Does anyone of you feel like South Florida is a dead end like a dead end street? (Sarasota: real estate market, attorneys)

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by When LI was nice

Im in the fort laud area and it truly has lost it's shimmer, Im not even going to start with the people but this place is a true melting pot, and it is unfair for the average hard working person to even get a job down here especially if you only speak ENGLISH. I got laid off 2 months ago and there is absolutely nothing out there? Im willing to work for $7.00 a hour is that sad or what coming from making $60-65k the previous years. so my advice to anyone that would like to move here is if you are financially set then go for it but if not you are going to be classified like the rest of us POOR almost borderline poverty level. BTW it's 80* today and is about to rain

Fort Lauderdale can be a TOUGH place to live, that's for darn sure. Wish you the best my friend.

[Mariano Otero]

I dont know, seems like south florida is empty of life....and needs to be re-awakened. What do you think?

[tonyc]

Maybe u guys should have a city-data meet-n-greet.

[Desdemona25]

Good luck about making the move out. I envy you!

I constantly feel like I'm just spinning my wheels down here. Just as I think I'm finally making it somewhere, I'm knocked right back down.

I'm actually a native and look forward to moving. Never did I think I'd want to move. This was always a bone of contention with my ex-h. He wanted out but I didn't. He finally got out in 2007. I realized sometime around 2005/06 that I needed to get out of here and wished I'd made the move then.

[Sweating in Florida]

Department of Labor web sites give informatin regarding income statistics, percent of poverty amoung families, minimum wage and other reports. I don't know how accurate it is.


Remember that Florida has a certain large population of retired, "snow birds", and elderly unlike anywhere else. Alot of them are rich or well off when they come here. They have no children to support and are considered more dependable for that reason. They don't mind working low paying jobs that would put us families into poverty. This income is in addition to their retirement moneys or collections from the government. I have seen them all over in department stores, certain offices, Walmart, and even fast food places and server jobs that pay $2 - $3/hour.

Some people have nice homes and some live in places that should be condemned and would normally be illegal to rent out or to sell.

It depends on if you have a college degee or what you are willing to do to make a living here.

Good for Florida:
1)Medical field(most jobs) ****geriactrics****
2)Retail, restaurant or service industry manager or CEO
3)Business owner
4)UPS delivery is always an excellent company to work for in any area for the best benefits, has decent pay rates and guaranteed raises if a union hourly employee
5)Waste Management labor or logistics
6)Some government jobs


Florida is not for you if you normaly work in manufacturing, production or highly industrial fields . The service industry jobs are very unstable and sometimes seasonal in Florida and offer low pay and no benefits. - Waiters expect $2-$3/hour. Things such as HVAC, housekeeping, and lawn care, expect $6-$9. Companion/senior home care is not worth the pay and the fustrations...only volunteer for that.

Florida has a lot of small, pathetic and underdeveloped towns and cities. If you want to open up a business here try to have a competitive pay rate and benefits with quality to stimulate these other pathetic businesses and companies to do better and pay better as a result.

[fauve]

Actually, I read some very nice things on the Chattanooga board. The residents actually seem happy! Maybe it's not just a City-Data thing.

[Shoegal1075]

Sweating I am a legal Assistant with 12+ years experience coming from NY, how do you think I would fare in Broward County. I am starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach that I shouldn't move.

[MisterNY]

Chelsea1075,
If I were you, I'd make sure I have a well paying salary before moving. Make sure you have friends and family for some support, not financial, but social and moral support. You will find good and bad anywhere. Florida is no exception. Things are expensive, and I dont see the quality of life that existed here 10 years ago or what some people brag about continuously.

To the OP, I believe that there are three classes here (poor, middle, and upper). You just have many middle class individuals that dont know where they fit. You have some that tried to live that life they knew they could not afford to, then POOF!! They're right there with the poor folks.

(If you could not afford to live in certain areas, drive certain cars, get the boat and jetski your salaries could not afford, time to reevaluate things, right? )

Has it lost its charm? HELL YEAH it has imho, but still livable. Florida is and has always been monotonous imho. It's up to you to try to make it your paradise (if that even exists anywhere). Anyways, I believe for someone to do well anywhere, they must:

1. At least, have some appreciation for the place to begin with. (Why move there in the first place, unless it was a job transfer)

2. Have realistic expectations. No place is perfect, if that were the case, we'd all live in that one perfect place together . The beauty of this country is that we can move to many different places if one does not fit our criteria. (These boxes are taking forever to be packed, lol....)

3. Have a job, hopefully well paying (for most professionals and skilled labour/small business)..unskilled is never good anywhere.
The case with Florida is not only that the pay is low, it's that life is expensive. That's where it sucks! If housing, insurance, food and other amenities matched the low pay, people would not be complaining or leaving.

4. Good family and friends environment/network

5. Duke it out at times, if it's worth it for you and your family.

[Sweating in Florida]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Sweating I am a legal Assistant with 12+ years experience coming from NY, how do you think I would fare in Broward County. I am starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach that I shouldn't move.

Lawyers seem to be a dime in a dozen here where I am at if that is your goal.

My sister was a legal assistant for a lawyer firm in the Minneapolis area. She has some college, excellent typing, grammar and computer skills, customer service skills above and beyond and is experienced in book keeping and more. She has moved to Florida since. She started out working through employment agencies in Charlotte and Sarasota Counties for much lower pay than in Minnesota and she was pissed. She commented on how low budget and generic everything was. Now she has moved towards the Miami area where she now does some type of clerical work for some medical office for $13/hour. Well, that is her story.
You may have better luck at the right time and place with different circumstances of your own.

[fauve]

My advice would be to under no circumstances move here without a job, for both you and your husband. (If it wasn't obnoxious, I would have put that all in caps