[Shoegal1075]

Hop, I know you are not old, but I think this for you has come with age. I have very little tolerance for things I once did - this comes with age. I'm sure the things you found tolerable 10 years ago were intolerable to the oldtimers (maybe). Just trying to help you find a bright light in all of this - LOL.

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Texas has some of the worst driving in the country - not sure if they move to Florida though.

The Texans go on vacation in the Panhandle because it's a reasonable day's drive away. And it's nice to be able to spot them by license plate so you can be prepared to make avoidance manouvers. They're tied with the Alabamans for worst drivers among the usual tourists around here, but the Texans are worse because they're like actively malicous about bad driving while the Alabama crew just seems a little bit lost being in an area where traffic laws are treated as requirements for the road and not gentle suggestions. (From what we've seen, Alabama so doesn't enforce traffic laws like surrounding states)

I'd call the Georgians the best because, bless their hearts, they're a relatively sane bunch once they're outside the underbuilt over capacity hellhole known as the metro Atlanta interstate grid.

[Shoegal1075]

I understand what you mean - it can be unnerving, but I think what is going on right now is more the exception to the rule not the rule. The economy being where it is, believe it or not plays a part in your taxes as does the crime. Not everything revolves around this obviously, but some of it does. Does make you sick to your stomach though.

[Shoegal1075]

Chuckle - this really did make me chuckle!

[HopToIt]

Chelsa, your awesome!

And your right. Now, married with a wife and a little daughter, things I may have once had patience for, I no longer do. Things like shopping and entertainment, and the beach is no longer most important. It's friendly people, safety, and more laid back way of life.

I cant take the rudeness and the road rage anymore. Combine that with the transients, the criminal element, all the foreigners,........... no thx. I dont have the patience for it. There are so many things wrong with this world, and so many other things to worry about than petty stuff that sets ppl off in FL so often. People fighting over parking spots when there is another one in the next lane over, honking at people as they are walking across the street cause they arent walking fast enough... no thx.

[NSX1990]

Born and raised in South Florida, went to college in central-north Florida.

- My biggest gripe with the state is that is unbelievably car dependent. There are no truly walkable areas, with the exception of a few areas in Tampa and Miami. Seriously, look at walkscore.com and you will see that Florida cities fail miserably. I would love to live somewhere where a local deli, bar, and school are all within walking distance. But noooo, everything is massive stretches of housing developments, South Florida especially. There are parts of West Boca Raton where you have to go 7-8 miles minimum to find something other than carefully landscaped houses.

- Everything is spread out a sickly familiar mini-mall fashion, especially in the Treasure Coast. I swear, if you teleported from Delray Beach to Lake Worth I wonder if you would even notice you moved.

- The state seemed polarized between heavily liberal, transplant coastal populations and three-generation Floridian ultra-conservatives in the north, center, and panhandle. The two sides rarely agree and politics is a mess here.

- Outside of the bigger cities, the job markets are horrible if you're not in the service industry or you don't have a professional degree (lawyer, doctor, etc).

[Lakeland Yankee]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

What are the negatives to living in Florida?

-high unemployment: yes we all know that the economy is bad everywhere but other states do not have people flocking to them for a fantasy sunshine dream life

-People who move here for sunshine: Are they child molesters? Are they running from the law? Are they mentally ill? No normal person does this unless they are retired or moving here due to employment opportunities imho.

-Horrible drivers

-LOW wages

-Right to work (for less) state: employees have no rights and employers get away with horrific working conditions, unions have no power due to having to defend freeloaders

-very transient: the good people (natives and transplants) are leaving in swarms while being replaced by criminals, "dreamers", and other low-lives

-high crime: even in the small towns, it is everywhere

-scammers everywhere

-rampant drug use due to the abundant availability

-summer heat and humidity: obvious, no sane person can deny this

-large % of sex offenders: they also are everywhere, small towns and big cities alike

-palm trees: messy and ugly

-no vehicle inspection: which allows unsafe vehicles to be driven on the road

-natives that remind you in EVERY SINGLE conversation that "they were born here"; no one really cares, it is very annoying although I understand that they don't want to be confused with a person who moved here for weather

-unprofessionalism from businesses

-lack of manners and morals

[NSX1990]

^3/4 of what Lakeland Yankee wrote will never impact the average citizen. Most people have nothing to do with drug users and sex offenders.

Granted, there are gang problems in Miami, Broward, and PBC, but most of their violence is targeted AT EACH OTHER.

But traffic, transient population, heat, wages, unemployment- all very much true.

[HopToIt]

Originally Posted by Lakeland Yankee

-high unemployment: yes we all know that the economy is bad everywhere but other states do not have people flocking to them for a fantasy sunshine dream life

-People who move here for sunshine: Are they child molesters? Are they running from the law? Are they mentally ill? No normal person does this unless they are retired or moving here due to employment opportunities imho.

-Horrible drivers

-LOW wages

-Right to work (for less) state: employees have no rights and employers get away with horrific working conditions, unions have no power due to having to defend freeloaders

-very transient: the good people (natives and transplants) are leaving in swarms while being replaced by criminals, "dreamers", and other low-lives

-high crime: even in the small towns, it is everywhere

-scammers everywhere

-rampant drug use due to the abundant availability

-summer heat and humidity: obvious, no sane person can deny this

-large % of sex offenders: they also are everywhere, small towns and big cities alike

-palm trees: messy and ugly

-no vehicle inspection: which allows unsafe vehicles to be driven on the road

-natives that remind you in EVERY SINGLE conversation that "they were born here"; no one really cares, it is very annoying although I understand that they don't want to be confused with a person who moved here for weather

-unprofessionalism from businesses

-lack of manners and morals

Chelsa, you see. There are a lot of people that agree with me, so it obviously has some truth to it, unfortunately.

Hey Lakeland Yankee, I was born in FL! Dont confuse me with some "Yankee" that moved here for the weather!

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Other negatives to consider in FL: heat and humidity 6 months a year is awful, the taxes, the low paying jobs, cost of living, bugs, hurricanes, the bad drivers, road rage (I put that up there with the people), it's flat, built up on both coasts, too many different cultures and languages spoken (little community feeling to it), houses are on top of one another in many areas,, the school situation (bad schools, not enough money, teacher/pupil ratio, bad teachers having sex with students making FL look stupid, no change of seasons, etc...

Taxes - I think this is a problem most americans share with you

Low paying jobs - I don't know how to change that

Cost of living - another thing people across the country are sharing

Bugs - unfortunately they are every where lol

Hurricanes - I don't love these, but it is a part of the Sub Tropical State that is Florida

Flat - Again just another part of being Florida, not sure that you can change that

Bad Drivers - every state has this - I promise - EVERY STATE

Nasty People - ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Culture/diversity - this is just a sign of the times love - some people from foreign places do adapt to the new surroundings some don't - luck of the draw

Houses on top of each other - I'm from NY where almost everything is a building or attached house, so I'm not the best person to give an opinion on this.

Schools suck - This is another thing people will complain about in every other state, some worse than others, but you will always find people who don't like the school system where they live.

The point I'm trying to make Hop is that most (not all) all of the issue you have, you might have in any state. I wish there were a place we could all go and be perfectly happy. That place doesn't exist. Change happens and some times we just aren't prepared for it. You are holding on to the Florida that was. Try and make the best out of the Florida that is today. I'm pretty sure you do that already.[/quote]

when I lived in Middle Village (Queens where you live) than I do here in Naples. Besides, all of NYS in NOT NYC. You cannot compare properties in NYC to anywhere in NYS. I had over half an acre in Suffolk, LI, imagine what UPSTATE NY is? Stop saying NY when you are talking about the City. Clairfy that.