[Novalidusername]

Because illegals in California are given the red carpet treatment, illegals in Florida are returned to country of origin.

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by TexasBound19

Most places in FL are very well kept, sure there are some ghettos but that exists everywhere.

Perhaps FL allocates most of its money to infrastructure?

Florida has scads of money from part-times. The older skewing population does not have kids in school and millions come down for 2-6 months yet pay MORE in property taxes than full time residents.

To add to that there are 10's of millions of tourists paying all kinds of taxes and fees. It's am amazing amount of free money compared to, for example, places that have to pay for kids and education, etc.

Flat sand...is VASTLY easier to build massive highways on.

These states are very different. In a very general sense, CA is a "maker" state which exports vast amounts of everything....to the point where it is bigger than most countries in the world (the economy).

Florida is, as I like to joke, a giant vending machine carefully built to remove money from people who made it elsewhere.

GDP per capital in CA is 50% higher than Florida....to say nothing of Florida being mostly a service economy. That is, most people work in service industries not in innovation, invention, export businesses, etc.

Lastly, if we define some of "infrastructure" as public transit, there is nothing anywhere in Florida that is even close to something like BART. One can get from most anywhere in the Bay Area to multiple airports, downtowns, workplaces, etc.

Tampa, on the other hand, is the largest metro area in the USA without trains. Residents of that area will tell you that the 90 minute drive to Orlando can sometimes take 3+ hours. I can't get to Tampa airport from Sarasota without allowing at least an extra hour for potential traffic.

My friends who live on the barrier islands here (and also in the Miami area) actually try not to leave those islands for many months a year. A 15 minute drive becomes 45 minutes.

That's just not that great. When no one is on the road it's great. But with 22 Million residents and untold visitors...and more and more each day, it's not something to celebrate.

One measure, BTW, might be motor vehicle and pedestrian deaths. Once again, Florida is ahead in the wrong way with 50% higher rates of death and industry on this "amazing" infrastructure.

Of course, we live in backwards world so many more deaths IS better, eh?

[HarryWhom]

Originally Posted by Novalidusername

Because illegals in California are given the red carpet treatment, illegals in Florida are returned to country of origin.

Uh...… You been to South Florida recently?

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by HarryWhom

Uh...… You been to South Florida recently?

You havent been to California I can tell lol. California is better than Florida in certain categories and things such as scenery, food scene, parks... but let’s not beat around the bush about homeless, illegal benefits, traffic, trash...

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

You havent been to California I can tell lol. California is better than Florida in certain categories and things such as scenery, food scene, parks... but let’s not beat around the bush about homeless, illegal benefits, traffic, trash...

Last night at around 8 p.m. my niece decided that she wanted some ice cream from Publix. And I had none. So I put myself together (I was already in my PJs) and we headed to Publix. We parked at the Publix at 1313 S Dale Mabry in Tampa. At that hour on a Saturday night I was astonished to see the following:

Homeless people (and their piles of stuff) sitting in each outside table near the entrance.
Homeless guy asking for money at the entrance.
A homeless man, with all of his dirty crap on a grocery cart, sitting on a bench INSIDE the Publix next to the big weight scale.

I have never seen this many homeless people at a Publix or crowding the entrance to any other grocery store, except maybe at a Safeway in the Palo Alto area.

Florida's homeless problem is worsening.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by sinatras

Last night at around 8 p.m. my niece decided that she wanted some ice cream from Publix. And I had none. So I put myself together (I was already in my PJs) and we headed to Publix. We parked at the Publix at 1313 S Dale Mabry in Tampa. At that hour on a Saturday night I was astonished to see the following:

Homeless people (and their piles of stuff) sitting in each outside table near the entrance.
Homeless guy asking for money at the entrance.
A homeless man, with all of his dirty crap on a grocery cart, sitting on a bench INSIDE the Publix next to the big weight scale.

I have never seen this many homeless people at a Publix or crowding the entrance to any other grocery store, except maybe at a Safeway in the Palo Alto area.

Florida's homeless problem is worsening.

Like I said you havent been to California... lol. Not to mention statistics are public too. Orlando homeless and I Florida overall, has seen a decline in homelessness, while California and cities like SF and LA have seen massive increases. On top of that, the shelter rate in California for homeless is beyond horrible. You think seeing some homeless next to Publix is bad? Literally you can see streets where there are hundreds of homeless and they are lining up for shelter or food, there are just so many and it’s getting worse and stats back that up too. I’ll be going back again tomorrow, so I’ll share some pics if you want to see what a real homeless crisis looks like. Florida has seen a 20% decline since 2015 and that’s on top of increasing cost of living. You grew up in a small town, so seeing some homeless here and there is a big deal to you... for me it was literally normal virtually everywhere I go whether it’s million dollar homes or the hoods.

https://www.myflfamilies.com/service...ncilReport.pdf

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Like I said you havent been to California... lol. Not to mention statistics are public too. Orlando homeless and I Florida overall, has seen a decline in homelessness, while California and cities like SF and LA have seen massive increases. On top of that, the shelter rate in California for homeless is beyond horrible. You think seeing some homeless next to Publix is bad? Literally you can see streets where there are hundreds of homeless and they are lining up for shelter or food, there are just so many and it’s getting worse and stats back that up too. I’ll be going back again tomorrow, so I’ll share some pics if you want to see what a real homeless crisis looks like. Florida has seen a 20% decline since 2015 and that’s on top of increasing cost of living. You grew up in a small town, so seeing some homeless here and there is a big deal to you... for me it was literally normal virtually everywhere I go whether it’s million dollar homes or the hoods.

https://www.myflfamilies.com/service...ncilReport.pdf

I did not grow up in a small town and I travel to California at least six times a year. I know very well the homeless problem in California is apocalyptic and never said it wasn’t. What i am saying is that I have never seen gangs of homeless loitering around my local Publix in Tampa. From that I extrapolate the claim that Florida’s homeless problem is worsening. Is it worst than California? No. Is it worse than NYC or DC? No. Is it the worst in the US? No. But it is worsening. Which is what I said. It is now impossible for me to go to CVS or Sans Club or Target or now Publix without encountering at least one homeless person. currently there’s a tent encampment of homeless at my local Yogurtology. is this worse than California? No. Is this worse than 10 years ago? Absolutely. Ten years ago this did not happen in south Tampa. And specifically I am seeing a lot more homeless women and children. In Tampa.

[bmw335xi]

You havent been to California I guarantee it. DC and NYC have almost a 100% shelter rate. California has almost a 0% shelter rate. You remind me of the people I meet saying omg I4 traffic is so bad! I’m going to move to LA!

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

You havent been to California I guarantee it. DC and NYC have almost a 100% shelter rate. California has almost a 0% shelter rate. You remind me of the people I meet saying omg I4 traffic is so bad! I’m going to move to LA!

So Sinatras is either well-traveled as indicated by prior posts, a compulsive liar, or maybe a good fiction writer. My monopoly money is on the first one.

Sinatras stated that they understand the problem in California is significantly more severe. However, that doesn't mean that the problem doesn't exist here, that it is not a growing problem (even if it is just an isolated case in their area of Tampa or what I've observed in the areas where I shop in Orlando), or that it is not a big deal because it's at least not like that street in Los Angeles where people are contracting Medieval diseases.

I'm kind of over the "XYZ in major cities, California, etc., is worse, so you've got it good" responses on here lately. NYC/SF/LA having significantly higher property values doesn't negate the fact that Orlando has seen increases far outpacing incomes as several media outlets have reported in the past few months. I-4 not being as heavily traveled as an LA freeway doesn't negate the fact that I-4, which has been rated the most dangerous interstate in America, should have been 10 lanes across 5 years ago with perhaps SR 417 and SR 429 being I-417 and I-429. A Disney employee shouldn't just accept a 3 hour Lynx bus hopping commute for a 15 mile trek to work because that length of time is the norm for people in the northeastern cluster of big cities.

It's like the people who tell poor Americans despite their circumstances, they are in the 1% of the world and would be rich in many third-world countries. I get that the intent of the comment is gratitude, but the people who preach that usually have economic circumstances well above the people they are telling to just be grateful for what they have. One can be grateful and strive for better at the same time.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

You havent been to California I guarantee it. DC and NYC have almost a 100% shelter rate. California has almost a 0% shelter rate. You remind me of the people I meet saying omg I4 traffic is so bad! I’m going to move to LA!

Your whole "I know California better than anyone" stand-up routine is just so boring. It doesn't take much to travel these days, or to go to California. I spend a great deal of time on the road and in fact I just got back from Europe, where the problem is homeless and also thieves (my phone got stolen). I think I have said this before. I get paid to evaluate grocery stores. That entails A LOT of travel.

My California travel routine is pretty standard by now. If arriving to SF, the first thing I do is go straight from the airport in my rental car to In and Out Burger. If arriving to LA, the first thing I do is go straight from the airport in my rental car to In and Out Burger. If arriving to SD, the first thing I do is go straight from the airport in my rental car to In and Out Burger. Of course all of this entails a great deal of time spent on the 80, or the 5, or the 405 or the whatever freeway stuck in gridlock. And paying exorbitant amounts of money for gas.

I will be going to San Diego for a few weeks in February. I will be sure to snap some photos of homeless for you. And carne asada fries. Better yet. The next time I run to the store in Tampa, I will snap some homeless photos for you from there. After In and Out, my second stop will be this wagyu shawarma joint.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loc...-2020/2239684/

Of course not ONE restaurant in Tampa made Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the USA list. I'm SHOCKED, just shocked!