Tell me why I shouldn't move to Florida (Miami, Tampa: unemployment rate, wage)

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by InGateway

I had fraud happen to me recently in Florida but guess what.. It was through Paypal in the UK.. Nobody from FL has ever scammed me. I gotten scammed in FL back in 2008 but guess what.. the people were in New Mexico and Colorado.. lol. What are the chances of being scammed or having fraud happen 2 times in FL from nobody even here??

Fraud in florida is likely to be MUCH bigger time - like Gov. Scott and his corporation which got the biggest fine in the history of the USA for medical fraud. There is too much to even start to list - one police department of a small town, for example, is charged with making 10's of millions shaking down drug dealers all over the USA (they are not allowed to leave their little town!) and then keeping all the money.

Medical and Medicare fraud is vast in Florida - to the tune of many billions.

"Coming to Florida in search of stories about scam artists, fraudsters, and outrageous behavior is like going to Louvre in search of art," Devine says. "It's everywhere."
What is it with Florida and fraud? - CBS News

As long as we have our faculties - most of us can avoid it using common sense. But things get tough when you are elder, sick, living alone, at the mercy of others, etc....

Modern Florida was built on fraud - the selling of lots in swamps (land booms, etc.).

"The Federal Trade Commission reports that Miami by far leads the nation in ID-theft complaints, with a jaw-dropping rate of about 340 victims per 100,000 residents.

And, according to the U.S. Treasury inspector general for tax administration, the per-capita number of faked IRS returns based on ID theft is 46 times higher in the city of Miami than the national average.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/carl-hiaasen/article4056043.html#storylink=cpy"

[Sunshine Rules]

I took the attached photo today at a marina on the Manatee River by Bradenton. It explains why people come to the Sarasota area in spite of all the reasons on this thread as to why they shouldn't move to Florida.

[craigiri]

Ah, boats are why we come!

Here's one for the SRQ lovers!

[InGateway]

Originally Posted by craigiri

Fraud in florida is likely to be MUCH bigger time - like Gov. Scott and his corporation which got the biggest fine in the history of the USA for medical fraud. There is too much to even start to list - one police department of a small town, for example, is charged with making 10's of millions shaking down drug dealers all over the USA (they are not allowed to leave their little town!) and then keeping all the money.

Medical and Medicare fraud is vast in Florida - to the tune of many billions.

"Coming to Florida in search of stories about scam artists, fraudsters, and outrageous behavior is like going to Louvre in search of art," Devine says. "It's everywhere."
What is it with Florida and fraud? - CBS News

As long as we have our faculties - most of us can avoid it using common sense. But things get tough when you are elder, sick, living alone, at the mercy of others, etc....

Modern Florida was built on fraud - the selling of lots in swamps (land booms, etc.).

"The Federal Trade Commission reports that Miami by far leads the nation in ID-theft complaints, with a jaw-dropping rate of about 340 victims per 100,000 residents.

And, according to the U.S. Treasury inspector general for tax administration, the per-capita number of faked IRS returns based on ID theft is 46 times higher in the city of Miami than the national average.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/carl-hiaasen/article4056043.html#storylink=cpy"

Let me step in here for a minute and say that I have been scammed in FL, nearly recently too BUT they were all out of staters and over the phone. I caught one recently though thank god. The company was in Carrollton Texas it turned out. Perhaps maybe scammers target people who live in Florida but not all of them come from Florida because I never been scammed by people living in FL, in FL state boundaries yes but they almost always came from elsewhere, living elsewhere and looking for people over the phone. Texas seems loaded with scams to be honest. Medicare fraud may be highest in FL but I am sure states like TX lead in everything else like money laundering, job scams and so forth. It seems very suspect over there for some reason.

[InGateway]

Originally Posted by craigiri

Fraud in florida is likely to be MUCH bigger time - like Gov. Scott and his corporation which got the biggest fine in the history of the USA for medical fraud. There is too much to even start to list - one police department of a small town, for example, is charged with making 10's of millions shaking down drug dealers all over the USA (they are not allowed to leave their little town!) and then keeping all the money.

Medical and Medicare fraud is vast in Florida - to the tune of many billions.

"Coming to Florida in search of stories about scam artists, fraudsters, and outrageous behavior is like going to Louvre in search of art," Devine says. "It's everywhere."
What is it with Florida and fraud? - CBS News

As long as we have our faculties - most of us can avoid it using common sense. But things get tough when you are elder, sick, living alone, at the mercy of others, etc....

Modern Florida was built on fraud - the selling of lots in swamps (land booms, etc.).

"The Federal Trade Commission reports that Miami by far leads the nation in ID-theft complaints, with a jaw-dropping rate of about 340 victims per 100,000 residents.

And, according to the U.S. Treasury inspector general for tax administration, the per-capita number of faked IRS returns based on ID theft is 46 times higher in the city of Miami than the national average.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/carl-hiaasen/article4056043.html#storylink=cpy"

Are nearly all these scammers who scam people in FL residents of FL themselves? I had that paypal happen and then just recently a fake job called me out of Texas. I would think TX ranks high on the scam list too.

[03bluecoupe]

EVERYWHERE except for "Podunc, Nowhere" is open to scamming. That comes with the advancement of technology.

Everyone, everywhere needs to understand a few things:

1) Never, EVER open any attachments to an email from someone you don't know. And even then,
have your software set to scan emails, attachments and websites for harmful software.
2) if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and it's probably a scam
3) Generally, no one (bank, IRS, etc) is going to email you about something serious. But if you do get
an email that you think may be legit, LOOKUP their phone number and CALL them. If it's legit, they will know. If you get a phone call that you think is real, ask for the callers extension and tell them
you'll call back. Then LOOKUP the company's phone number and call that back not the phone number that the caller gives you.

There are a bunch more but if folks even just did the above a lot of folks wouldn't have lost a ton of $.

No one's got the market cornered on SCAM attacks. Everyone must be vigilant no matter where they reside or go. It's sad but the days of being able to trust strangers when by the way side years and years ago.

[capenewfs]

We are in Southwest Florida. The worst part for me about living here is we left behind so much. You don't fully appreciate the sense of community and friends until you leave them behind. This is home to a small portion of the population and that impacts how people feel when they are here. If I could rewind our actions and go back, I would have rented here for at least 5 years before buying. Golf is huge here and we don't play golf, the beaches are polluted, fishing is disappointing and in the summer, you do need to protect yourself from mosquitoes but the winter traffic is nuts. No matter how old you are, Florida's demographics are shocking. It just doesn't seem healthy to not see children playing anymore and Florida has a rough edge to it that Dallas somehow buries effectively. We lived in Dallas and loved it, Dallas has a lot going for it. Think about it.

[Old Gal]

Originally Posted by capenewfs

We are in Southwest Florida. The worst part for me about living here is we left behind so much. You don't fully appreciate the sense of community and friends until you leave them behind. This is home to a small portion of the population and that impacts how people feel when they are here. If I could rewind our actions and go back, I would have rented here for at least 5 years before buying. Golf is huge here and we don't play golf, the beaches are polluted, fishing is disappointing and in the summer, you do need to protect yourself from mosquitoes but the winter traffic is nuts. No matter how old you are, Florida's demographics are shocking. It just doesn't seem healthy to not see children playing anymore and Florida has a rough edge to it that Dallas somehow buries effectively. We lived in Dallas and loved it, Dallas has a lot going for it. Think about it.

I guess it's just a difference in people. We are actually going to be able to retire, so the demographics are great - a bunch of old people. My husband plays golf. I'm glad you liked Dallas. I have lived here my entire adult life and a lot of my childhood and the way it has grown I can hardly stand it. We were in Venice last week and it was so clean and when we returned to DFW it just felt grungy and rundown. I thought the beaches in and around Venice were great - particularly in comparison to Texas beaches. I guess everyone has a different perspective.

[Depot Bob]

It REALLY depends on what part of Florida.
The east and west coasts are much more moderate temps. Central is much warmer in summer months-by 10 degrees!
I have lived in both areas over the past 30 years and have found the west coast much more civil and retirement friendly.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

The beaches here in SW Florida are BEAUTIFUL! I have not seen beaches with water so crystal clear and the natural beauty is breathtaking - not a polluted beach in sight! Where are these polluted beaches you mention?