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I'm wanting to move to FL, and I have for a very, very long time. I live in Illinois right now.
I hate the cold and my dad's friend lives in Bradenton, and we hear how warm it is there when it's 0 Here. I just have questions about it. I'd ask my dad's friend, but I don't know him and I don't wanna bother him.
1. How bad are bugs? More importantly, spiders? I have really bad arachniphobia. The ones we have here scare the **** out of me. I imagine the spiders are bigger there.... How big are they (including the legs)? Do they get inside a lot? Same question, but tarachulas. Do they get in the apartment? Ever?
2. What's it like to live in FL in general? I know that different cities can be very different from one another, but what's it like for you?
3. Are jobs hard to find? I'm currently a 21 year old without a high school diploma. I'm working on my GED, but it's kind of hard for me with all of the memory loss I have.
4. How safe is it? I hear all of these stories about shootings in schools, banks, and home invasions. I would be in a decent neighborhood, even if it meant having 3-4 roommates.
Am I overthinking this, especially the spider and spider-like bug part? I don't know how to get over this fear.... I know it's irrational, but nothing helps it.
I just remember last summer seeing a spider and being so scared to move until I got up the nerve to kill it, which was a 1/2 hour, btw.
I just want this so bad. I hate the freezing cold....
Hi ehwynters,
I lived in the Florida for about 15 or so years. 12 in Pinellas which is Clearwater/St Pete, 1 in Lee which is fort Myers, and 3 in Hillsborough which is Tampa. Moved out 1.5 years ago and I think we made the right move thus far. So I have solid knowledge of the West Coast of Florida.
1. In Central FL Bugs are worse in the summer and definitely worse in Areas closer to waterways. IE-if you live in an apartment or home on a lake or stream. :Could be very annoying at times closer to waterways. The summers are very hot, wet and that is the fuel for insects.
2. Florida is a melting pot of individuals who grew up in many different states and cultures. Tampa Bay is very diverse in nature. People move in and out. Some move out and and never come back, so neighborhoods rapidly change.
3. The Job market has improved in the Tampa and Fort Myers region due to low corporate taxes and no income tax. Which does attract out of state workers and companies especially from high taxed states. Such as NY, NJ, Mass and Illinois. The wages however really are lacking for the cost of living increases especially in the area of rents, insurances and home prices. Large National Companies such as Hertz, Bristol Myers and USAA have definitely increased their presence in the West Florida area.
4. Due to the rapid changing and transient nature of Florida, there is of course a lot of Crime. The Law Enforcement agencies have high standards in Central Florida and seem to do a good job for the most part. But rapid population increases in Hillsborough County especially have brought recent challenges on coverage. There still is some good gated communities and areas were more retirees and professionals live. But of course there is some real bad neighborhood as well.
As far as the spider fear, yes there is spiders. But i dont have the numbers on that type of thing. The increased Traffic, increased cost of living and increased crime, would be of much more of concern here to me at this point.
I moved from IL two years ago. Weather is warm, so if you like that you'll like it here.
Bugs? Yes, they have them here, IL does to. They are different and honestly I haven't seen anything that I'm concerned with.
What's it like? Question that really can't be answered by anyone else. Kind of like asking someone what they like to eat and you'll get lots of things that maybe you don't. Or where they like to vacation, what kind of car to drive or what hobbies - everyone is different. 20+ million people live here so there's something that draws them here. IL has only 12 million.
No one can tell you about job market as you haven't indicated any skills, experience, etc. No diploma plan for some low wage job unless you have some special skills or trade experience - but that's same as anywhere. If you do manual labor there's lots of landscaping and pool care companies.
Here's ranking of states for crime, you can decide if you would feel safe - Public Safety Rankings FL is #35, IL is #25.
I'm wanting to move to FL, and I have for a very, very long time. I live in Illinois right now.
I hate the cold and my dad's friend lives in Bradenton, and we hear how warm it is there when it's 0 Here. I just have questions about it. I'd ask my dad's friend, but I don't know him and I don't wanna bother him.
1. How bad are bugs? More importantly, spiders? I have really bad arachniphobia. The ones we have here scare the **** out of me. I imagine the spiders are bigger there.... How big are they (including the legs)? Do they get inside a lot? Same question, but tarachulas. Do they get in the apartment? Ever?
2. What's it like to live in FL in general? I know that different cities can be very different from one another, but what's it like for you?
3. Are jobs hard to find? I'm currently a 21 year old without a high school diploma. I'm working on my GED, but it's kind of hard for me with all of the memory loss I have.
4. How safe is it? I hear all of these stories about shootings in schools, banks, and home invasions. I would be in a decent neighborhood, even if it meant having 3-4 roommates.
Am I overthinking this, especially the spider and spider-like bug part? I don't know how to get over this fear.... I know it's irrational, but nothing helps it.
I just remember last summer seeing a spider and being so scared to move until I got up the nerve to kill it, which was a 1/2 hour, btw.
I just want this so bad. I hate the freezing cold....
Well ya don't have to worry about cold Tampa south. We have seen a rapid warming over the last 28 years and have seen a insane ramp up of heating the last 7 years. Back in the 80's we got cold. Plenty of jobs bob, low paying but many to pick from. Living here is like anywhere else.
Same amount of killings and bums like most any other state nate. You will never really see spiders siders, other than small 1's. I only saw one real big hairy spider back in 1986 and when i picked up a shovel to kill it the spider was gone. It must of come off one of the ships from South america.
So if ya like heat pete this is the place for you. Just be ready when we get stuck in a reverse west windflow during the summer we will have lows of 75 to 84 and dew points 75+. It will be a true steam bath from hell mel.
Try using the "search" feature at the top of the forum and you'll find loads of similar questions that others have asked before you. Including ones with great details about bugs and spiders here - for what it's worth, they're all over the place and many are the size of your hand or bigger.
You're one of many thousands of people who try to come here every year with no plan or resources. Housing is expensive and you won't be able to find a decent place to live working for minimum wage. You haven't indicated any particular skill set, so I'm assuming you don't have any. Got a car? Can you afford insurance? Public transportation is, for the most part, worthless, so without a means of getting around you won't be able to find/get a job. Please don't come here and drive without insurance. That's one of the main reason we have such high insurance rates. You'll risk being arrested and lawsuits if you do.
Many like you come here expecting it to be a wonderful place. A good portion of those people either leave shortly after arriving, or end up homeless on our streets.
I'm not criticizing, but the way you describe your situation it doesn't sound like you've got your act together as far as education, skills, or financial resources. Until you do, please don't come here. You'll be far worse off than where you are now, believe me.
Try using the "search" feature at the top of the forum and you'll find loads of similar questions that others have asked before you. Including ones with great details about bugs and spiders here - for what it's worth, they're all over the place and many are the size of your hand or bigger.
You're one of many thousands of people who try to come here every year with no plan or resources. Housing is expensive and you won't be able to find a decent place to live working for minimum wage. You haven't indicated any particular skill set, so I'm assuming you don't have any. Got a car? Can you afford insurance? Public transportation is, for the most part, worthless, so without a means of getting around you won't be able to find/get a job. Please don't come here and drive without insurance. That's one of the main reason we have such high insurance rates. You'll risk being arrested and lawsuits if you do.
Many like you come here expecting it to be a wonderful place. A good portion of those people either leave shortly after arriving, or end up homeless on our streets.
I'm not criticizing, but the way you describe your situation it doesn't sound like you've got your act together as far as education, skills, or financial resources. Until you do, please don't come here. You'll be far worse off than where you are now, believe me.
I'm wanting to move to FL, and I have for a very, very long time. I live in Illinois right now.
I hate the cold and my dad's friend lives in Bradenton, and we hear how warm it is there when it's 0 Here. I just have questions about it. I'd ask my dad's friend, but I don't know him and I don't wanna bother him.
1. How bad are bugs? More importantly, spiders? I have really bad arachniphobia. The ones we have here scare the **** out of me. I imagine the spiders are bigger there.... How big are they (including the legs)? Do they get inside a lot? Same question, but tarachulas. Do they get in the apartment? Ever?
2. What's it like to live in FL in general? I know that different cities can be very different from one another, but what's it like for you?
3. Are jobs hard to find? I'm currently a 21 year old without a high school diploma. I'm working on my GED, but it's kind of hard for me with all of the memory loss I have.
4. How safe is it? I hear all of these stories about shootings in schools, banks, and home invasions. I would be in a decent neighborhood, even if it meant having 3-4 roommates.
Am I overthinking this, especially the spider and spider-like bug part? I don't know how to get over this fear.... I know it's irrational, but nothing helps it.
I just remember last summer seeing a spider and being so scared to move until I got up the nerve to kill it, which was a 1/2 hour, btw.
I just want this so bad. I hate the freezing cold....
I don't see where you'd be a good fit for the TB area - no education, no skills, problem w/ bugs....most likely with your income level, you'd be in the unsafe parts of the area....just being honest w/ you.
Agreed. Don't move here unless you already have a decent job lined up. The cost of apartments & houses has spiked and it's getting worse every 6 months. Wages are low in Florida. Car and home insurance are also very inflationary. And don't be fooled by the initial rent prices you see online. They will go up $50 - $100 / month everytime you renew your lease. A GED with no certain skills will be a financial disaster.
If you don't like bugs, I suggest you don't move to Fl.
Cockroaches. Some very big ones too, known as palmetto bugs officially.
MANY spiders (no tarantulas, but there are black widows and brown recluse, along with a hundred varieties of benign spiders, some big some small). There are even scorpions, although rare to see one.
Mosquitos.
Fleas.
No-see-ums.
Ants.
Fire ants.
Florida is a haven for a ton of annoying bugs. The pest control companies do a huge business there; but they can't stop mosquitos or no see ums.
As most else have said, it's an expensive place to live if you want to live in a nice and safe area. You will need a fairly decent income or don't mind having a bunch of roommates.
All stats have bugs mugs. Not any worse here than any other state mate.
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