[DianneLMT]

Hi Forum!

Since my first replier was having a bad day, I'm going to ask that you keep your replies friendly? respectful? Thank you.

I am moving from the NYC metro area by May 2013 with my 82 year old mother and 20 year old daughter. I am a massage therapist and will obtain my FL license prior to moving.

I've only ever spent time in Fort Myers Beach area and it was lovely but very trafficky. And we had to DRIVE to get ANYwhere!

We've narrowed our priorities to these:

1. Low crime
2. Near an area that would support "luxury" services like massage therapy
3. Dog and Horse friendly-we have both and will need to board our horses, hopefully affordably lol
4. Outside activities like parks, walking trails, beaches, SOMETHING that doesn't require a car!
5. Affordable housing or a healthy rental market

In researching FL, there seems to be no shortage of places for a massage therapist to work on either coast, north and south...is that accurate? And I'm also running on the assumption that FL, being a retirement capitol, will have abundant senior services in its infrastructure?

The whole southeastern area of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale does NOT interest us at all. But we're open to exploring just about any other part of the state including the panhandle.

Thank you for any insights/opinions/advice you can share! Can't wait to get there!

[Robyn55]

To make a long story short - get a job before you come here. Or have enough money to live on for at least a year. Robyn

[Robyn55]

P.S. Rereading your message - I think you're on cloud 9. Massage therapist? Not wanting to live in the high priced spread parts of the state (like SE Florida - where people tend to be wealthier and can afford these services). Keeping horses - not needing a car - cheap housing? What are you thinking ?

[DianneLMT]

I should have added that I'd accept respectful replies only - yours was hardly nice.
I Never said I don't drive - there's a huge difference between living in an area that is "walking friendly" as opposed to having to hop on several congested highways just to run errands. And I DID specifically state that I WANT to be near areas that would support "luxuries" like massages - just NOT Miami. And I DO know that is IS possible to live in less expensive areas NEAR wealthy areas, and that is what i'm looking for.

You need to chill out, have a drink, take a pill or something. If you're representative of folks in FL, I'll stay here. Good grief.

[vacoder]

The area I live, Punta Gorda, may fit some of your needs. It has stables, lots of parks, including a nice dog park (and a few restaurants that have dog areas). It's also about 30-40 minutes from Arcadia where they hold rodeos. It's not a big town but there is some money (not like say Boca Raton or Miami) and there are spas and massage therapists in town. It's a harbor town, not a beach town, but housing is affordable if you don't need water front. Average age is about 60. Retires come here for sailing and fishing. The downtown section is small but charming and does support a number of gourmet restaurants. Traffic is not real hectic even in snow bird season and crime is low.

[FloridaHappy]

Ocala. And think about becoming certified as a massage therapist for horses. Lots of horses here, especially in the winter when HITS (Horses In The Sunshine) is going on.

Housing is getting a tad more expensive in Ocala. The house I bought in July 2012 for $35,000 is now about $45,000. There are horse-friendly rentals here, check Craigslist, you should be able to find something under $1K a month. Marion County is the size of the state of Rhode Island and there's lots to do here. Silver Springs, both the park and the commercial attraction. Lots of other parks. Rainbow River for tubing accessible through 2 different parks.

There are 2 major hospitals here that have branches throughout the county. Lots of senior stuff going on. Unemployment in Marion County is down to 9.1%. You didn't mention what your daughter plans to be doing.

Marion County has crime, but everywhere has crime. You can log onto Marion County, FL Crime Map - Showing Crimes in Marion County - Crime Statistics, Alerts and Reports - Crime Stops Here that shows where the crime centers are and just plan to look elsewhere for housing.

Good luck on your move.

[DianneLMT]

Thanks for the great info!

[DianneLMT]

vacoder, thanks for the info!

[annerk]

There are plenty of massage therapist jobs at the many resorts and freestanding day spas in the Orlando area. There are also plenty of places to keep horses and plenty of affordable housing.

Look at Clermont. You can board the horses here or in neighboring Groveland, Tavares, or Leesburg. You'll be 30-40 minutes from dozens of spas. Crime is low. (Look in 34711, not 34714) There are tons of outdoor activities. That said, you will need to drive, there's no getting around that. But now that the construction is done on the Turnpike, it's a breeze. I made it from my house to Executive Airport in 35 minutes yesterday morning during "rush hour."

We have a solid community hospital, good libraries, a community college, shopping, places of worship, everything you need is within a few minutes of your door.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by DianneLMT

I should have added that I'd accept respectful replies only - yours was hardly nice.
I Never said I don't drive - there's a huge difference between living in an area that is "walking friendly" as opposed to having to hop on several congested highways just to run errands. And I DID specifically state that I WANT to be near areas that would support "luxuries" like massages - just NOT Miami. And I DO know that is IS possible to live in less expensive areas NEAR wealthy areas, and that is what i'm looking for.

You need to chill out, have a drink, take a pill or something. If you're representative of folks in FL, I'll stay here. Good grief.

I am trying to be respectful - but realistic too. And you need a spreadsheet more than I need a drink or a pill .

The median gross income for a massage therapist in Orlando is about $40k/year.

Salary.com Salary Wizard- Do you know what you're worth?

On this income - you are talking about supporting yourself and more than one horse in boarding (you mentioned horses). No one denies that you will need a car here. And some of the living suggestions mentioned involve commuting more than a few miles to work.

You haven't mentioned what your 20 year old does for a living. I assume she will be going to school - and perhaps working part time to defray her expenses. Note that if she plans to attend a public college/university - she will not qualify for in-state tuition until you've been a resident here for 12 months. If she is not planning to attend college - what job skills does she have? Some of the places that have been mentioned as possible places for you to live won't offer her anything other than minimum wage employment. And keep in mind that unless you have identical schedules in the same areas - you're talking about needing 2 cars.

You also didn't mention the financial circumstances of your 82 year old mother. Does she have any income other than Social Security? If so - perhaps she won't be relying on you (if it's just SS - you'll probably have to subsidize her). Contrary to your belief - although we have a relatively large senior population here - we do not have "abundant" senior services throughout the state. We do have some here - and some there - but not necessarily what you might have in mind. What are you looking for?

Also - Medicare is an important issue for recipients in Florida. I don't know what your mother is used to. If she's on Medicare Advantage now - you have to look very carefully at specific geographical areas. See what plans and networks are available. A lot in Florida today are HMO organizations that use lots of foreign-born foreign-trained doctors or non-doctors for primary care. This doesn't always sit well with elderly people. Also - our co-pays/deductibles etc. on MA plans can be pretty high. If you're talking about traditional Medicare with a Medigap policy - Florida has 3 Medigap price areas. North Florida - south/central Florida - and an area that's just a small part of the northern panhandle. Basically - our Medigap rates in north Florida are kind of average - and those in central/south Florida are very high (over 40% more than we pay in north Florida). A big chunk of change. Note that if your mother is a Medicare/Medicaid person - you're probably better off in a state other than Florida.

While I'm on the subject of health care/insurance - most massage therapists I know don't have employer health insurance. How do you plan to pay for that for yourself (and possibly your daughter)?

You have to keep in mind that Florida - unlike New York - is a very stingy state when it comes to benefits. If you are planning on finding the kinds of benefits in Florida that you are used to finding in New York - I'd look carefully before I leaped.

Why are you leaving NYC? And why Florida - especially since you've only been to Fort Myers Beach on some occasions (possibly for vacation)? I would look long and hard before making such a move - especially since you seem to be responsible (at least in part) for both a child and a parent.

Note that I live in a county like you describe. Some wealthy people. Some rural areas where people keep horses. But the median salary of a MT here is about $41k/year - and you'd never be able to do what you're thinking of doing on a salary like that here. Robyn