What's it like to live in FL?

[LuvDaOcean]

Hello Floridians!

I realize this is not a scuba related question, but I didn't know where else to post this?

My husband and I have been considering moving to FL for a couple of years now and would like to know what it's really like to live there. He's from Britain and has been in CA for 16yrs; I'm a native CA (spent half my life in southern CA and the other half in northern CA). I've read books and articles and such, but I know that the only way to get the real nitty-gritty about daily life in FL is to ask all of you - the "Real McCoys".

I did live in Tavernier during the year of '95, but the memory is a bit sloppy since it's been so long. I do remember having to run from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned bldgs, back to air-conditioned car, back to air-conditioned house. I also remember never being able to open doors and windows for any length of time to air things out. But, I also remember spending nearly every single day on/in the ocean without any problems at all as far as the humidity goes. Maybe Tavernier is different than the rest of the state?

Of course, ideally, our choice would be to live on the south-eastern side so that we could be reasonably close to Miami for my husband's business, but we're open to just about anywhere. We'd like to live in a smaller-ish size town (hate crowds!), as close to the ocean as possible (accessible to our young daughter), not in a community housing development, but rather in an older home with a tiny bit of land (1/2 acre or a bit more), and at a reasonable price ($500k or less).

You'll probably all laugh at our dream since we more-or-less want it "all", but heck, it can't hurt to ask, right?

Thanks Conchers!!!!!

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Yeah you are dreaming! The following is referring to Broward County, which is the county north of Miami.
You will be lucky to find a piece of land on or near the ocean, a lot with nothing on it, 1/4 acre for under $500k.
Some of the older neighborhoods closer to the coast do have larger lots, but then you are in the lesser than desirable areas. Hating crowds and living on or near the beach is not possible. Broward County accounts for 29% of boat ownership in the state.

http://www.bcpa.net/Includes/QuestInfo.cfm?URL_QuestNo=4525

The most recent statistics we have is for 2004. The average market value for a single family residence (non-condominium) was $219,368.

Lots of people, tourists, noise. The price to live here in paradise is high, but I will cry the day I have to leave, if that day ever comes.

 

[CBulla]

Miami eh.. next to SW Florida, thats one of the fastest growing areas in the country, and if you want anything with land your talking millions, not hundreds of thousands. Why you ask? Northern baby boomers selling big houses up north and moving south to "retire". If you want land you have to head north of there an hour or two, and you may want to consider inland. The closer to the water, the higher the price.

Just food for thought, housing prices in Lee County, the county I live in, went up almost 30% last year alone. This year is following suit with that dollar for dollar.

A place for bang for your buck and close to an true international air port? Daytona/Deltona, or on the other side of the state, Lakeland.

OR you could wait and see what this hurricane season yeilds. There may be some more clearing of real estate! A guy can dream.....

 

[Tom Winters]

You can find what you're looking for, but wow, will it ever take some hunting. For $500K, you will NOT live on the Interacoastal or canal since I have been looking like crazy for a place like that since we bought a 30' boat that is not happy being trailered.
Good luck.

 

[Sngldyvr]

I'm now living in North Palm Beach...on the water.next to Juno beach and Jupiter.....It is absolute paradise. Like almost everyone else in this part of the world I'm a real est agent.....but am not in the business of flogging my services to a fellow diver..............belive it or not folks........you can get a really nice place here close to water in the $500 range..........call a Realtor.....they'll do all the work for you and it won't cost you................If that fails....send me the $500 grand...........I'll get you a place.......hee hee...................all the best

 

[FL_Chad]

Just what we needed - another NYer in real estate...oy vey...

 

[Tractor Tom]

Can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's been a LOT of work.

Arrived in Florida just over a week ago. Had the new 5th wheel delivered to a nice RV park across the highway from Lake Okeechobee and worked every day since. Hot dirty work, getting the RV arranged, working on the new business address and trying to turn a pile of poop into a good working environment.

Now, we are on the way back to Michigan to get a 24' truckload of office equipment and files and such for the new office. So far, I'm two weeks into this project, and haven't ever seen the first customer. Will be another couple weeks before the stock is here and we are open to try and make some money.

Dive gear is still in Michigan! But at least it ain't snowing here...and it sure is in Michigan where they are getting a late storm with 10-12" of fresh snow.

I'll be happy to update you on our progress....

 

[drbill]

MY opinion based on living there for two years 50 years ago and visits to my grandparents and parents over the past 40 years... if you like humid weather, really nasty bugs, very scary thunderstorms, large crowds due to snowbirds in the winter... you'll love it!

Just teasing you Conch divers out there... it would be nice to be near a major airport hub heading to the Caribbean!!!

Dr. Bill

 

[LuvDaOcean]

Well, it doesn't sound very promising so far, but I can't say that I'm too surprised by your replies. I know it's growing like crazy there just as it is here, but we thought maybe, just maybe, there were still some small eastern coastal towns that didn't cost an arm and a leg to live in.

Searching the real estate internet web sites has been misleading, I think. It appears that for $500k or less, you can still buy a pretty decent single family home (with pool!) in any county along the coast, but then again, we don't know which areas of which counties are decent, quiet, safe, have good schools, etc., etc.. All of the real estate web sites boast that their county is "one of the best counties in the state of Florida". Who is one to believe, yeah?

Re: the daily life, I was very interested in this:

if you like humid weather, really nasty bugs, very scary thunderstorms, large crowds due to snowbirds in the winter... you'll love it!

What is it really like there on a day-to-day basis? You know, going through your daily grind and all. Things that might seem silly, but are pretty important as far as quality of life goes like: How many showers do you have to take a day? Can you ever open your windows? How long can you stay outside without suffocating if you're not directly on or in the ocean? What kind of bugs do you find yourself battling with most of the time? What other outdoor hobbies can you take up in FL other than water related sports? Things like that. I wish I could remember more about what it was like when I was there, but it was so long ago.

Gotta get my girl to school....thanks again for your replies...hope to hear a bit more about local life....

 

[JustJoe]

You can find great houses for $500k in the counties right on the coast, but you will not find that kind of price with a house on the water with ocean access. Our winters are like summers in San Diego, cool evenings and moderate temps during the day. Just this past weekend we had a cold front pass where we opened all the windows in the house, and the humidity was low. But our winters last for about two months. The rest of the year you are going to want to keep it shut down. AC is your friend in So. Florida.

We are lucky to have year round activities. Where you live will definitely impact what kinds of things you do. I love motorcycles, but I would not ride in many of the major urban centers like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa or Jacksonville. A short trailer drive will get you out of those areas.

In the Southern part of Florida, you can have endless adventures discovering the Everglades (it's just the swamp to me). Invest a few thousand dollars in an airboat and you can burn lots of time there. If your adventure appetite is more along the lines of professional sports Florida boasts of three pro football teams, two pro basketball teams, two pro baseball teams, two pro hockey teams (hockey???yes) and a bunch of minor league teams in all these sports. Plus golf is a major attraction and there are enough courses to keep you occupied for quite some time.

All in all, Florida is a great place to live. Except for all the people moving here (just kidding). I hope this answered some of your questions.

Joe

Well, it doesn't sound very promising so far, but I can't say that I'm too surprised by your replies. I know it's growing like crazy there just as it is here, but we thought maybe, just maybe, there were still some small eastern coastal towns that didn't cost an arm and a leg to live in.

Searching the real estate internet web sites has been misleading, I think. It appears that for $500k or less, you can still buy a pretty decent single family home (with pool!) in any county along the coast, but then again, we don't know which areas of which counties are decent, quiet, safe, have good schools, etc., etc.. All of the real estate web sites boast that their county is "one of the best counties in the state of Florida". Who is one to believe, yeah?

Re: the daily life, I was very interested in this:



What is it really like there on a day-to-day basis? You know, going through your daily grind and all. Things that might seem silly, but are pretty important as far as quality of life goes like: How many showers do you have to take a day? Can you ever open your windows? How long can you stay outside without suffocating if you're not directly on or in the ocean? What kind of bugs do you find yourself battling with most of the time? What other outdoor hobbies can you take up in FL other than water related sports? Things like that. I wish I could remember more about what it was like when I was there, but it was so long ago.

Gotta get my girl to school....thanks again for your replies...hope to hear a bit more about local life....