[Coconut1]

Miami, without a doubt.

Jacksonville is just a big suburb.

You might look at Brickell, the people there are a bit more professional than those living at the beach, but I would also look at Miami Beach, specially Mid-Beach. You may also try North Beach and South Beach, but Mid-Beach is between the two (obviously) and offers a little less craziness while still being close to the action. You may also find Coconut Grove appealing.

The whole "you must know Spanish!!" bit is pure propaganda.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Raleigh was not what they thought was ideal yet you mention the even smaller Melbourne, then follow it up with Sarasota? They aren't 55 and looking for retirement communities!

You are completely off base with the Miami = Spanish only.

Ummm did you even read the op? They actually like Raleigh but want something warmer and near a beach. They want some night life, but nothing too crazy. And btw, I never said Miami was Spanish only, but nice misinterpretation.

Also they wanted to avoid traffic and crime. Orlando traffic bothers me but there are times where Miami is much worse than Orlando.

The great thing about cities like Sarasota and Melbourne is that you're near water and within an hour of bigger cities like Tampa or Orlando, respectively but don't have to deal with the traffic or crime as much, plus both of those cities are in top ten counties for schools

[Enigma777]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

Why do you keep pushing this falsehood? I happen to know a lot of "non-Hispanics" who function just fine in Miami without knowing Spanish.

I totally agree that as a blanket statement it is incorrect and a matter of perception. Most of the people repeating this myth have never actually lived in Miami and would never live anywhere as diverse as Miami. You don't have to speak English but it helps, and it totally depends on where you are in the city and what you do for a living. I'm a corporate paralegal and most of the positions I see do not ask for Spanish speaking or bilingual candidates--maybe 1 out of 10. In fact many of them specifically want English as your first language because they want excellent grammar and spelling skills. We tend to gravitate towards the areas of the beaches, downtown, Coconut Grove, Hollywood, Aventura --never had any issues regarding language at all. There are a lot of Europeans and Brazilians as well as Hispanics. I've actually heard people (on the west coast of Fla) say that nobody in Boca speaks English, which I find pretty amusing, as it appears to be code for "there are foreigners encroaching."

The fact is SE Fla is multicultural, and if you are looking to replicate a "white bread" town like the one you came from, only with warm weather and beaches and you are not very adaptable--SE Fla is probably not going to be a good fit. If you want "white bread" towns in Fla, you should probably stick to the west coast, north or central Fla. Find this all rather weird because people never tell you that you will need Spanish to move to Southern California, Texas or New Mexico, all of which have areas that are heavily Hispanic and Spanish speaking. For that matter, many people move to Costa Rica and Cabo and never learn Spanish.

[LIFL]

If you under 50, avoid Sarasota. It is older, and crime is very high (top 100 highest in the country high). Schools are okay, but once you get to high school, there are like 2 that are decent. Miami would make a lot of sense, because it is right on the water, there is plenty of nightlife, and it is diverse. And you don't NEED to know/speak Spanish, although it couldn't hurt.

[Red3311]

This is a trick question by OP...well played

[dangeroly]

There is traffic, and crime but welcome to a major metrohttp://www.qmyksawayaa.com/06.jpg