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Seeking information about Miami, Florida area, good and bad issues, Dolphin Expressway, South Florida, crime rates, cost of living, little community activism, rose colored glasses
I would like to congratulate the current bunch of posters for wholly ruining the purpose of this sub-forum, which is to provide information to people moving into or seeking information about the Miami area, good or bad. Regardless, it seems as if very little information is exchanged. Instead, this forum is full of a constant stream of posts complaining about how much South Florida sucks,but they all preach the same message. I mean, yeah, I have made my occasional thread, like about the Dolphin Expressway, that was off topic to anyone but a local resident. And of course, this forum should be open to local discussion. This thread itself is also irrelevant, I know. Nonetheless, if this forum is all it takes to keep people out, I would also like to congratulate you for keeping American citizens out of Miami, since that is just what Miami needs. The constant negativity is only making Miami-Dade worse. I tend to agree that there are too many people wearing rose colored glasses down here, that do NOT See the problems. But it seems as if anyone I do meet from Miami (or here in Broward) who is aware of the problem wants to leave the problem, instead of fix the problem. Here is the catch, Miami's ailing school system might not follow you,but your problems follow you wherever you go! Be an activist for your community. Run for office (especially Latins here that care, since it really is true that many people vote on the line of race).Angry at crime? Start a worthy neighborhood watch program. SOMEONE cares out there. With the way people talk on here, it almost seems strange that not a single crime has been committed in my complex in my several years living in SUNRISE (admittedly its more like Weston being south of 84/west of 75 and all).No car break ins, no thefts, no burglaries, no domestic issues reported. ZIP. All it is is a little community activism, and it works no matter where you go. If you try it and fail, then you have not tried hard enough. Try again. I admit there is not much you can do about the public education situation, as Florida is already rock bottom as is in that respect (Seems interesting that Broward and Palm Beach County schools consistently perform better on their standardized tests than the state as a whole, though). But you CAN keep a close eye on your kids, and you CAN start a trend of others keeping a close eye on your kids. Alright, come on guys, stop the flaming, stop the arguing, and love South Florida or hate it, lets have discussions that are productive and peaceful, not ignited and incessant. Just because someone likes South Florida does not mean they have a "Ghetto attitude" or "Rose colored glasses"(with a few exceptions) and just because someone hates it does not mean they have "a distorted perception" (usually, with a few exceptions). Stop the heated exchanges, and lets disagree in harmony! Most importantly, however, we should get back to helping newcomers and information seekers in a logical, helpful, but honest manner. I admit to being inflammatory on the Politics and Other controversies board, but gheez, it is political discussion!
I apologize for rubbing off as a little mod-ish, but if we don't want to start uniting in South Florida yet, can we at least unite on this forum?
Last edited by compelled to reply; 07-03-2007 at 11:01 PM..
Reason: spelling
Interesting that the format of your post has a similar feel to the south Florida area: kind-of allruntogetherwithsomegoodideasandsomenotsogoodspo ts, but difficult to differentiate between them.
There are plenty of take-back the neighborhood attempts. Some succeed, some are doomed from the start, with the leaders becoming harrassed or worse. People are looking for quality of life. For me, a good quality life doesn't include manditory activism to maintain a livable status-quo.
I think the negative posts serve an important function that otherwise gets lost in the glossy commercial hype of big condo developments, real estate agents, and planned community developers. If the negativity is strong, it is because issues have been swept under the table for so long that the problems have grown out of proportion.
As good as the Miami Herald is about eventually uncovering things like the low-income housing debacle, it can take years for the press to get motivated and involved, and during that time the complaints of citizens are ignored.
Forums like this one on City-data are beginning to fill in the gap that a free and independent press is supposed to fill, but often doesn't. If you don't like the nay-sayers, then read the happy news or stop reading altogether. The developers can only hope for more people that take that route.
Going into south Florida close to twenty years ago, I knew that the Hollywood and Hialeah police departments had serious problems. At the time of exiting, I was dismayed that Hollywood was still managing to make the news with FBI investigations of it. The simple solutions of neighborhood watch and sporadic citizen involvement are band-aids on a festering wound that has been requiring constant Federal government investigation or oversight to keep from becoming a major infection in the country.
In short, don't blame the messengers for bringing the bad news that wasn't of their creation.
In short, don't blame the messengers for bringing the bad news that wasn't of their creation.
Out of curiosity, did you read the entire post? I never said that the negative should not be exposed. The main point of my thread was to give information in a non inflammatory matter, negative or positive. Never did I deny that there are problems here that need to be addressed, either.I am not a big fan of the "happy news", but recent posts have been inflammatory to those who have found themselves enjoying South Florida, and not to mention grossly exaggerated rather than productive.That said, I do appreciate the fact that you disagreed in a mature and well explained manner.
Have you ever considered running for office while living here, since the issues are always all covered up? As I said, if you try and fail, you have not tried hard enough. How do you think New York City turned around? Admittedly Giuliani was not exactly your random guy off the street, but everyone starts low in fame.
Last edited by compelled to reply; 07-04-2007 at 09:36 AM..
It's funny that you mention Sunrise, since that's where I lived when I first moved to South Florida in early 2002. Within 6 months my car was stolen and gutted despite its anti-theft devices. Not that big of a deal, just kind of ironic.
Anyway, I think most of us that post on here really would like to see a better community in Miami and all of South Florida. Perhaps some are more negative than others, but its probably due in some part to the many negative things that happen throughout the city.
I have lived in a few different states and even in another country and can say that South Florida has the worst drivers (in general) of anywhere I've lived. Nowhere else have I seen multiple major car accidents while they're actually occurring directly in front of me. Maybe I've just been lucky in the past. Point being, my personal experiences will be reflected in my perception of the city regardless of anyone else's experiences or views.
I do take issue with the "*@#$# this place, I'm leaving" attitude of many posters here. Running away from problems isn't much of a solution. The face of Miami has changed and will continue to do so. I hate to break it to some of the haters, but change is the natural course of everywhere. My hometown (Des Moines, IA) has changed since I was a kid. Some things are better, but even more things are worse. I don't see what's happening to Miami as an isolated event. The world is changing and its up to us to make it as livable as possible by being pillars to support our communities.
That being said, am I a perfect pillar? No. But I recognize that and try to do my best with what I've been given.
It's funny that you mention Sunrise, since that's where I lived when I first moved to South Florida in early 2002. Within 6 months my car was stolen and gutted despite its anti-theft devices. Not that big of a deal, just kind of ironic.
Anyway, I think most of us that post on here really would like to see a better community in Miami and all of South Florida. Perhaps some are more negative than others, but its probably due in some part to the many negative things that happen throughout the city.
I have lived in a few different states and even in another country and can say that South Florida has the worst drivers (in general) of anywhere I've lived. Nowhere else have I seen multiple major car accidents while they're actually occurring directly in front of me. Maybe I've just been lucky in the past. Point being, my personal experiences will be reflected in my perception of the city regardless of anyone else's experiences or views.
I do take issue with the "*@#$# this place, I'm leaving" attitude of many posters here. Running away from problems isn't much of a solution. The face of Miami has changed and will continue to do so. I hate to break it to some of the haters, but change is the natural course of everywhere. My hometown (Des Moines, IA) has changed since I was a kid. Some things are better, but even more things are worse. I don't see what's happening to Miami as an isolated event. The world is changing and its up to us to make it as livable as possible by being pillars to support our communities.
That being said, am I a perfect pillar? No. But I recognize that and try to do my best with what I've been given.
I have to agree with you about the drivers without question. As far as the car, that sucks. They actually are having a lot of problems over in the Sawgrass Mills lately and on the eastern fringes of Sunrise(where a bunch of porno stores are opening and established). Maybe its just my area is geographically isolated from the rest of it. You got rep for that post. Very realistic.
Like no other country that I have experienced, US society is based on the rule of law and the market-driven price mechanism, a market, by the way, heavy manipulated by the powers that be.
I notice very little genuine human community spirit, at least in the heavily populated areas of the two coasts (it may be different, or perhaps was different, in rural and small-town mid-America, but that's an experience beyond my scope).
Therefore, I have no confidence that any such initiative as "uniting this forum" will bear fruit, not least because "we the people" of today simply lack the cultural tools to do so, a culture devastated a rapacious mass media and the powers that be who manipulate it, who forged the "me generation", the culture of even irreverent self-indulgence.
Yes, there are some local community-based initiatives that work, security-related in particular like crime watch, but it is not the norm.
I don't know, but there is something humanly warm about being able to buy bread within walking distance of one's abode.
On the other hand, the rule of law and the market-driven price mechanism have proved to possess outstanding virtues: the US economy is the most efficient resource-allocation machine the world has ever seen, in spite of all its inefficiencies.
The quality of life, even in Miami-Dade County, is not that bad, it's just that as of late, it is no longer a good deal for the money.
The alarming aspect, however, is that there may also be an intolerable breakdown in the rule of law, and the massive illegal immigration problem is already a visible manifestation of this, not to mention rampant mortgage fraud that has accompanied this real estate bubble. These are just two examples, I could go on.
With the recent real estate price drops, western and northern Broward, southern Palm Beach County and parts of northern Palm Beach County are now hovering somewhere around the borderline of still being a good deal for the money for some people, and probably that's why more people are satisfied, at least if we take this board as some kind of survey sample.
But it is hardly "scientific" because there is no articulate representation of the Hispanic point of view in Miami-Dade.
Southern Florida is a not-so-small microcosm of some serious problems developing in the US: social fissures, massive market and price manipulation causing social displacement, a breakdown in the rule of law.
As the previous poster mentioned, local community groups are like a band aid covering isolated spots on a body social with some serious diseases.
That doesn't mean that local communities should not try to unite, on the contrary, it may represent the first step towards renewing the body social, but in the current atmosphere, it would be a very arduous process, fraught with insidious difficulty, even sabotage.
An ideal society is one that produces both interesting culture and good administrative order. Maybe in the next world; in this world, one out of two in most societies ain't bad.
I have to agree with you about the drivers without question. As far as the car, that sucks. They actually are having a lot of problems over in the Sawgrass Mills lately and on the eastern fringes of Sunrise(where a bunch of porno stores are opening and established). Maybe its just my area is geographically isolated from the rest of it. You got rep for that post. Very realistic.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
Incidentally, I was living just about a mile or so south of Sawgrass Mills on Flamingo when my car was stolen. That area is pretty notorious for car theft.
It's funny that you mention Sunrise, since that's where I lived when I first moved to South Florida in early 2002. Within 6 months my car was stolen and gutted despite its anti-theft devices. Not that big of a deal, just kind of ironic.
Anyway, I think most of us that post on here really would like to see a better community in Miami and all of South Florida. Perhaps some are more negative than others, but its probably due in some part to the many negative things that happen throughout the city.
I have lived in a few different states and even in another country and can say that South Florida has the worst drivers (in general) of anywhere I've lived. Nowhere else have I seen multiple major car accidents while they're actually occurring directly in front of me. Maybe I've just been lucky in the past. Point being, my personal experiences will be reflected in my perception of the city regardless of anyone else's experiences or views.
I do take issue with the "*@#$# this place, I'm leaving" attitude of many posters here. Running away from problems isn't much of a solution. The face of Miami has changed and will continue to do so. I hate to break it to some of the haters, but change is the natural course of everywhere. My hometown (Des Moines, IA) has changed since I was a kid. Some things are better, but even more things are worse. I don't see what's happening to Miami as an isolated event. The world is changing and its up to us to make it as livable as possible by being pillars to support our communities.
That being said, am I a perfect pillar? No. But I recognize that and try to do my best with what I've been given.
I have been reading this forum for few weeks and it is in dire need of more intelligent posters like eufo & ft.lauderdale .... good posts .
But I think we digress. The point of this thread is what can be done, if anything, to restore or generate a sense of community, in southern Florida, perhaps in the US in general.
I appreciate your views very much, and I also congratulate you for being one of the few to understand the (basic) concept of this post, and this sub- forum. I don't mean to put others down, but can we all please be productive instead of whiners?
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