Advice on living in Ft. Lauderdale (apartment, attorney, inspector)

[Angel Calzadilla]

Originally Posted by Chanel24

There is a lot of talk of Port Royale and WARNING - although it is cheap, it is very cheaply made! We have black mold, a serious bug infestation, water comes in from the outside through the window sills, and the office just ignores our problems. We had considered contacting the housing authority and trying to fine some way out of this hell hole. But there are only a few months left so I am just trying to suck it up and deal with it. It is awful here though. The only nice thing is that there are tons of dogs and the neighbors walking the dogs are very nice

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Port Royale cheap ????????? If that's cheap for you, I do not really want to know what's expensive in your opinion. That's one out of four gated 24 hours security communities in east Fort Laudredale, so definetely is not cheap !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nolefan34]

Port Royale is the most affordable apartment community on the east side. It is a great location right near the water and beaches. Not as expensive as Las Olas or Fort Lauderdale Beach. The downside is that the units are extremely small. But if location is your primary objective, it is a great option.

I would recommend the original poster look there.

[SierraDog]

There are a few new apt. complexes near U.S. 1 and Sunrise which seem reasonable, Alexan and Satori among some others. I think that the commute would be do-able. Another thought is something in the area in Coconut Creek near Lyons/Wiles, near the new Promenade Mall.

There are restaurants and bars including the World of Beer, the LA Fitness nearby at Lyons and the Sawgrass Expwy. is the nicest one I know of, and the commute to Margate would be quick and convenient.

[hesmyhusband]

We've lived in Port Royale for almost a year with no problems at all. We chose this area because my husband works about 2 miles away, but have found that the beach, shopping, eating, entertainment, are all just a short drive away. You may want to take a month-to-month lease, or stay at an extended stay hotel until you've had a chance to experience the commute and decide for yourself.

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by SierraDog

There are a few new apt. complexes near U.S. 1 and Sunrise which seem reasonable, Alexan and Satori among some others. I think that the commute would be do-able. Another thought is something in the area in Coconut Creek near Lyons/Wiles, near the new Promenade Mall.

There are restaurants and bars including the World of Beer, the LA Fitness nearby at Lyons and the Sawgrass Expwy. is the nicest one I know of, and the commute to Margate would be quick and convenient.

Are you joking? Alexan and Satori are cheap? What is your definition of cheap? Their cheapest 1/1's run you about $1400/month. That is not cheap by anyone's standards. They are nice, newer luxury buildings but cheap they are not.

Port Royale is much "cheaper" than those you mentioned.

[JohnD_fla]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

I completely disagree with JohnD_Fla's post.

"Why would you want to live downtown anyway"- Because there is a ton of nightlife and you're a lot closer to the beach. There are also a ton of younger people around you. Out in Tamarac and Coral Springs, there are far less people in their 20's and mostly families and retirees. Downtown is the place to be, except it is very very expensive.

"Las Olas area is no longer a cool place for people your age to hang out"- Huh? According to who? And where else is cooler to hang out? Las Olas has the largest concentration of bars in Broward County and is where most of the younger crowd in their 20's goes out on Fri and Sat nights. Also, it is good some weeknights too. The only other place that compares in nightlife is Hardrock which has expanded in recent years. Hardrock has better nightclubs, but is more expensive and draws more of a gambling crowd to the bars. Las Olas is much cheaper and you can hop around between bars since most do not charge cover. Also, it is easier to park at Las Olas.

As far as living, Las Olas might be out of the OP's price range. Downtown is expanding rapidly, but its all luxury condos that are expensive. Coral Springs has some very nice apartments, but is way too far west for my taste and I would feel isolated living out there as a single male. It takes about 30-40 minutes to get to any nightlife from Coral Springs. As someone else mentioned, Coral Springs is just a typical boring American suburb made for families who desire safety and good schools. It is not a good area for a single guy in his 20's. I would recommend checking out apartment communities such as Port Royale located on the East side of town away from downtown. Also look at private condos north of Fort Lauderdale, but east of US1 nearby the Intracoastal. You can find decent rent prices in those parts.

I'm not knockin' Downtown. Its just that I've always viewed it as an overpriced area...surrounded by sordid ghettos to the south, west, and north. Maybe it has gotten better, but there was a time when it used to be a very 'iffy' area and junkies and homeless people from the Broward Transit depot on Broward Boulevard used to wander around there at night. And streetwalkers pushing stuff, too.

[fauve]

Just stay east of US1...no sordid ghetto areas to the north and south. Las Olas Isles, Victoria Park & Colee Hammock are awesome. If you drive on SE 15th Ave between Las Olas and Sunrise, there are many affordable smaller apartment buildings with reasonable rental rates and you'll be closer to the beach.

[Nolefan34]

JohnD_Fla

The ghettos are limited to the north and west. The east and south are good neighborhoods. You are correct about the bums and sketchy people spilling over. That has always been an issue there. Most of the bums live across Broward Blvd near the train station. It is slowly getting better due to recent re-development of downtown. They are building more luxury condos and expanding the downtown area, pushing the riff-raff westward and northward.

There are lots of perks of living downtown. Is it overpriced? Of course. Any downtown central area with lots of nightlife, restaurants, and shopping in prime location will be overpriced. That's how it is in any city. That is why I have never lived in Las Olas, because it is very overpriced and I'd rather save my money. All I'm saying, is don't discount Las Olas for someone who has the money and who wants to be in a downtown area with stuff to do.

If downtown is too pricey, and the original poster wants to look outside of downtown, that is understandable. But to recommend Coral Springs seems way too far out of the way in my mind. Coral Springs is beautiful and has some great deals on apartment rentals. But I would not want to have to commute back and forth on Atlantic Blvd in that awful traffic every morning.

And it drives me nuts when people say "nobody goes to Las Olas anymore" because that is not true. It is true that the volume of people has dropped due to the economy the last few years and several bars closing down. But in the last year, some re-opened and still it has more bars than anywhere else in Broward County. I personally still enjoy going out there because there is no cover charge at the bars and drinks are reasonably priced. It is much more affordable to go out in Las Olas than Hardrock or South Beach. Hardrock has gotten a lot better, but is pricey and the parking is difficult. There are crowds of people trying to get into 2 clubs.

[cfo.evo]

Originally Posted by fauve

If you drive on SE 15th Ave between Las Olas and Sunrise, there are many affordable smaller apartment buildings with reasonable rental rates and you'll be closer to the beach.

I am interested if you could name a few of these please thanks

[fauve]

Originally Posted by cfo.evo

I am interested if you could name a few of these please thanks

They're actually too small to have memorable names - 10-15 apartments at most. Another place to check is Hendricks Isle Drive, also right off Las Olas. For many of these buildings, the best thing to do is just to drive by and look for "For rent" signs because they may not even bother to do any other advertising.