[Spring Hillian]

Yes, certainly moderate wage.

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Originally Posted by chopchop0

I doubt anyone think FL is a high wage state lol. If anything, it's a moderate wage state with low taxes but a housing col that has definitely increased since the 90s

[Spring Hillian]

Most of the folks in the low wage jobs are most likely to stay there due to their lack of ambition and means.

Originally Posted by ComSense

Why are some ppl so caught up in "so many low paying jobs"... be better than that, get an education and make $40k or $45k or whatever it is. I know, easier said than done, but I don't make minimum wage, so why should I let the ppl that make minimum wage affect me?

[LDWPA]

Originally Posted by CravingMountains

Never the less, Colorado also relies on tourism to employ large swaths of its population. Millions travel there each year to take advantage of the endless out doors activities that the state offers.

The state income tax provides great things for that state. It provides funding for the state parks and keeping the infrastructure through the mountains in good condition. The light rail that exists in Denver (which is expanding rapidly) will never be able to exist in Florida.

CO also has a good startup ecosystem. FL.... maybe so, if financial fraud is you business. It's very hard to get an accurate comparison because Florida manipulates it's data. For instance right now you can't compare schools because what Florida calls an "A" is like a "C" elsewhere. And they prevent a lot of negative data from appearing. This is how they sell the illusion of a nice place to live/visit. If CO does that sort of thing, I don't believe it's anywhere near the degree to which FL does so.

It's pointless to argue with some of the folks in here because they've never been to the places you try to describe. Lots of people know what Florida is becoming. It's why the Governors election is between a lunatic and an opportunist. Screwed would be putting it mildly for FL in the coming years.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by LDWPA

For instance right now you can't compare schools because what Florida calls an "A" is like a "C" elsewhere

Oh really. Care to prove it?

States with the Best and Worst School Systems - 24/7 Wall St.

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by ComSense

Why are some ppl so caught up in "so many low paying jobs"... be better than that, get an education and make $40k or $45k or whatever it is. I know, easier said than done, but I don't make minimum wage, so why should I let the ppl that make minimum wage affect me?

I know a lot of people with good degrees who end up sticking with their jobs in the restaurant industry because they can make $40-$45K a year waiting tables. Granted, those are generally no-benefits sorts of deal, but they're still better off financially than competing for one of those $30K a year entry level teaching or office jobs that draw 50-100 applicants because of the large number of people burning out working for another season at the Krustee Krab who are aiming for those rare white collar jobs.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

I doubt anyone think FL is a high wage state lol. If anything, it's a moderate wage state with low taxes but a housing col that has definitely increased since the 90s

Personally I think the COL is relative and complaints overblown.

Granted, some areas are out of control, especially downtown areas and just outside of downtowns. But that is basically true throughout the country.



But even in Southern Florida, for example, one can still live in, say, Port St. Lucie, 45 minutes from higher paying jobs in West Palm Beach, and have a newer, comfortable 3-4 bedroom house for less than $100k-150k, easy. And if you were lucky to buy a couple years ago you could have snatched up a very beautiful home for those prices.


Tons of people make the same commute or worse in "low COL" areas like Atlanta (where the low COL is actually in the exurbs, because in-town and close-to-city you get prices for relatively the same housing stock you get in FL "close to the city").


Where Florida sucks royally in comparison to anywhere else is home insurance along the coastal areas. Taxes actually aren't even middle of the road compared to say, Texas.... where taxes also help press home prices down.

[Spring Hillian]

Now I get it. Its all a government plot to make FL look good. The FL government has paid off or convinced all sources of information to skew their numbers to make FL look good. Fl is such a bad place that they have to do this in order to keep it growing beyond the exponential growth we've had.

The last thing I am going to say on this subject is that Ive lived here 25+ years and several people I know have been here longer and many more for a shorter time. Most are from the N.E., specifically NYC and Eastern NJ. Others are from the mid west. They all work, make decent livings, have homes, cars and some cases boats. They take vacations in and out of the state and have a good quality of life and dont cry and moan about the state they chose to live in.

For the few that are involved in hi tech or whatever who are not happy with the situation, those unhappy with the government, those unhappy with the weather, seems that the problem is within themselves. Most people are doing OK regardless of the school scores, the median wage, etc etc, are happy with their lives and will continue to be here probably for the rest of their lives. Maybe it is because these people are all over age 40 and have grown up to realize that it is the person who makes their life fulfilling, not the state, not the government and certainly not the weather.

Originally Posted by LDWPA

CO also has a good startup ecosystem. FL.... maybe so, if financial fraud is you business. It's very hard to get an accurate comparison because Florida manipulates it's data. For instance right now you can't compare schools because what Florida calls an "A" is like a "C" elsewhere. And they prevent a lot of negative data from appearing. This is how they sell the illusion of a nice place to live/visit. If CO does that sort of thing, I don't believe it's anywhere near the degree to which FL does so.

It's pointless to argue with some of the folks in here because they've never been to the places you try to describe. Lots of people know what Florida is becoming. It's why the Governors election is between a lunatic and an opportunist. Screwed would be putting it mildly for FL in the coming years.

[LDWPA]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Now I get it. Its all a government plot to make FL look good. The FL government has paid off or convinced all sources of information to skew their numbers to make FL look good. Fl is such a bad place that they have to do this in order to keep it growing beyond the exponential growth we've had.

It does appear that's true. Many places do this with crime stats and such. Florida is doing it with schools and who knows what else. While Florida has had lots of growth, the future isn't always like the past. But on the other hand Florida's 70 degree January days can overcome a lot of social problems.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Oh really. Care to prove it?

States with the Best and Worst School Systems - 24/7 Wall St.

Originally Posted by LDWPA

It does appear that's true. Many places do this with crime stats and such. Florida is doing it with schools and who knows what else.

Did you forget your tin foil hat today?

[LDWPA]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Did you forget your tin foil hat today?

You must be talking about the one Florida told me was made of gold? They tell me there's a fountain around here somewhere..

All joking, sort of, aside Florida is among the last states to begin economic recovery. You've still got overwhelming foreclosures to deal with. There just aren't many employers with quality jobs who'll want to relocate to such an unknown future. Why risk Florida when you can do Texas? Why risk hurricanes when Atlanta has a better educated workforce and less hassles? You just ain't got it going on down here anymore.