How bad is southwest Florida? (Orlando, Cape Coral: health insurance, homes, find a job)

[MrsTommy]

Tan has medical issues made worse by the heat. She is trapped here by her husband's job and a house she can't unload. She misses her home and her family. Although you may not want to hear it, she has valid complaints and the last time I checked, she had the right to speak her opinions without being attacked. Knowing what we know about her personal situation, wouldn't it be the right thing to do to practice a little empathy and kindness rather than resort to name calling and personal attacks because someone else's opinion differs from your own?

Even though you may not want to hear her side of the issue and do your damnedest to shout her down, she presents a balance to the "Chamber of Commerce" crowd. Readers interested in the area come here to find the truth about an area...good or bad.

"Our opinions on a location or issue are just that, opinions. Highly subjective. Personal preferences. Quirks, even. Leave wiggle room for dialogue, others may not see things the same as you, or been there as long as you, and any one of us can be wrong. Pouncing on someone you disagree with runs contrary to the spirit of this board and its members. We are here to help each other."

[old_cold]

Originally Posted by MrsTommy

Tan has medical issues made worse by the heat. She is trapped here by her husband's job and a house she can't unload. She misses her home and her family. Although you may not want to hear it, she has valid complaints and the last time I checked, she had the right to speak her opinions without being attacked. Knowing what we know about her personal situation, wouldn't it be the right thing to do to practice a little empathy and kindness rather than resort to name calling and personal attacks because someone else's opinion differs from your own?

Even though you may not want to hear her side of the issue and do your damnedest to shout her down, she presents a balance to the "Chamber of Commerce" crowd. Readers interested in the area come here to find the truth about an area...good or bad.

"Our opinions on a location or issue are just that, opinions. Highly subjective. Personal preferences. Quirks, even. Leave wiggle room for dialogue, others may not see things the same as you, or been there as long as you, and any one of us can be wrong. Pouncing on someone you disagree with runs contrary to the spirit of this board and its members. We are here to help each other."

I think we all would agree with you if her posts were just whines about her personal medical situation and not frequent bitter condemnations of Florida itself.
Florida, per se, is not the cause of her problems.

We come down here because my husband has a big problem with the cold and we are having substantial real estate problems back home but I do not frequent the NYS forums trashing/blaming the state to all who are asking for useful information about it.
One post,I'm sure, would probably elicit sympathy from most of us.....continuous ones bashing Florida for a personal situation make that a lot harder.

[tommy-105]

Originally Posted by old_cold

I think we all would agree with you if her posts were just whines about her personal medical situation and not frequent bitter condemnations of Florida itself.
Florida, per se, is not the cause of her problems.

We come down here because my husband has a big problem with the cold and we are having substantial real estate problems back home but I do not frequent the NYS forums trashing/blaming the state to all who are asking for useful information about it.
One post,I'm sure, would probably elicit sympathy from most of us.....continuous ones bashing Florida for a personal situation make that a lot harder.

I don't spend any time reading the NY forums, but I doubt that they have nearly as many dreamers as I see in the Florida forums.

TANaples posts (and others like them) are often a much needed reality check for some people.

With 4,107 posts to date, and 1117 reputation points, I think we can safely say that her views and her right to express them are well supported by fellow members.

[old_cold]

Well, if you want to defend posts like this as 'wake up calls' and the letting me (and other OLD sno-birds/retirees) know I am a scourge on society you just go right ahead.
I agree, it's also your right.
I do not agree any of it is beneficial to either the forum or to people seeking useful information.


"NO city in Florida is friendly."
//www.city-data.com/forum/11602498-post124.html .

[Ruby24]

Originally Posted by old_cold

Well, if you want to defend posts like this as 'wake up calls' and the letting me (and other OLD sno-birds/retirees) know I am a scourge on society you just go right ahead.
I agree, it's also your right.
I do not agree any of it is beneficial to either the forum or to people seeking useful information.

I agree.

It's interesting when some posts are personally insulting to some it's OK, but when others try and defend themselves they are considered to be attacking someone.

[golfwaymore]

This is a really good thread....

Just as an outside observer, I think at least a great part of the negative FL posts are usually rooted in bad financial situations. The economy is bad everywhere and most folks are hurting, though obviously to varying degrees depending on geography or circumtances, etc...

Being chained to high cost-basis housing and really bad employment prospects cuts deep in most of the country, but probably feels like pure HELL in South FL. To be honest, if I'd have bought a house in FL near the top, and was now having job trouble in FL, I'd have already bailed by now...it aint gonna be like it was for a long, long time...maybe for a generation or two.

As for us, we can pretty much pay our bills & rent on a part-time job or two. We're not loaded, but we have a little money saved that helps take up slack. I think SWFL looks alot different through that lens.

I think SoFL has to be a horrible place these days for anyone chasing or chained to a big career. But for those who are on a different program, all the negative posts get a little old.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by golfwaymore

As for us, we can pretty much pay our bills & rent on a part-time job or two. We're not loaded, but we have a little money saved that helps take up slack. I think SWFL looks alot different through that lens.

Thanks for your comment. I agree with most of it, but I hope you have good health insurance or are on Medicare with a supplement. Just one illness or injury that keeps you from working or eats away at your savings can be devastating. I'm talking from experience.

BTW, I hope nobody turns my post into a debate about insurance. I never wrote that I don't have any insurance. High deductibles and co-pays can really add up and not everything is covered.

[Rainbow girl]

Originally Posted by TannerBoyle

No, sweet pea....what gives cities a bad name and a bad rep are rampant crime, drug abuse, police corruption, high unemployment, and a dismal economy in general.

All of which Fort Myers has in spades.

Then leave and find a better place to live!!!!!!!

[hiknapster]

We left during the height of the boom. It was NOT for financial reasons. My husband is a highly talented auto mechanic.

Recently, after all this time on the forum it suddenly dawned on me that some people that move to swFlorida did not come from great places and so, to them, the place really is paradise.

Where I came from, there was little to no crime, the school system was excellent as was the pay. The scenery was beautiful. And no, I did not want to move to Florida.

I got to Orlando and decided that Florida wasn't so bad. I was surprised. As a child we had taken a tour of Florida when Disney opened. Back in 1972 or 1973. My family and I thought the place was kind of trashy. But Orlando was okay and a lot of it I really, really liked.

Then I moved to Fort Myers. I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter.

Sorry folks but not everyone likes the same things. I hated the place. It's no big deal. Maybe you will love it.

I think people should move or not move to Fort Myers/Cape Coral for financial reasons.

If you are retired and have always loved the area then now is the time to get a deal. Back in 2007, 2006, even 2008, I was warning people away. I knew darn well they were going to pay too much for those homes. At least now you can get a deal!

If you don't have a job and need to work to support a family then you better find a job first before moving there. The money may run out before you are run out.

To all the whiners that are so upset about people that post their opinions that don't agree with yours I say. "Get over it." It's a forum. People shouldn't ask for opinions if they only want to hear the ones they want to hear.

It's been four years since I moved away. That's a fairly long time. So why am I here?

Two reasons.

We still have a lot of family in the area. I like to see what's going on.

Living up north, I fell into the trap that the entire country was the same.

A "bad" school wasn't one I wanted my kid to attend so I didn't live in that area, up north. I had never heard of School Choice and I didn't realize that in some places a "bad" school meant it was really horrible. Where I came from, that sort of things was unacceptable. The taxpayers would never stand for it. But in some places in Florida the taxpayers have already raised their kids and their grandchildren are still up north.

Living in an area that has very little roots makes an enormous difference. I learned that when the majority of the people live where their past generations live, they tend to care for the area. It makes a big difference.

I recently read a post where someone railed that we don't understand how bad it is up north. How horrible the job market is. While cripe, you might want to take a look at the unemployment numbers where you want to move to. In Lee County they were almost double where she lives.

And she will take a huge cut in pay. Huge.

Anyway, I think that in the end, people will visit and see if they like it for themselves. Some will and some won't. That's not a big issue.

But some won't realize what they are getting into. I always worry for the young families. At this point, they could make a horrible mistake and at the very worse, end up at a shelter.

But I am done posting on this forum. Have it your way.

I think that people that come on here asking for advice and then become angry when the unemployment rate is higher than they thought, or the schools are not as good, need to research. When we moved to Knoxville, I had researched the heck out of it. I picked it purely on financial and educational data, along with friendliness and cultural offerings. Weather was a bonus.

But not looking at unemployment or school data before moving when you have children is insanity.

You know what? I can't fix stupid.

[golfwaymore]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

We left during the height of the boom. It was NOT for financial reasons.... .

When we moved to Knoxville, I had researched the heck out of it. I picked it purely on financial and educational data.

I think I know what you're saying, but on the surface these two statements seem to be in conflict with each other.