Relocating to Fort Myers? (restaurants, corporate, economy)

[Roadrunner69]

Maybe a few to many Espresso's this morning.

[whippersnapper]

Not a pissing match, just clearing it up for you. A good friend manages a Starbucks in the area, so I got to hear about the how the stores in the Lee county area are doing and which stores are closing. I don't know about Naples but I just know 2 Fort Myers stores are closing out of 13. That's all.

BTW, I think Googleable can be considered a word. Googled, Googleable, it all works

[Compression]

Originally Posted by whippersnapper

just clearing it up for you. I just know 2 Fort Myers stores are closing out of 13. That's all.

Welllllllll, thank you for clearing that up for ME!
I guess if I refined my "area" to only include the two square miles where those two Fort Myers Starbuck's are located, I could claim 100% of them were closing, eh?
But we've likely hijacked Pnut's post as far as necessary, and she probably gets the point. Hopefully she also sees that while we have an attitude problem, we can have some fun with it

[TANaples]

I only saw two in Naples that are closing. Both are in North Naples, where there are multiple stores. The one near me in East Naples is staying open. In fact they are rennovating right now. There are always people in there. Actually they are mostly Seniors who seem to spend a lot of time talking to each other and sitting outside.

I honestly don't know of another Starbucks in this area. I have never even seen one in South Naples at all. I guess people would have to come here (we did) or go all the way to Marco probably.

[ChrisA70]

As long as Tropical Smoothie stays open everything is ok!!!

[laurasrn]

I live in Punta Gorda which is just north of Fort Myers (used to live in F.M.) and here is a recent statistic for you: Lee County unemployment rate is 7.5% - the highest in the state!! Cape Coral is in Lee Co. also....
CNN is full of it, or someone is paying them VERY well just to get people down here to FL.

Hopefully, Clearwater will be better for jobs.

[firemed]

Originally Posted by laurasrn

I live in Punta Gorda which is just north of Fort Myers (used to live in F.M.) and here is a recent statistic for you: Lee County unemployment rate is 7.5% - the highest in the state!! Cape Coral is in Lee Co. also....
CNN is full of it, or someone is paying them VERY well just to get people down here to FL.

Hopefully, Clearwater will be better for jobs.

Lee's 7.5 percent unemployment rate is significantly greater than state and national averages. The state average was 5.5 percent, down from from 5.6 percent in May. The national average was 5.5 percent in June, the same as for May.
This is a link to the story
Lee County's unemployment rate climbs to 7.5 percent | news-press.com | The News-Press (http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/BUSINESS/80718017/1001/archives - broken link)

[stormysea]

Hi P~
I moved here from New Jersey on July 1st. The job market isn't good but I have to say I have heard it's bad everywhere. I manage housekeeping in hotels and had 4 interviews for Sun Dial resort on Sanibel island. I didn't get the job because of a bad reference from a previous employer. I think anywhere you go the job search stinks unless you are transferred from another area. Any way that could be an option for you guys? As for pay, it's not like working in Ny but the cost of living seems to be lower here as far as the housing goes. I paid more for car insurance and food but clothes shopping seemed to be lower. Best thing to do if you can is to take some time and fly here to check it out. You will be the nest judge of a right fit for you. Good Luck with everything.

[DailyJournalist]

Let me be very blunt, the job market in all of Florida is totally bust, much more so than many states. You will have an extremely tough time landing a job in a small area like Fort Myers. You will have better luck if you stick to the large cities like Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, or Orlando. But if you are coming from the North East, Mid West, or West Coast be prepared to accept a large drop in Salary. The lower housing prices will on the most part not compensate for the lower wages. My advice is to locate a job prior to moving and make sure the salary will be able to provide you with the standard of living you are used to. But if Florida is where you want to live, you will make it work.

[firemed]

Originally Posted by DailyJournalist

Let me be very blunt, the job market in all of Florida is totally bust, much more so than many states. You will have an extremely tough time landing a job in a small area like Fort Myers. You will have better luck if you stick to the large cities like Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, or Orlando. But if you are coming from the North East, Mid West, or West Coast be prepared to accept a large drop in Salary. The lower housing prices will on the most part not compensate for the lower wages. My advice is to locate a job prior to moving and make sure the salary will be able to provide you with the standard of living you are used to. But if Florida is where you want to live, you will make it work.

I 2nd this! I have never seen it this bad.