Seeking Info on Brooksville (Tampa, Spring Hill: sales, condos, mortgage)

[steven r.]

I originally posted in Ocala forum but someone suggested that the Tampa Forum would have better suggestions to my inquiry.

I was looking, like most northern folk, to escape winter and Brooksville seemed like a quaint little town. My concern however is jobs and salary expectations.

I am a military veteran and certified automotive technician and I also have an AAS in Electronics and Computer Technology. I went back to school to study computers and electronics because I wanted to advance my diagnostic skills working as a technician. Basically I didn't go to school to leave an industry, I went to school to advance in it. I have 10 years field experience and Industry Certification through National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence.

I make 25 dollars an hour and have a broad range of knowledge since I work in the aftermarket instead of the dealer networks. Based on my experience and technical training, 25-30 dollars an hour is rather normal, at least here in Virginia and up. I have been told however that Florida will not pay nowhere near that?

I think Florida has a nice quality of life and many outdoor things to do, I like quaint towns, hiking trails, café restaurants, music and art. I am very concerned however about making the same money I do now.

Thanks for listening and any advice would be very helpful to me.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by steven r.

I originally posted in Ocala forum but someone suggested that the Tampa Forum would have better suggestions to my inquiry.

I was looking, like most northern folk, to escape winter and Brooksville seemed like a quaint little town. My concern however is jobs and salary expectations.

I am a military veteran and certified automotive technician and I also have an AAS in Electronics and Computer Technology. I went back to school to study computers and electronics because I wanted to advance my diagnostic skills working as a technician. Basically I didn't go to school to leave an industry, I went to school to advance in it. I have 10 years field experience and Industry Certification through National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence.

I make 25 dollars an hour and have a broad range of knowledge since I work in the aftermarket instead of the dealer networks. Based on my experience and technical training, 25-30 dollars an hour is rather normal, at least here in Virginia and up. I have been told however that Florida will not pay nowhere near that?

I think Florida has a nice quality of life and many outdoor things to do, I like quaint towns, hiking trails, café restaurants, music and art. I am very concerned however about making the same money I do now.

Thanks for listening and any advice would be very helpful to me.

I live in Spring Hill, a huge subdivision very near Brooksville. Sounds like u have the credentials, but I dont think the salary would be close to what your are accustomed to in VA. Brooksville is a nice rural town. It is the County seat and has been around a long time.

I would goggle the car dealers around here and also check the aftermarket shops and get a feel for
the salary ranges and availability of work. One thing to consider is that your living expenses in Brooksville are going to be less that in VA and there is no state income tax. Try some on line salary calculators to see the difference. You put in where you are, where you are going and your current salary. The calculators will tell you what you would need to earn at the new location to maintain the same lifestyle.

While Brooksville is rural everything you could want or need is available there or in Spring Hill.

There are a few Hernando County related websites. Google is your friend in that arena.

[steven r.]

That's what I'm trying to determine. I have a 3 bedroom 1 bath home in Virginia and pay 1,000 a month plus we have personally property taxes and I get whacked because I live just outside the town so I pay city tax as well. I also pay taxes cause I own cars, and our sales tax is rather high as well plus we have convienance tax as well, Virginia is a common wealth state.

If I could find a similar house in Brooksville for say 750 a month, I don't have extra taxes to pay, and my wife also has a degree and makes her own money, then I would say that maybe making 16-18 dollars down there is probably the same as 25 dollars an hour up here. My wife has a management with accounting minor degree, she is a ASM and CPHT for Walgreens Pharmacy. She brings in a little over 50k a year by herself, on top of what I make which is around 52k.

Our education and skill level I think is there, we both have actual field experience. The stability of jobs and what they pay in Florida is what concerns me.

[HWTechGuy]

I can't add much more beyond the information Spring Hillian has already given you other than to touch on a few things in your second post. You won't pay any kind of annual tax on your cars here. I moved from PA last year, but I know folks in NJ who had to pay an annual fee based on the value of the vehicle.

There's no inspection or emission tests here either, which could be a factor in your field since that's a revenue stream that doesn't exist for repair shops down here. You will get rocked to the tune of about $400 for vehicle between the impact fees and your initial registration when you get your Florida plates.

There's no local or state wage taxes, which for me was like a 5% pay raise as I was paying that much in state/local wage taxes in PA. Sales tax is 6.5% in Hernando County.

Depending on what you've got to work with after selling your house in VA, you may be able to end up with a very low mortgage on what you buy down here.

There's no shortage of Walgreens locations here, but you probably know that already. I hope your wife would be able to facilitate a transfer.

Best of luck.

[EngGirl]

Have you even been in Brooksville? I think you should visit it first... At the end you will be getting exactly what you pay for.

[steven r.]

good advice indeed. you may earn less per hour but cost of living is lower so it may even out to be a better QOL. I'm not a fancy guy, never have been, I just want a cozy place to call home, my HEMI Dodge that I own, I like to buy nice clothes and such but I'm not talking Versace, I mean like shopping at Belk. If the area is as quaint as I saw it to be on the youtube, if I can find me a nice little home or perhaps one of them fancy condos with the swimming pool, walk into a stable job, and being Florida I'll emphasize "Stable," I would like to make a go of it perhaps. I would still have to come physically see the place of course but I do like it's vibe based on what I have researched and seen on video.

[steven r.]

I'm a certified safety inspector through the Virginia State Police and I'm surprised Florida does not have a safety inspection program. It obviously not only generates revenue for technicians but more importantly it keeps people safe on the road. It doesn't even cost that much really, in Virginia it's 16 dollars every 12 months from date of previous inspection but in the case of a rejection once the repair has been made, if you take it back to the original inspection station within 15 days of rejection, a reinspect is only 1.00 dollar.

My wife and kids drive on the roads just like everyone else does, and I want to know that these vehicles at least comply to a minimum safety requirement, it's really just good for everyone.

[jambo101]

While Florida doesnt have an annual auto inspection there are jobs for auto inspectors
https://www.google.ca/#q=auto+inspec...fl&safe=active

Also seems to be a demand for auto techs.
https://www.google.ca/#q=certified+automotive+technician+jobs+Brookesvil l+Florida&safe=active


Looks like you wont have a problem getting a job,, What they pay is probably going to be disappointing.

The wearing of nice clothes will work while in an air conditioned environment but in temps of 90+ degrees and all the humidity you'll be in flip flops,shorts and t-shirts as soon as you are off work.

[Spring Hillian]

Sounds reasonable. Wife needs to talk to her HR people at Walgreens. Their operations are way more involved than in store pharmacy here, as I am sure they are there. The medical fields in the Brooksville area are major employers. 3 large hospitals. Numerous specialty practices.

Taxes suck the money like a vacuum. We pay our yearly auto registration fee and thats about that. You've got your property tax (we have a homestead exemption program too), a 7 percent sales tax.
If you bring cars into the state there is a one time impact fee for that. Its a few hundred dollars.
Sounds like you guys are paying taxes on your taxes

Job stability is good when you are working for an established operation. If you are carrying out the necessities of the position you could be employed for a long time. Its the "I can do that" types that get a job and then find out "I cant do that" who have a stability problem.

Hernando County continues to grow in population and in turn businesses supported by that population.
While the surrounding area is quite rural, the area that is comprised of Spring Hill and Brooksville are
on the level of small cities. The population of the County is 173,422 based on 2012 statistics.

Check out this webpage... Automotive Jobs, Employment in Hernando County, FL | Indeed.com

and this one

Pharmacist Jobs, Employment in Hernando County, FL | Indeed.com


Pop "Hernando County FL" into your favorite search engine. The County has a good local government page and lots of information about the area on other pages.

Originally Posted by steven r.

That's what I'm trying to determine. I have a 3 bedroom 1 bath home in Virginia and pay 1,000 a month plus we have personally property taxes and I get whacked because I live just outside the town so I pay city tax as well. I also pay taxes cause I own cars, and our sales tax is rather high as well plus we have convienance tax as well, Virginia is a common wealth state.

If I could find a similar house in Brooksville for say 750 a month, I don't have extra taxes to pay, and my wife also has a degree and makes her own money, then I would say that maybe making 16-18 dollars down there is probably the same as 25 dollars an hour up here. My wife has a management with accounting minor degree, she is a ASM and CPHT for Walgreens Pharmacy. She brings in a little over 50k a year by herself, on top of what I make which is around 52k.

Our education and skill level I think is there, we both have actual field experience. The stability of jobs and what they pay in Florida is what concerns me.

[Spring Hillian]

I wouldnt be surprised if he do a cash purchase here after selling up there.

Originally Posted by HWTechGuy

I can't add much more beyond the information Spring Hillian has already given you other than to touch on a few things in your second post. You won't pay any kind of annual tax on your cars here. I moved from PA last year, but I know folks in NJ who had to pay an annual fee based on the value of the vehicle.

There's no inspection or emission tests here either, which could be a factor in your field since that's a revenue stream that doesn't exist for repair shops down here. You will get rocked to the tune of about $400 for vehicle between the impact fees and your initial registration when you get your Florida plates.

There's no local or state wage taxes, which for me was like a 5% pay raise as I was paying that much in state/local wage taxes in PA. Sales tax is 6.5% in Hernando County.

Depending on what you've got to work with after selling your house in VA, you may be able to end up with a very low mortgage on what you buy down here.

There's no shortage of Walgreens locations here, but you probably know that already. I hope your wife would be able to facilitate a transfer.

Best of luck.