Floridians going to hate me but here we go (Miami: 2015, squatters)

[Punkster55]

Another New Yorker is thinking about moving downtown. I already have a house here but what I’m seeing here is wild. We pay an extra (20k in taxes) a year for our King Cuomo.... anyway not going off on a rant but when I see your high housing cost problems, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

Sign me up. If you think 300k for rundown 2k sqft ranch is bad, you should try 850k asking going for 1.2m on a house with squatters you can’t evict and mold growing on all ceilings. Oh and our schools are worse than yours but don’t worry, the new owner will be paying 30k/year in taxes on it while enjoying 25 degree weather half the year across the train tracks.

Winter park I see is one the better areas. I’m a bit scared of hurricanes but seems like most of your houses are built from concrete. Wow your developers have a brain? Sign me up. I’m liking Florida so far.


Is there anything I’m missing from Near Orlando area that my expectations won’t be met? I know for sure if the tables were turned I would stop you at the i95 from coming here if your intention was to live a better life.

[boy3365]

Don't worry about hurricanes. People come to Orlando to shelter from hurricanes even if the storm will pass over the area.

Winter Park is great.

While I don't intend to hijack this thread with another topic, Orlando (and Tampa and Miami for that matter) have some of the lowest incomes in the country, even when adjusting for the cost of living. While Florida cities are "cheap" to people moving from California and the Northeast, high housing costs are an often talked about topic in local media for many who have chosen to build their careers.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Punkster55

Another New Yorker is thinking about moving downtown. I already have a house here but what I’m seeing here is wild. We pay an extra (20k in taxes) a year for our King Cuomo.... anyway not going off on a rant but when I see your high housing cost problems, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

Sign me up. If you think 300k for rundown 2k sqft ranch is bad, you should try 850k asking going for 1.2m on a house with squatters you can’t evict and mold growing on all ceilings. Oh and our schools are worse than yours but don’t worry, the new owner will be paying 30k/year in taxes on it while enjoying 25 degree weather half the year across the train tracks.

Winter park I see is one the better areas. I’m a bit scared of hurricanes but seems like most of your houses are built from concrete. Wow your developers have a brain? Sign me up. I’m liking Florida so far.


Is there anything I’m missing from Near Orlando area that my expectations won’t be met? I know for sure if the tables were turned I would stop you at the i95 from coming here if your intention was to live a better life.

You definitely have the NY rant down verbatim in terms of those disenchanted, but bear in mind those sky high taxes get you things we don't have. Massive infrastructure, extensive world class public transit and superior schools will be the first things you relinquish and the whine will reach even higher pitches when you realize the food/restaurant scene sucks in comparison and that Florida is the only state that has no idea of what a farmers market is for the most part. Medical care is below average with a very noticeable absence of the youngest and brightest in practice here despite the presence of TEN medical schools in FL. Lastly there's the weather, which cannot be overstated enough. Imagine NY's six weeks of bad summer weather expanded to almost nine months of around 90 degree or hotter with high humidity here in FL with the consistent overplayed threat of hurricanes headed your way, or not. The PSTD from that year to year gets to be a bit much..

[Punkster55]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

You definitely have the NY rant down verbatim in terms of those disenchanted, but bear in mind those sky high taxes get you things we don't have. Massive infrastructure, extensive world class public transit and superior schools will be the first things you relinquish and the whine will reach even higher pitches when you realize the food/restaurant scene sucks in comparison and that Florida is the only state that has no idea of what a farmers market is for the most part. Medical care is below average with a very noticeable absence of the youngest and brightest in practice here despite the presence of TEN medical schools in FL. Lastly there's the weather, which cannot be overstated enough. Imagine NY's six weeks of bad summer weather expanded to almost nine months of around 90 degree or hotter with high humidity here in FL with the consistent overplayed threat of hurricanes headed your way, or not. The PSTD from that year to year gets to be a bit much..

Damn I wish I had your problems. 6 months of 90 F and high humidity? Sign me up. Anybody wanna come up north and get a nice blizzard for 6 months @0F?

[Punkster55]

Originally Posted by boy3365

Don't worry about hurricanes. People come to Orlando to shelter from hurricanes even if the storm will pass over the area.

Winter Park is great.

While I don't intend to hijack this thread with another topic, Orlando (and Tampa and Miami for that matter) have some of the lowest incomes in the country, even when adjusting for the cost of living. While Florida cities are "cheap" to people moving from California and the Northeast, high housing costs are an often talked about topic in local media for many who have chosen to build their careers.

Is that a don’t worry just for Orlando or also south Florida? I can’t figure out if I should stay in Good burbs around Orlando or just head for south Florida.

[tonyp22]

As to income, I couldn’t say if South FL is better than Central, but it might be just given that Miami, Tampa, and areas around Ft. Lauderdale seem to be where more of the big money is. But if you have any interest in what Kyle pointed out (which is true, BTW), then you’ll likely have a better chance of liking South FL more, as I think there are higher concentrations of NY’ers in areas down that way. This from a fellow NY’er who did move to Central FL. I came here cause I didn’t care for the JAX area up North, and couldn’t afford the house I was looking for further South in those money areas. Central FL has its own pluses, but having the same kind of availability to things like you would in the Big Apple, or NJ or PA for that matter, isn’t among them. But I knew that going in, so it’s all good for me.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

You definitely have the NY rant down verbatim in terms of those disenchanted, but bear in mind those sky high taxes get you things we don't have. Massive infrastructure, extensive world class public transit and superior schools will be the first things you relinquish and the whine will reach even higher pitches when you realize the food/restaurant scene sucks in comparison and that Florida is the only state that has no idea of what a farmers market is for the most part. Medical care is below average with a very noticeable absence of the youngest and brightest in practice here despite the presence of TEN medical schools in FL. Lastly there's the weather, which cannot be overstated enough. Imagine NY's six weeks of bad summer weather expanded to almost nine months of around 90 degree or hotter with high humidity here in FL with the consistent overplayed threat of hurricanes headed your way, or not. The PSTD from that year to year gets to be a bit much..

LOL, the "I hate NY" rant meets the "I hate Floriduh" rant. The grass is always greener..........

[jamary1]

C'mon down, Punkster55, the porch light is on. Sounds like you've got a good attitude. We welcome ones like you.

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by Punkster55

Is that a don’t worry just for Orlando or also south Florida? I can’t figure out if I should stay in Good burbs around Orlando or just head for south Florida.

The major metros have been spared lately. The Panhandle got hit by Hurricane Michael, which was a Category 5. You probably didn't hear much about it because it wasn't a major city, but they're in a long recovery.

Someone with Florida coastal experience please correct me if needed, but they generally ask for people on the coastal barrier islands and of course mobile homes on the mainland to evacuate.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Punkster55

Another New Yorker is thinking about moving downtown. I already have a house here but what I’m seeing here is wild. We pay an extra (20k in taxes) a year for our King Cuomo.... anyway not going off on a rant but when I see your high housing cost problems, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

Sign me up. If you think 300k for rundown 2k sqft ranch is bad, you should try 850k asking going for 1.2m on a house with squatters you can’t evict and mold growing on all ceilings. Oh and our schools are worse than yours but don’t worry, the new owner will be paying 30k/year in taxes on it while enjoying 25 degree weather half the year across the train tracks.

Winter park I see is one the better areas. I’m a bit scared of hurricanes but seems like most of your houses are built from concrete. Wow your developers have a brain? Sign me up. I’m liking Florida so far.


Is there anything I’m missing from Near Orlando area that my expectations won’t be met? I know for sure if the tables were turned I would stop you at the i95 from coming here if your intention was to live a better life.

I moved here from San Francisco in 2015/2016 and I understand a lot of your frustrations.


Overall, I am happy with Orlando. I think the biggest con to Orlando is the job market and culture. It's not as bad as many think, but it isn't good either outside a few industries. Company culture is more old fashion where experience in the field is above anything else. There aren't many "open" office type environments like what you find in San Francisco or NYC. So with that being said, if income isn't an issue, I think Orlando is a great choice.


I wouldn't worry about hurricanes. You get advanced notice, most end up going a different direction and al you experience is a strong rainstorm. I lived in Orlando back in the early 2000's as well when we got 3 hurricanes back to back and once again, we never left our house, we only had power go out intraday and then it came back on. If you are scared, you have plenty of time to drive North, but unless you live in a mobile home or a junky home, there is no reason to leave unless it's simply you don't want to take any chance of having to deal with a power outage.


Winter Park
Dr. Phillips
Baldwin Park
Downtown Orlando (Thornton Park, Lake Eola)


...are my top areas to live. If you can afford a nice home, income/job isn't an issue, you are okay not living in a concrete jungle, than Orlando is a great choice.