Why should we NOT relocate to Tampa, Florida? (Seminole: crime, how much)

[bluskyz]

I think you should have a fairly accurate view of Fl. living by people in the know. Personally I would be gone after living here 20+ yrs. I became a widower and at this point and time I simply do some traveling to get a break away from here. I am too old and ingrained here in my 55+ retirement area to move.

Compared to many good areas of the NE Fl. is rather third worldish. The state and local politics are corrupt and arrogant and this state can be somewhat dangerous in many ways. If integrity and proper behavior are important to you I think you may not approve of Fl. Poor law enforcement especially motor vehicle statues prevails. Fl. has been referred to as the great state of disorderly conduct. The SFU area is not the best either. Frankly I would prefer any of your other mentioned choices to Fl. However that's just me. O yes, but the winters are balmy--LOL.

[mgator]

I'd ask yourself what you and your family is looking for honestly. For me and my family, Florida is much better than many of the other states we've lived in (VA/TX/CA/SC). I pay much less in tax, especially property tax, although insurance is higher. The infrastructure is better than where I've lived, much to the dismay of many on this board (apart from public transportation options). There are parts of the state and the city of Tampa that are vibrant and trendy, but there are many that aren't - this can be said about anywhere in the US. If you like the water, it's a tough place to beat. If you hate the cold, again, tough to beat. The traffic can be bad via certain commutes, but again, there's traffic in many other locales too. It's not a perfect place, but there are great things about it if you take the time to find them. As far as living in the other places you mentioned, I'd pick FL over those any day of the week.

[hokiepoke]

Originally Posted by bobandsherry

If you are looking for reasons of why NOT to locate here then you are already setting yourself up for not being happy here. There are so many reasons to be here, I moved from Chicago myself and love it. But there are also negatives, no area has it all... but with a focus only on negatives it's probably just not a good fit for you. I can say I'd not be looking to move to Kentucky and def not Michigan, and South Carolina won't be much different than Florida.

I think it's actually smart to know all the negatives since we hear all the time about people moving here with rose colored glasses and become miserable once they got here in very short time. It would've been nice to have sinatras list just for a reality check. Granted none of that would've made it a showstopper for us since we don't care about some and others on the list is actually a good thing. Frankly for me the biggest negative was lack of opportunity to change jobs because of my line of work. Since I'm at a later career hoping to retire soon, it was no big deal but wouldn't have moved during early career - wouldn't be able to afford living here comfortably. The list of pros outweigh the list of cons.

[mom2cjj]

This is a great list.

I'll be honest, I was one with the rose colored glasses but the more I read in this forum, the more I'm seeing it for what it is. I realize that when (and if at this point since my husband's job is now dragging their feet) we move, my life won't be drastically different. And honestly I"ll build a life in Florida just as busy as the life here lol

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by bobandsherry

If you are looking for reasons of why NOT to locate here then you are already setting yourself up for not being happy here. There are so many reasons to be here, I moved from Chicago myself and love it. But there are also negatives, no area has it all... but with a focus only on negatives it's probably just not a good fit for you. I can say I'd not be looking to move to Kentucky and def not Michigan, and South Carolina won't be much different than Florida.

Absolutely this ^^^. I would say ANYONE asking for negatives should just not move here at all. Those people are never happy. I agree with the other points here too, (those other states - just, no.)

[vintageflgirl]

Originally Posted by daaronm80

I have read many threads from other people about relocating to Florida. I know that everyone from the North has this preconceived notion that Florida has great weather, beaches, palm trees, etc. What I don't see very often are the negative aspects of Florida. So, I would like to hear some of the reasons why we should not relocate to Florida from both life-long Floridians as well as people that have relocated in the past few years.

For the back story, my wife has been offered a job as a professor at USF, but she has not accepted it yet. She is also interviewing at and anticipates potential job offers from University of Florida, University of South Carolina, University of Kentucky, and Michigan State U. I mostly work from home and can relocate anywhere.

It seems like there are a number of people that have relocated to Florida only to turn around and move back north after 2-3 years. I am just trying to prevent us from making the same mistake, so I am looking for the cons of relocating.

I am a life long resident of the Tampa area so I don't have anything but visits to other parts of the country for reference. I obviously like living here and although I have really enjoyed visiting other areas have never considered moving. I think it depends on where you live now or have lived in the past and what type of lifestyle and activities you enjoy. Other posts have summarized many things about Tampa so I won't repeat what they have said. Negatives would be the heat and humidity of our summers and the mosquitoes that come with it. Air conditioning and insect repellent can handle that. It is not New York or Boston and does not offer what a major city can. However, we can wear shorts most of the year, never have to shovel snow and can be at the beach in a half hour and Disney World in about an hour and a half.
I can't comment on what it would be like to work at USF, but I am an alumni and my daughter is a current student. We both had a good experience. I think whether you will be happy here depends on your expectations.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by Crashj007

Here in North Carolina we call them Half Backs. They realize they overshot the landing but the reasons they left the far north are still valid. So they move halfway back and end up in Raleigh, Charlotte, the Mountains , or the Beach.
We even have a special town for you here, CARY, NC often designated as a terrific place to live, despite being called the "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees."
Plenty of Universities here, but you have to come to prefer basketball over football, although baseball is progressing.
South Carolina Coast would be a close second. Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Savannah are very entertaining towns.

Florida, "Nobody goes there anymore, It's too crowded." ANd HOT.

Thats what we did. Lived in Fla (I was pretty much a native. Was there for 35 years. Its hotter than ever loving hell all year round cause we were so far south)... moved to NH.. too cold.. moved to NC....The weather has been AH-mazing.... We almost went back to FL because of a job offer. It so happened we had a vaca for wedding the following week to go back and visit. It reminded us why we left... We cut the vacation 5 days short and left to enjoy the rest here in NC. Couldn't pay me to go back there.

[winnie]

I have lived in 7 different states as a military wife and the one thing I have found is if you decide a place is not your cup of tea there is probably nothing else anyone can say or do to make you feel otherwise. So that would be one reason I would give not to move here..is if you already have strong reservations.


Personally, I am a native NYer who adores FL. Haven't been north of Pinellas county in 5 years, don't plan to either. As far as comparing to our other homes we love this the best. Everything we need is within a 15 minute drive. Our kids are never bored. Our taxes are 1/3 of what they would be up north and my home is at least 1/2 of what a similar home would cost in NY. Can't swim year round up there unless you have a crummy indoor pool, it is less family friendly at restaurants up north IMO, (we have no second looks going out with our clan until midnight on the weekend or taking them to a nice steakhouse here) and we are all so much happier. The bugs are a pain, but not worse than other places I've been in. Sure, there are hurricanes, but I had 2 of those in PA and no power for weeks with freezing temps with an infant in the home and a tornado in the same year to boot.


You pick fruits, all the festivals, Gasparilla, the super speed boat races, fireworks on the beach for NYE, sugar sand festivals, farmer markets, Adventure Island, Busch Gardens, exotic fruits, athletic events, water activities, awesome gardening, sunsets you won't forget in a million years - if you don't like those things please don't come. :-)

[daaronm80]

Thank you for all of the responses. It has been very informative.

I am just trying to gather as much information as possible for our decision. As a professor, I tend to over analyze and thoroughly research decisions. I just want to make sure I have as much information as possible going into it so there are minimal surprises once we arrive.

We have no reservations about Florida. My wife would not have applied for the job there if we had reservations about moving. Most of our remaining family is in Florida. My wife's mother is in Pensacola along with a few cousins. My mother is in Sebring. My wife's family on her father's side are scattered around Orlando. So, we are very familiar with all that Florida has to offer.

Our major "Pros" for moving to Florida are obviously the weather, and we will save a substantial amount of income tax. My original post was designed to capture some of the "Cons" of the decision. We certainly know that it gets really hot May-October and the bugs are crazy. I am just trying to peel the onion back a little further to find out some of the cons that we may not think of right off hand.

My wife and I are both off during the summer, so we will have plenty of opportunities to flee the heat. On a side note, nothing can be worse than the polar vortex in January. It is very windy where we live currently, and it is not uncommon for wind chill to hit -30 or -40 during the winter. We boil water on the stove and throw it outside to make instant snow. Not really my idea of fun. I think we will give Florida serious consideration. As many other posters have said, the pros often outweigh the cons.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by daaronm80

My wife and I are both off during the summer, so we will have plenty of opportunities to flee the heat.

Just to be clear the bulk of the heat is Aug-Oct.