Moving to St. Pete w/ kids (Christmas: apartment, rent, sex offenders)

[beachgirl27]

Hello...my husband and I have been wanting to move to st. petersburg for about 5 yrs. We are in our late 20's and have two girls 8 and 10. We have visited there many times on vacation and I went several times a year as a kid. My mother had an apartment there for a few years and we she came back and forth from where we live now in Kentucky and we got to go often to see her in Pass-a-grille. We know the area well and almost moved a few yrs back when the housing market had skyrocketed and decided to wait. Where we live now is about the safest place you could be and to raise children, but my kids also want to make the move. I am afraid we won't feel so safe,but i love the area and it feels like our second home. Neither of us want to stay here b/c we grew up here and want a change from the small town where everyone knows everything about you. I guess I'm just asking for advise on people who have moved with a family. Part of me thinks if we stay here my kids will go to college here and we will be close and if we move they may end up far away. I work in a medical office in billing and am taking classes towards nursing and my husband has worked in a factory/plant for 8 yrs. Any advise on why we should or should not consider this area w/ a family would be so helpful..thanks

[LM1]

Yes. Your story sounds like a typical "Moved To Florida" tragedy waiting to happen.

If you have two kids, your husband has a job at a plant, you are taking classes to better yourselves and are presently living in a market where the real-estate costs 1/4 of what it is here (and the wages are probably exactly the same) I absolutely cannot understand why you would consider moving to FL , save for grand visions of beaches and palm trees (which, trust me... Get old after a while).

He isn't going to find another "plant job" here and furthermore, this is a non-union state. Good luck with health benefits (a pretty big consideration when you have kids). Your medical job may or may not carry over. You more than likely aren't going to be able to afford to buy a home, *maybe* you will be able to afford rent in St. Pete on two lower tier incomes and only then in a crappy area.

Have you and your husband secured a job here?
Do you have a fairly substantial cash buffer that will allow you to take this risk? If so, you can disregard some of what I've said, but a young couple in their late 20's- one working at a factory and the other a medical clerk with two kids usually isn't going to have such a cash buffer.

You don't have to go through too many of my posts to realize that I am definitely a cynic, but here, I seriously want you to heed my advice, be you moving to Florida, New York, California or wherever. There is nothing that makes me sadder than to see young families accidentally put themselves in bad situations that often times, have personal and financial ramifications that can last for decades.

Think this through VERY carefully and don't make any leaps until you know for sure what you are getting in to. Secure employment for both of you before making any moves. Have at least 3 months expenses in reserve before moving, plus the cost of a move back. Don't burn any bridges behind you, either.

Whenever I hear someone in their 20's say "I hate where I am and I vacation in Florida and based on what I've seen, I think I want to move me and my entire young family down there", I shudder.

[Muggy]

I agree with LM1. If you started your post with something like, "I am a boating outlaw, that drinks hard, likes to fish, and has a criminal record..." I'd say come on down.

I have lived here for almost 2 years now and I can't imagine a worse place for kids. If safety is your biggest concern you will regret moving here. Pass-A-Grille is o.k., but crime travels in FL and nowhere is safe.

For example: my first year I lived near Corey Ave in SPB and someone attempted to break into my house. Just a few weeks ago a stranger entered a home of one of my relatives and fled before the police arrived. At Christmas time Tyrone Mall puts a huge sign out front the flashes warnings like, "LOCK YOUR CAR" and "PAY ATTENTION." The lack of civility will erode your desire to inhabit public spaces; it's often easier to just stay home.

And the worst part? Kids can't be kids. I can't think of a single area in Pinellas County where I'd let a child out by themselves or to go biking, as either activity would end in death, abduction, or both.

Your story does indeed start like the classic Florida tragedy.

On these boards I've been ambiguous about Florida; sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. One thing is for sure: I will not raise a family here.

[beachgirl27]

I kind of knew in the back of my mind st pete was this way. I stayed down there for a few weeks two years ago looking at schools for my daughters and houses and was so unimpressed we decided against it. Lately we have been revisiting the idea until I read your posts. I makes me feel better to hear the truth although I wish it werent. We have also spent a lot of time in Fort Walton over the past several yrs. We have explored the areas most tourists wouldn't. It is most like where we live by the size and most people seem friendly. Is this area or anywhere close a good place to start over as a family? My mom wants to retire to florida and she is the only family we want to be close to and she would rather retire to st. pete but would consider the panhandle if we would move to be close to her....thanks

[Sunandsand]

Where exactly in the US do you let kids out anymore? Do an internet search and you will find abductions happen everywhere.

The high profile cases like Polly Klass and Elizabeth Smart...did they happen in Florida? No, they happened in supposedly safe places.

Use common sense, a child abductor is going to troll back woods areas off the beaten track, not downtown St. Pete!! Either way, kids get abducted all over the US and the world.

Places do not raise kids, people do. I know kids raised in horrible crime ridden areas who are now doctors. I also know kids raised in the safest towns in the US who are worthless scum.

This forum cracks me up with the generalizations. St. Pete can be an amazing place for kids. Put them in the Bardmore Tennis program, they will meet great kids, study hard, be fit, and successful. Or move to a very safe town, let them run amok and end up losers. A safe town guarantees nothing if the parents don't raise the kids right.

You raise your kids, not a town!

[121804]

Some of the above posters really stated the facts nicely & truthfully.

We are a younger family living in SW FL, a retirement haven & moved here due to job circumstances. It has been a duanting experience.

I just really, really suggest also looking at demographics of where you would move to in FL. It is a state that draws retirees & tourists. Take some time & research the National Sex Offender Registry for FL also is known for housing an incredibly large number of sex offenders.

FL is really struggling in education & is ranked 48th nationwide [what you saw 2 yrs ago has likely not changed]. There are decent places in FL to send middle schoolers & I would really look into that aspect, also.

You are thinking of moving at a very critical time in your childrens lives. FL is a nice place to vacation, but it is a whole different reality to live here.

As posted above, depending on what your husband does, FL could be a very challenging place for him to find employment.

Best of luck.

[Sunandsand]

Again, generalizations. My cousins all went to Florida public schools and every one is very successful. why? The parents supplemented the school lessons at night.

We have other family whose kids went to the best schools in NJ, MA, VA. Several are total failures. Why? The parents let their peers raise them.

There are many great kids in Florida. If parents use their brains, Florida is amazing and helpful to raise great and fit kids. Think about it, in every Florida town some kids are turning out amazing and going on to great things. Every single town, even in the ghettos. Why? Because their parent or parents do it right. And somewhere in the best school in the safest town some kid is failing. Why? The parent or parents.

Our kids play tennis, soccer, swim year round. They are all on schedule to get into great colleges. They are all fit and athletic and enjoy outdoor activities.

Stop the nonsense, you can raise great kids in Alaska or Florida...and you can also raise bad kids anywhere in the US.

[121804]

Again, another "opinion". Yours is allowed as is everyone elses. Your kids are not everyone elses kids. Your lifestyle is not everyone else's lifestyle. Your opinon is just that....an opinion.

It is naive & narrowminded to assume those who move from FL due to reasons that have to do with education & family issues are b/c they are bad parents.

They are making their choices just as you have made yours. Let people discuss. The OP asked for opinons, not just one sided one. The reality is many do not care to raise their kids in FL and many do.

But also keep in mind that some of the stats are not in FL's favor when it comes to sex offenders & education.

[Sunandsand]

No, it is narrow minded to generalize.

You are flat out wrong. The OP could raise great kids in St. Pete. It is totally up to her.

Your post makes no sense. Why do kids also fail at the best schools in the safest towns in the US? Anyone fleeing anywhere due to educational issues is a fool. Your kid will fail or succeed anywhere based on what you do. Quit making excuses and raise your kids right!

Think, then post.

[121804]

No one said she couldn't.

They just told her their opinions.

And "do" should be "due" in one of your sentences.