Relocate or not? Kids don't want to move!! (Miami, Tampa: rentals, violent crime) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

rminnehan · 03-18-2008, 07:01 AM

I am from Massachusetts (divorced/single dad) and am contemplating moving to the Tampa area with 3 children, ages 6, 10 and 11. They do not want to move and I am having second thougts. How hot and humid does it get? And I assume it is not just in July and August? Are there are good short term rentals with 2 or 3 bedrooms in the general Tampa area? Has anyone moved from the north with kids who didn't want to move and how did things work out? Any problems finding friends? I am a retired police officer. What kind of work is there down there for someone like myself? Any private detective work as it seems like nothing else pays well?

Floridahater · 03-18-2008, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rminnehan

I am from Massachusetts (divorced/single dad) and am contemplating moving to the Tampa area with 3 children, ages 6, 10 and 11. They do not want to move and I am having second thougts. How hot and humid does it get? And I assume it is not just in July and August? Are there are good short term rentals with 2 or 3 bedrooms in the general Tampa area? Has anyone moved from the north with kids who didn't want to move and how did things work out? Any problems finding friends? I am a retired police officer. What kind of work is there down there for someone like myself? Any private detective work as it seems like nothing else pays well?

Please do yourself a favor. Under no circumstances move to Florida. This heat (coupled with the high humidity) makes it unbearable for the balance of the year. The school systems are mediocre. I know this to be the case as a former educator. I'm desperately attempting to leave. Stay where you are in MA, and I wish the best for you and your family!

Kris270 · 03-18-2008, 07:24 AM

I wouldn't worry too much about the kids. They are young enough that they will make new friends and adjust. It is better to make a move now while they are younger. It will be even harder once they get into high school. My kids were fighting us about moving for a long time but my husband and I just told them to prepare for it because it will happen. We talk about it often and now the kids are actually looking forward to our move. Although I'm sure when it happens they will be sad to leave. My husband will also be retired law enforcement and we are heading to TN.

My parents retired to Florida and love it. They love waking up to sunshine every day. They are in a very nice area. My sister is also in Cape Coral and loves it. When I was there last July it wasn't any hotter there then it was back in NJ and NJ was just as humid. We decided on TN because we love the seasons however and didn't want to give that up.

Head the advice of the last poster however and really check out the schools. I used greatschools.net to do comparisons.

May want to consider Cape Coral. Little further south but close to Ft. Myers and a really nice area.

Davachka · 03-18-2008, 08:24 AM

I would suggest going to greatschools.net everytime you find an area of interest to judge how good the schools are. That is how we decided on areas, they not only discuss the grades of the school, but demographics, teacher to student ratio, etc

We did not have the moving problem with our daughter, however, if I did, I would take her down to visit the area, go to Busch Gardens, the beach, a park, view the wildlife, etc, and pretty soon I bet they will be begging to move to Tampa.

When we told our daughter we were considering Tampa instead of Miami, she instantly got online and checked out the stores/malls in the area and decided Tampa was acceptable based on the shopping alone. She said the shopping was good, there were palm trees and beaches and we liked it, so it couldn't be that bad. Just an idea if your 11 yr old is a girl.

pearlsnspurs · 04-01-2008, 12:03 AM

Do not move here. Our family, friends, roots, horses, everything is here and yet we are quickly on our way out despite leaving everything we know.. We have a 6 month old daughter and want her out of here before it's too late.

The crime here is far above average, specifically violent crime. Tampa is considered to be one of the most violent cities in the U.S. I live in a "nice" neighborhood and due to the crime around me I do not feel safe even with a house full of four dogs, my windows and doors locked, and my alarm system on.

I have seen the sense of community here disappear in so many ways. Generally speaking, unless you're in a community like Plant City, don't expect any Southern Hospitality or for the person next to you to care about your well being.

The number of sexual predators here is atrocious, check out the department of justice website.

Drugs here are a problem. The are flooding the middle schools and high schools. Speaking of schools, they're ridiculously over-crowded.

If you like the party scene and the attractions, Tampa Bay is the place for you. If you're concerned about living in a safe, family-oriented environment, it deifnitely isn't. There are plenty of new neighborhoods that claim to be perfect and shiny.. believe me, I know, my dad owns a prominent home-building business in the area.. but even he admits he wishes he had left here a long time ago.

Margel · 04-01-2008, 06:25 AM

Ugh, here we go. I feel like I have to defend the "whole" state of Florida again! Florida is a big state. There are a lot of cities and towns to choose from. Tampa is a major city. If you read this thread you will see people who love and or dislike Tampa. Like any state or major city in the country, there is bad and good. To blame the entire state or one particular city for the problems an area may or may not have is ridiculous. Do your homework, research the area. I live in a suburb of Tampa, thirty minutes north in Pasco County. I relocated with 4 children. They all resisted, but now they love it. They like their schools and made many friends. The area is safe, family-oriented, friendly and clean. I have no regrets with my move, but I did the research first. And whatever you do, read these posts, both positive and negative, but make the decision your own.

rtjr · 04-01-2008, 07:19 AM

As the above poster wrote, please take what you read here with a grain of salt. I grew up here and loved it - there are plenty of family friendly neighborhoods in the Bay area and there are good schools and bad schools - you just need to research where the good schools are. Unfortunately, many people blame their problems and unhappiness on the particular city that they live in.

TheCaptain · 04-01-2008, 08:58 AM

I agree with many of the posts against moving here, but to be fair:

No, the crime isn't as high as some cities, but it is high. Yes, there are some great schools here, but there are many mediocre ones, as well. No, it's not unbearably hot, but the humid season runs as early as end of May/early June through as late as October, and if you don't like or aren't used to heat and humidity, you won't like 2/3's of the year here.

One poster said it very well: you either like or dislike Tampa. Personally I would recommend against moving here with your children, HOWEVER, I would not discount Florida as a whole, as there are very nice areas.

Have you looked into Bradenton/Sarasota? Try it out, especially Bradenton. Or the Melbourne/Space Coast area on the Atlantic side. Both are places I would recommend for a family friendly, best of both worlds area.

mikewu9900 · 04-01-2008, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtjr

As the above poster wrote, please take what you read here with a grain of salt. I grew up here and loved it - there are plenty of family friendly neighborhoods in the Bay area and there are good schools and bad schools - you just need to research where the good schools are. Unfortunately, many people blame their problems and unhappiness on the particular city that they live in.

great post. i also believe that people blame the city for there problems. you read it in this forum time and time again. i like it here in Tampa. ive only been here for 6 months. ive met some good people, and the weather from oct-may make dealing with june-sept manageable.

jessiegirl_98 · 04-01-2008, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rminnehan

I am from Massachusetts (divorced/single dad) and am contemplating moving to the Tampa area with 3 children, ages 6, 10 and 11. They do not want to move and I am having second thougts. How hot and humid does it get? And I assume it is not just in July and August? Are there are good short term rentals with 2 or 3 bedrooms in the general Tampa area? Has anyone moved from the north with kids who didn't want to move and how did things work out? Any problems finding friends? I am a retired police officer. What kind of work is there down there for someone like myself? Any private detective work as it seems like nothing else pays well?

I would suggest searching this forum and you will find many threads about moving to Florida. IMO, right now, it's getting too hot and humid for me, and this will last from April-Oct. My thought would not be about moving to Florida, but moving in general. We don't know anything about your personal life, but if you are recently divorced, you should absolutely not move anywhere as your children need stability. Also, my question would be, why do you want to move 3 school aged children across the country? If they are doing well, I would probably stay put for the time being. This may be something you will want to discuss in the parenting forum. Lastly, I would absolutely not move until you find a job. Tampa, as everywhere, is very tight right now in terms of jobs.