacrificing, though. There's a good reason most people who move down here successfully are wealthy retirees.
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Originally Posted by freedomdove
Thanks again for all this great information. It's very helpful.
One of the main reasons I looked down there for relocation is because it's one of the last places I can find that doesn't freeze. I would very much like to grow food all year instead of pulling up plants every single year and starting over each time. I know that certain plants will eventually need replaced, but I'd like to leave it up to them to decide when they're ready to die rather than me having to pull them b/c of winter. I really dislike doing that to them.
You said something before about water issues. Are there restrictions? If so, how are you managing to have enough fresh water for your container plants?
I definitely don't need or want a metropolis. I'm not a typical American shopper, though I do like being able to buy what I need easily enough. I do need internet and space to grow my food. I'm okay with laid back since that's been kinda forced on me anyways, through circumstance. The isolation is the only thing that may be a problem, since some of my work is materials-based; meaning I would need to keep an inventory of ingredients and such. Your description of the shipping situation is a little daunting. I'm honestly used to Amazon Prime for many household things, and that's 2-day. I wait much longer for most of my raw materials and containers for business, so I'm used to things taking 1-2 weeks to get to me. If I'm down there, it would likely take 3-4 weeks from the sounds of it. That may or may not be practical, depending on how much space I had for storage.
See, the thing is that my eventual location will probably dictate which direction I go with my self-employment. I haven't landed on one certain thing because I don't know where I'll be living. If I'm isolated from the mainland, I would probably need to go more towards a service-based or internet business. Inland, I can more easily do my product business or anything else that required me to keep inventory and have ready access to shipments.
It's a very long story, but in a nutshell...I'm having to reinvent myself after a decade-long illness that took me down and just about killed me. Before my kid was born, I was a blue-collar worker doing the factory and restaurant thing for 15 years or so. I quit my job 15 years ago to raise my son, and I started contracting work at home from my former employer. Eleven years ago, I had a run-in with an IPL machine which ruined my life for a long time. The contract work ended and I haven't brought in an income for 10 years. Several years ago I had to start cancer treatments because my body wasn't able to handle everything that had been thrown at it. My son's father has been supporting us with 2 jobs. During this time, however, I've learned an incredible amount of information and have done things that I might not have done if the IPL incident hadn't happened.
I do a *lot* of different things now, and am good at all of them--though I lack the energy to do everything I want to do. I make natural/organic personal care products, organic cotton and hemp fabric creations (just starting with that), and I also want to make custom crystal jewelry (I have all my supplies but need the time and energy to get started on production). Before I got sick, I was considering opening some kind of catering business, and I still am keeping a food-based-business option open (just not here b/c I don't like this state). Organic only, of course. I can foods from harvest time, and make a fantastic salsa that I could sell if I had a licensed kitchen and all. I do a lot of baking, but that wouldn't go over well down there, I guess. Lol. Not unless there are people there wanting Midwest-type foods (meatloaf/mashed taters kind of thing, plus all types of baked desserts). I'm in the process of learning the art of bread-baking and fermentation. I've just started making my own fruit wines from organic and homegrown fruits and organic juices. I have a mulberry tree hanging over my fence and it drops fruit on my side of the fence, plus I have four raised beds of strawberries. The rest I buy frozen in bulk from Azure.
Let's see...Oh, I treat myself for cancer holistically, and help friends learn more about natural medicine. I spend a lot of time online trying to help people with practical things like that and gardening and home-stuff, in general (pro bono, of course). I homeschool my son, but it's not hard because his work is self-guided, for the most part. I grow as much of our own food as possible, including starting my plants from seed. I write non-fiction quite well, and I've done editing work.
Unfortunately, several of those skills can't be transferred into an income because I lack the degrees and/or licenses needed. Obviously, I can't treat anyone for cancer in a clinical setting without a degree or two and a clinic. My editing skills are good but most businesses want someone with a 4-year degree, no matter how good you are. I don't have the time or money to go back to school at this point in my life. I can't do a home-based food business where I am (not sure about other states and cities; I'd have to check codes) because I don't have a commercial kitchen.
So as you can see, I'm pretty flexible (albeit limited for now). I'm not sure how many of those skills or interests would be useful in the Keys, however. I know I can cook, waitress, or bartend, but I really don't want to have to work 2 or 3 jobs. I can't. Not now, at least. I'm hoping by the time I can leave this state that I will be much better so that I *can* work a couple jobs, if needed. I'd rather not work for someone else, though. Maybe if it was a job I *really* liked and which paid enough so that I only had to have one employer, but that doesn't sound feasible down there.
I would like to grow organic produce to sell to the restaurants down there, but that would take land which is expensive and maybe not even in existence. I kinda doubt there are many big plots in the Keys where largish amounts of produce can be grown, and besides that, I don't have the ability to buy land at this point in my life.
What do the tourists want down there? What is missing either for them or for the locals and/or businesses?
I don't worry about the healthcare thing. I just pay the penalty. They don't cover any of the things I do, anyways, so there's not much sense in it. If they paid out for supplements and such, I would buy insurance. Until then, they can kiss my ***. Lol.
I work as hard as I can considering my circumstances. I was an energizer bunny before the IPL, and it's been hard getting back up to that speed. I am extremely resilient and have had to deal with a lot of stuff. Unfortunately, I'm stuck right now, in more ways than one. I also have to be practical and my logic is telling me I may not be able to live somewhere so expensive unless I can come up with something soon that suits me and my eventual location, and which brings in some serious cash so that I can start saving for a move. I will be able to move in about 3-5 years, I guess, unless I can be doing something that supports me and my son until he's "of age" and doing his own thing. I would definitely relocate sooner than 5 years if I had the opportunity and could bring my son. I don't want to leave him here for his dad to raise alone but I can't support him myself right now. His dad and I will be divorcing, if you haven't guessed. We stay together because of my son and because I literally couldn't have left before now (due to the IPL). We are civil but quite unhappy. We do this so my kiddo can have a decent childhood; one that was much better than my own.
It all sounds very nice, except for the problems already pointed out in this thread. My mom vacationed there once and absolutely fell in love with the Keys.
You are an absolute wealth of information about the Keys. I really appreciate all the time you've taken to write all of that out, and I'm sure that other people will also benefit from your posts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StarfishKey
You sound like you have the type of resilient personality and interests that would do well here. But, it might not be the best solution for other reasons.
Sadly, you're right. Even though there are things about the Keys which I don't think I'd like, I do think I would be relatively happy there if I could afford it and could manage all the humidity and skeeters. I pretty much hate where I live now all the time, so I'm used to doing the compromise thing. Unfortunately, I just don't know how I would be able to afford the CoL there. I scoped out some rentals on "Hot Pads" and they are ridiculous. It's just mind-boggling compared to where I live now. I kinda wish I had been raised in an expensive area so that it wouldn't be such a shock to relocate somewhere nicer. Lol.
Well, thanks again for the great information, StarfishKey. Invaluable! City-data is lucky to have you here. I wish you the best and hope that you continue to have a good life in SFL.
The Keys in General = Homeless, beggars, scary expensive, alcoholics, one-way-in-one-way-out, bottleneck traffic, can be boring, etc. (Sorry to be so honest).
The Keys in General = Homeless, beggars, scary expensive, alcoholics, one-way-in-one-way-out, bottleneck traffic, can be boring, etc. (Sorry to be so honest).
They Keys are boring? Sho, if someone is a couch potato, yes..for water-sport enthusiasts (especially diving/fishing/boating) ...it's awesome. Homeless are found everywhere, though in the Keys I mostly see them in Key West. I agree on being pricey(at least lately) but US 1 is not bad now being a divided hwy north of Key Largo(I used to get stuck traffic wise 2-3 miles before KL, ..not anymore).
Thank you so much. Which category can I apply for? I hold a Bachelor of Science certificate. Any ideal how I can convert it to US equivalence? Please enlighten me more. Should I drop my email?
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