Possible move from PA to Ft. Myers with family (Cape Coral: rentals, condo) - Fort Myers - Cape Coral area - Florida (FL) -Lee County - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

floridamom29 · 10-28-2015, 06:42 AM

My husband has family in Estero, but it's a bit pricey. I'm hoping to end up near there. We're renting for the foreseeable future, as we've gone through a foreclosure and don't want to buy anyway. As for crime, I was under the impression it occurs in pockets in Ft. Myers. I DID hear about the Zombicon shootings, which was especially disturbing to me because I'm into all that horror stuff and I may have attended the event. It all depends on where you come from though. Right now I live about 20 minutes outside of Newark, which is one of the worst places in the country if you ask me. I also live 5 minutes from another town that is well known for crime and gang violence. But I live in a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors who watch out for each other. So with all of that said, southwest Florida is a blessing. If the FBI has now taken an interest in Ft. Myers perhaps they can get the area under control, especially considering the area is growing and more people are moving down/visiting (or so I hear).

floridamom29 · 10-28-2015, 06:48 AM

One last thing - we ARE looking at Bonita, Estero and Naples, however of those 3 only Naples would solve the school choice issue. My husband is in the restaurant/bar management business and he intends on working in Ft. Myers or on Ft. Myers Beach. I was personally looking at Cape Coral but it seems the commute may be too much of a pain in the butt, and hubby wants to be close to the beach and not deal with bridges. I'm anticipating working in Ft. Myers as well. Right now I'm a paralegal but I'm changing careers to be a teacher and I'm in the process of getting my temporary cert.

NoSnow4me · 10-28-2015, 07:51 AM

If I had school aged kids, I'd take a close look at the charter and private schools. The problem here is old elitist people control the money for schools, and don't give a rat's orifice about the kids.

slscott93 · 10-28-2015, 09:15 AM

Floridamom29 and Beatrizc,

Feel free to message me anytime to discuss a move to Cape Coral/Ft. Myers area. I also have kids around you kids' ages. I have 2 boys (8 and 6) and a baby girl (9 months).
I called Lee County schools yesterday to discuss the school choice. The lady I talked to did admit that right now it would be hard for us to get even one of our top three choices for schools since the school year has started and choices have been made. Therefore, our kids could end up at a school further away from our neighborhood, regardless of where we choose to live....so my fear is that they will be placed in a bad school, even if I pick a good neighborhood. Also, I'm worried about the long bus ride. However, she did say that they are guarenteed to be in a school in their zone. There are three zones....Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Lehigh Acres. Then, each zone has 3 subzones. They could end up in a different subzone than where you live. For example, if you are in subzone 1 in Cape Coral, your kid could go to a school in subzone 1 or 2. If you are in subzone 2 in Cape coral, your kid could end up in subzone 1, 2, or 3. And if you are in subzone 3 in Cape Coral, your kid could end up in subzone 2 or 3.
So, my only thought is that I need to be in a Zone where almost all of the schools are good....that seems to be Cape Coral. There are parts of Ft. Myers that are good...down near Estero, etc. But, I would be afraid that they would end up in a school north of that but still in that zone...and it could be a bad school. Therefore, I think I"ll stick to the Cape Coral area. But, who knows....we haven't even visited the area yet. We are waiting to hear if my husband gets offered the job....then we plan to go down and check out the area. My thoughts could change then...we'll see.

slscott93 · 10-28-2015, 09:16 AM

Here is a map of the zones and subzones:

http://www.leeschools.net/_cache/fil...gnment-map.pdf

floridamom29 · 10-28-2015, 09:58 AM

Slscott93 and Beatrizc,

Yeah I figured this year was shot for my 1st grader. He'll get what he gets and then we'll reapply come the end of January (I believe this is when the registration for next year begins). I did complete some research a few months ago and I had a whole chart of schools, the ratings, where to live...and it's lost somewhere in the crap piling up at home

So I guess I'll be doing it all over again! When I get it together I can provide you guys with a copy if you want. My move is definite. I'm leaving NJ the day after x-mas!

I don't know why I'm so attracted to Cape Coral but I'm pretty sure it's a "no go" for us at this time. Who knows, we may end up there but we're probably going to start on the mainland so we don't deal with the bridges. We're looking from south Ft. Myers down through Bonita. I'd look in Naples but we're not sure yet.

njkate · 10-28-2015, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floridamom29

One last thing - we ARE looking at Bonita, Estero and Naples, however of those 3 only Naples would solve the school choice issue. My husband is in the restaurant/bar management business and he intends on working in Ft. Myers or on Ft. Myers Beach. I was personally looking at Cape Coral but it seems the commute may be too much of a pain in the butt, and hubby wants to be close to the beach and not deal with bridges. I'm anticipating working in Ft. Myers as well. Right now I'm a paralegal but I'm changing careers to be a teacher and I'm in the process of getting my temporary cert.

Cape Coral to Ft Myers Beach can take well over an hour during season and with the road work on the main drag of Ft Myers beach..ouch.

Hope hubbie has a promise of a job because service people including management are a dime a dozen down here.

Also like anywhere else the closer to the beach the higher the rents.

Unless you are retired and own your home outright contrary to popular belief it is NOT cheaper down here. only thing cheaper is property taxes and no personal income tax.

Food costs just as much, gas is slighly higher than the northeast, the first time you register your car be prepared, I just paid over $500 for new Fl title and registration on my 2010 Jeep Cherokee.

Sales tax on clothes and shoes as well.

Hate to sound like a debbie downer but so many come here thinking this is the cheap utopia, it's not.

NoSnow4me · 10-28-2015, 10:19 AM

Why the hangup about the bridges? I enjoy going over them. With no hills, you can't see the gulf from anywhere around here but the beaches, condo towers and the millionaires' homes, so it's nice to get a water view. The traffic can be thick sometimes, but working in Ft. Myers and living in Bonita isn't going to be better.

Plus, the east side of the Cape isn't really very far from beaches at all.

floridamom29 · 10-28-2015, 10:22 AM

No I realize that Ft. Myers isn't a "utopia" of cheap living, but its sure is cheaper than NJ. The rents are 45% cheaper than our mortgage was and childcare is half. When those are the expenses that take all of your income, then FL is a better option for us. Also it's cleaner, and much more sunshine. Compared to the area we live in now, it also offers a better opportunity for our children.

floridamom29 · 10-28-2015, 10:26 AM

NoSnow4me,

Oh it's my husband who is so concerned about the bridges honestly. I really like the Cape, and we'll just see how it goes over the first 6 months. He's going down right after Thanksgiving to look around, get a feel for the areas (and talk to people he knows there), and then get a place for us. (Of course he'll be Skyping me for my opinion lol). He just knows how crowded it gets there when the rush of snowbirds comes down. I keep telling him that he THINKS he knows how it is down there (as do I), but we don't really know until we get there.

As for a job, he has quite a few connections and is in talks with a few prospective employers. Fingers crossed.