Questions about considering a move to Florida

[portocall]

I grew up in Florida. It's hot. Almost always. Comfortable, rarely. I lived in South and Central Florida. Vero is nice. They have gorgeous beaches that I prefer to the Gulf. The gulf has some nice beaches also though.

I also live in Atlanta now and much prefer the weather here. There are far more comfortable days. Even the summer wasn't bad. I'll stay here. You can take my spot in Florida.

Some truths about living in Florida. It can be beautiful but when you are living life you can forget to notice. It had gotten much more crowded and traffic and snowbirds make driving more harrowing. Beach day can be a real pain. I lived six blocks from the ocean but didn't go often because sand everywhere is a lot less enjoyable than when I am vacationing. I lived an hour from Orlando but driving home after a day at Disney made it way less magical. Don't get me wrong, I liked the easier access but vacationing back home makes me happier than doing any of that stuff when I lived there.

 

[luvavacation]

dfurst05, you mentioned biking to work. I don't know how feasible biking to work is, but if for just biking, I live in the Sugarloaf Mountain area outside of Clermont, and this is a very popular area for bike riders. We have a training center in town that brings in athletes from many countries, and as the last summer Olympics approached, one would see groups biking from Brazil, Italy, England, etc., working on their conditioning on our hilly roads during the hot and humid weather. That is some serious dedication to that sport!

The bikers are here all year long, local and international, and occasionally there are road races that make the driving off the "mountain" very slow going. We also have many trails, such as the West Orange and South Lake. I recently read that things are in motion to connect the bike trails from the Gulf to the Atlantic. I will never ride that far, but I am sure someone is going to go for it!

We moved here from Northern IL almost 4 years ago. We vacationed in FL in the summer, so the heat and humidity were something we knew we could tolerate, especially since we no longer had to stand in lines at theme parks all day long with hot and tired kids! Instead we work in our yard in the morning, swim in the heat of the day, then go back outside in the late afternoon/evening. Bug spray is a must at that time, but it isn't needed every day.

Being up on the highest point in central FL, we actually get a breeze in the summer evenings that my friends in the flat, reclaimed swampy areas don't receive, and is definitely non-existent in the theme parks. We like to our call it our "ocean breeze" coming from the Atlantic. We do what we have to to make summer in FL seem better than summer in IL!

For my family, living in FL is more economical than living in IL. My property taxes are more than half what they were in IL, and I have a much larger lot with larger house and pool. House insurance is similar, car insurance a bit less (but we are rural, not in Orlando, so that might have something to do with it), and houses cost less. Renting, however, is crazy expensive!

I don't know about drivers in MN, but here where we are in FL, we do not have the theme park drivers (which I believe is just a scapegoat the locals use to cover up their lack of driving skills), we have so very many horrible local drivers. My family, including my children, all went through driver's ed in IL, and it is so much more thorough than here in FL. Heck, even the police officers seem to lack turn signals on their vehicles and have seemingly no knowledge of proper yielding! We complain about the drivers all of the time. My biggest complaint about living in FL are the drivers. You MUST be a defensive driver here if you don't want to have an accident. Also, buy a car elsewhere, because I do not believe that cars bought in FL have turn signals as a basic accessory.

There are many plusses and minuses about living here, and your list will be different from mine, but for me and my family, we love living here, and have no regrets.

 

[paisleys]

We moved to Boca from New England 20+ years ago. I had visions of riding my bike to the beach every day with towels and oranges in my bike basket, we were less than 5 miles away. I soon found that riding your bike in South Florida is MUCH different than riding your bike in NE! The traffic is insane and people take the rights on red on two wheels without breaking speed. If you plan to bike to work, check it out first. Always be alert. It's like the Wild West here with people on cell phones not paying attention.

 

[DLgal]

OP, maybe you should consider moving to Orange County, California, and be close to Disneyland! You can bike to work here...the weather is almost always nice enough to do so (lots of people here do it). It's never humid. We have hardly any bugs (just ants, occasionally). The beach is within a 30 min drive from almost anywhere in Orange County. Housing is pricey, but if you don't have kids, you can live in a lower cost city without regard for the school district, and save money that way. Rentals are abundant here and as a renter you never have to worry about insane property taxes. I live 15 minutes away from Disneyland and can be in the parks at a moment's notice whenever I please. It's great! We have mountains right here if you are into hiking or camping or nature in general. You can get in the car and in an hour be at a ski resort or go the other way and be at the beach. There are bike trails galore here if you are a cyclist (both mountain and paved). People here spend a lot of time outdoors. Food is great...lots of fresh produce all the time since so much is grown in the state. Fruits and veggies show up at the supermarkets the day after they are harvested, in many cases.

All the stuff people complain about in FL, you don't deal with here. Plus, little secret...Disneyland is better than WDW. I said what I said.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

dfurst05, you mentioned biking to work. I don't know how feasible biking to work is, but if for just biking, I live in the Sugarloaf Mountain area outside of Clermont, and this is a very popular area for bike riders. We have a training center in town that brings in athletes from many countries, and as the last summer Olympics approached, one would see groups biking from Brazil, Italy, England, etc., working on their conditioning on our hilly roads during the hot and humid weather. That is some serious dedication to that sport!

The bikers are here all year long, local and international, and occasionally there are road races that make the driving off the "mountain" very slow going. We also have many trails, such as the West Orange and South Lake. I recently read that things are in motion to connect the bike trails from the Gulf to the Atlantic. I will never ride that far, but I am sure someone is going to go for it!

We moved here from Northern IL almost 4 years ago. We vacationed in FL in the summer, so the heat and humidity were something we knew we could tolerate, especially since we no longer had to stand in lines at theme parks all day long with hot and tired kids! Instead we work in our yard in the morning, swim in the heat of the day, then go back outside in the late afternoon/evening. Bug spray is a must at that time, but it isn't needed every day.

Being up on the highest point in central FL, we actually get a breeze in the summer evenings that my friends in the flat, reclaimed swampy areas don't receive, and is definitely non-existent in the theme parks. We like to our call it our "ocean breeze" coming from the Atlantic. We do what we have to to make summer in FL seem better than summer in IL!

For my family, living in FL is more economical than living in IL. My property taxes are more than half what they were in IL, and I have a much larger lot with larger house and pool. House insurance is similar, car insurance a bit less (but we are rural, not in Orlando, so that might have something to do with it), and houses cost less. Renting, however, is crazy expensive!

I don't know about drivers in MN, but here where we are in FL, we do not have the theme park drivers (which I believe is just a scapegoat the locals use to cover up their lack of driving skills), we have so very many horrible local drivers. My family, including my children, all went through driver's ed in IL, and it is so much more thorough than here in FL. Heck, even the police officers seem to lack turn signals on their vehicles and have seemingly no knowledge of proper yielding! We complain about the drivers all of the time. My biggest complaint about living in FL are the drivers. You MUST be a defensive driver here if you don't want to have an accident. Also, buy a car elsewhere, because I do not believe that cars bought in FL have turn signals as a basic accessory.

There are many plusses and minuses about living here, and your list will be different from mine, but for me and my family, we love living here, and have no regrets.

I always say 99% of Florida vehicles have broken turn signals. They either don’t work or they’re always on!

 

[tex1989]

I can offer you no advice what so ever on Florida, as I live in Texas. However I live south of Houston near the Texas Gulf Coast and the weather in many parts of Florida are very similar and since we have tons of folks moving to our area from basically all over the world I get to see a lot of peoples reaction to the weather. I work for a large Energy Company and we have probably 200 plus people from other countries that now live and work here. As far as biking to work, very few people do. If you live within 2 miles of work, and have a workout facility/shower available at your jobsite you can do it, otherwise don't. The heat is not unbearable but it is an aquired tolerance built up over many years. I will be 60 years old this year and have lived here my entire life. I can spend entire days in August outside on my farm working all day. I can only do this because I know how, shade, lots of breaks, two gallons of sweet tea and clothes that cover your whole body believe it or not. Pacing yourself, stopping when you have to. I have friends my age that are the same way. You will not have this ability on day one, but it will come over time. Winters will not come close to what you have, but they can get cold by our standards (high 20's, low 30's) and as a duck hunter I can tell you that 25 degrees and 100% humidity is dang cold.

All that said to me it is the less relivant part of the conversation. Find the job then deal with the rest if Florida is where you want to wind up.

 

[SeeDisney]

to the op...yes, I too live in Minnesota and I AM PAST the breaking point. This Winter is too brutal. Can't get out even just for a walk. We too are relocating when my husband retires in a few years' time. Good luck with your search.

 

[Eeyore daily]

I moved from Arkansas to the Clearwater region and I personally hate it and countdown to moving out of the state. I dislike how if I drive 15 miles that takes me an hour because of how congested the roads are. The heat doesn’t bother me but I’m a naturally cold person so it feels good in my opinion. As for biking I hardly see it being feasible in the state or maybe just in my area since it’s just too spread out. It’s nice being only 2 hours from the Disney parks but depending on when you go the traffic might make it a longer drive. To me there’s never really a down time in terms of traffic Through the year as there’s always snowbirds and tourists.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Our population on Marco Island goes from about 15K during non-season, to about 45K during the Season (Jan through April). We have more out of state license plates than FL plates in the grocery parking lot. You almost have to make an appt to go to the grocery store. Many of those 30K people who are here during the Season should not be driving at all. They drive the wrong way down the lanes in the parking lot (angled parking, not straight parking), don't use turn signals, drive slower than the speed limit (and the max is 35 on the island).

We look around during the Season and wonder if the last person out of Indiana turned off the lights.

 

[Toolulu22]

We moved to Florida 22 years ago. We also have one family member living in Florida. We spent 17 years in the Tampa area. The last 5 have been in South Florida, due to DH being transferred. Our family member lives in the Panhandle. We've spent a lot of time touring the state. If I could choose any area to live in, it would be the Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg area. IMO, that area has the best of what Florida has to offer. You have access to a good sized city with many things to do, you're close to Orlando, have great weather & are close to the nicest beaches in Florida. Since we love the ocean, I'd prefer Clearwater & the good areas in St. Pete over Tampa, but Tampa has some really nice areas complimented by some excellent suburbs. This is all personal preference, but I wouldn't choose to move North of the Tampa area. As with all places, there are good & bad areas. You just need to do your due diligence to make sure you choose the area that fits your family best.

I love the area you’re talking about. My husband and I tak about how we’re NOT retiring to FL when the time comes (he has family in and around Tampa and Ocala), but whenever we visit and spend time in St. Pete/Clearwater I think— I belong here.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I love the area you’re talking about. My husband and I tak about how we’re NOT retiring to FL when the time comes (he has family in and around Tampa and Ocala), but whenever we visit and spend time in St. Pete/Clearwater I think— I belong here.

I hear you on belonging there. I'd love to move back up there, but I doubt we ever will.

 

[Chickinvic]

Here there's no going outside unless it's to work or the grocery store for a good number of months out of the year.

Here in Ottawa we are all about winter sports. Every winter we make the world's longest skating rink on the Rideau Canal. Most people skate, play hockey, ski, snowmobile, etc. Lots make skating rinks in their backyards, but most neighbourhoods have outdoor rinks. We have people that bicycle all year round (winter tires), and jog, etc. We get very hot summers, but cold/snowy winters. I just take advantage of everything each season offers.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

@dfurst05, did y'all decide to move?



If you do any kind of gardening, you got to realize how different Florida is when it comes to hardiness zones. You are looking at 8a through 11a (Ocla is 9b).