[robivi3]

Personally, in 35 years in Miami/Fort Lauderdale Florida I've had very little crime to remember. I don't really know what crime, other than Miami you are referring to. I am a Miami boy, lived in North Miami, Miami Beach, Fountainbleau and now Sunrise.

It sounds like you are renting so let me tell you the problem.

A 3/2 home on a 75 X 100 lot that sold for 89,900 in my neighborhood in 1999 now sells for $340,000.00 and no, the real estate market while a little slow has NOT gone belly up here, and it won't, the influx of money fleeing Venezuela is driving many areas. The property taxes on that 70's built Golf Village home, luikely with an old Avocado bathroom are 6000.00 yearly and because of the H/cane risk Insurance on that house runs 5500.00 to 11000.00 per year. I'M PAYING THE 5500.00. Expenses here are through the roof. I have to hang on in my situation living in my townhouse because of all this. I also make 80 grand a year in an industry where I have beaucoup job protections, can't be fired or laid off without being paid 7 years salary and have five years to retirement at age 53 with a $250,000 dollar drop payout and 4000.00 a month for me and spouse for life. All of this from the top rated retirement system (FRS) in the country. In addition my wife is also under the same retirement but makes about half of that. SO PUHLEEEEESE, no comments from anyone about if it is so bad why don't you leave.

The fact is that most people I know are not making my money and none of my neighbors nor myself live in a fancy neighborhood (Sunrise). Most are having to scale down to stay in their townhomes, some are in a bind because of the Insurance.


Come to Sunrise and try to get a permit to replace your roof in under six months, then try to get it past inpsection, they will fail you for having even one roofing nail on the ground. SUNRISE does it, just ask Bright Top roofs, one of the few legit roofing contractors, they had to go to Governor Bush to get the City to knock off the stupidity and then threatened our idiot mayor with 500 angry residents showing up before next hurricane season. Oh, try and replace the roof without the permit, that way the City can condemn your home if you refuse to pull the roof off.

The iisues in South Fl;orida for regular families are tremendous, yeah, I can sell my plce, divorce, not pay my three boys school and go live on SoBe and say things like, "I don't know what all the fuss is about"!

The weather is gorgeous yes, the beach is great, but Monday comes and you have to raise a family, maintain a home, pay for decent transportation (Insurance, 4000.00 per year on two vehicles). All Insurances alone (Salary, Medical, Auto, Dental, Legal, the legal and salary are only about $75.00 per month) are costing me $1800.00 per month total. And most of us in South Florida realize that we will not be able to retire here.

Gosh, I'd love to be single, then everywhere is paradise. Sorry to rain on the parade, don't take offense, but right now Florida has some tough economic issues to face> Even Governor Crist cancelled the inaugural Ball saying that economic conditions here made it an unreasonable expense.

Now, all that being said, North and Northeast Florida may be different. I do know folks who love JAX and the Panhandle and Sarasota. I am at best speaking ONLY for the area from Palm Beach South. If you want to move for example to Naples, and can afford it, you will have one lovely town to reside in, period. I LOVE THAT PLACE.

[pianogal]

And most of us in South Florida realize that we will not be able to retire here.\\

Some of us in other parts of Florida are looking at that possibility as well, if insurance and taxes keep going up.

[Maramax]

I agree with Tinman313. Somepeople think we go over boar with our posting but the true is that things are not the same. It is to crowed here, traffic is pretty bad, housing is overpriced and vandalism keeps going up.

[hdzup3]

Originally Posted by paul1439

I lived in Philadelphia Pa. all my life and just retired to Florida. I spent 4 years researching and going to seminars about Florida. The last 4 years before retiring I went down to Florida each year to check out east and west coast and northern, southern and central Florida. The last year before I retired I flew into Ft. Lauderdale to check out W Palm Beach and Boca area. I was there for one week. After seeing the price of realestate on the ocean (condos) and the traffic I thought Philadelphia was the better choice. I was so depressed about S. Florida that I gave up on the idea of moving to Florida. The last day before I flew back to Philly I was having breakfast at my motel where I was staying. I was wearing my baseball cap which had Penn State logo on it. Out from nowhere a strange man came up to me and started yelling saying the coach should not be there at Penn State. At this point I wanted run from this crazy person. Then he said why are you here. I told him I was looking for a place to retire. He said what did you do for a living, I said law enforcement. He changed his attitude and said do youself a favor and go to Hutchinson Island. Being my last day in Florida and being somewhat depressed I set out to find Hutchinson Island. About 1 hour later I dicovered paradise. I found RE office and they showed me 3 bedroom condo on the 17th flr. with wraparound balcony. After seeing the million dollar view the rest was history. After 3 years of living in paradise there is no other place to live. Hutchinson Island

thats a great story. fate is amazing. i will be moving to florida soon i hope. i have always been drawn to florida since i was a child. im 38 now.. but i had never gone and i remember planning this big imaginary trip with my cousin that was so real to me, it was painful not to beable to go.. then i met my friend when i was around 25, she ended up settling with a guy from florida, he moved to CT to be with her, he hated it.. we saw him so unhappy, they decided to move to florida...i have visited her for 11 yrs now almost yearly and it is such a painful thing to leave.. i am so happy there. we dont do anything, just hang around but its a defenate pull, not vacation feeling. my husband went with me 2 yrs ago.. always said i would never live there. well, now our home is on the market, and we are moving to somewhere in sarasota county... its becoming such a dream come true for me but so hard because i cant have it now..lol. my children are very excited to go.. my 6 yr old was so sad when we visited this year, was devestated to go home. it was so sad to see her so sad like i felt. normally she will scream, when she cant have her way. this was genuine sadness. she just sat in the chair as i was loading our bags in the car, and the tears just streamed down her face.
i cant wait to be there! enjoy your home!

[faithfulFrank]

I like stories like these two. This is an older post, but still good.
There has not been a positive, fun post in awhile.

Here is one other one from the beginning of the year that some of the newer people may enjoy reading. I thought when it got colder up here again I would add to it.
//www.city-data.com/forum/flori...-move-fla.html

Frank D.