It pays to live in Florida

[jackdiamond]

Another good reason to live in Fla is that you can cruise out of 3 ports, without the cost of airfare. Right now, you can get a cabin on the Monarch of the seas for 129.00 per person, which is a mighty fine 4 night cruise!

 

I moved here from Ohio, and wouldn't live anywhere else!

I believe that you can cruise out of four ports.

[esther e]

My kids are grown with their own children, yet I still remember dressing them in boots, snowsuits, mittens and caps and sending them out to play, only to have them banging on the door within 10 minutes, ".....I have to go to the bathroom." Which meant working reverse on clothing. Now if you have to use "facilities," you don't have much to remove.

[orville99]

Without naming names (forbidden on CC so this is a Yes-No question) are there TAs in FL that specialize in monitoring the lines and alerting locals to last minute resident deals? If there are and I need one I'll find them later. But curious if they exist.

 

Yes, mine does keep an eye out for us for both resident rates and last minute deals on several lines.

[teajak]

Yes, mine does keep an eye out for us for both resident rates and last minute deals on several lines.

Mine also.:cool:

[Aquahound]

Another good reason to live in Fla is that you can cruise out of 3 ports, without the cost of airfare.

 

I believe that you can cruise out of four ports.

 

Florida has 5 cruise embarkation ports (MIA, FLL, PC, Tampa, and JAX), but only 4 have RCI ships. And lets not forget there is one additional destination port (KW).

[jackdiamond]

We're in PC, too. I have a feeling houses will escalate over the next few years though. Where are you in PC? We're in the Hammock area

Interestingly, in researching the opinions of many economists I have discovered three schools of thought vi-a-vis the housing market as follows:

1. Change in the administration-3-4 years; or,

2. No change in the administration-7-8 years, and some say 19 years.

If any of these experts are correct, then while now would be a good time to buy, there is no need to panic since good deals will abound for sometime.

[donaldsc]

Thought ya'll would fine this interesting.

 

Checking the price of our cabin for December 17, 2011/Oasis:

 

Current rate with no residency selected: $2065pp

 

Rate with Florida residency: $1799pp

 

We reserved in August 2010 and have our stateroom for $1009pp

(It's a C1 Central Park Balcony)

 

Plus no airfare of course. 4.5 hr drive for us.

 

Other than that, no state tax, and my job, not much else to like about living in Florida.

 

This is just my opinion but I feel that you titled your thread wrong. It should read "You would have to Pay Me to Live in Florida".

 

DON

[jackdiamond]

Hi:

 

We're planning to visit The Villages in January and then put our home on the market and buy in TV. Maybe our paths will cross.

 

Regards,

Arlene

The largest retirement community in the world, I believe.

[jackdiamond]

Another good point in our location: we are about an hour from the Mayo Clinic and have a group of Mayo MDs who have an office in St. Augustine. We literally get our second opinion first.

 

My husband retired 25 years ago (very, very early retirement) and we moved here from the White Plains, NY area immediately. We live in a small gated community on the beach. A1A is the main drag and it's a 2-lane road, never to be made wider because it's been deemed "Scenic." Paradise? You betcha. We have never looked back (and we do have a son and his family "up there") nor do we ever take a glorious palm tree or sea breeze for granted. Yes, there are hurricanes, but we've been very fortunate, and every year ask each other where we would re-locate if we had to. We've driven cross country about 3 times since he's retired and there is no place (to us) like Florida.

 

Here's a didjaknow: humidity is vital for your skin.

 

We've spend a good amount of time on the Other Coast, and the traffic and smog scare the bejebbers out of us. But I'm very glad everyone doesn't share our opinion, or this poor state would sink.

 

Oh, and did I forget to mention no state income tax and a Homestead tax credit?:)

You are correct; and, it is also good for the sinuses.

[Sequim88]

Lake Chelan. Beautiful area!

 

The best cruise I ever took was "Lady of the Lake" on Lake Chelan from Lucerne to the town of Chelan - down the lake after hiking 50 miles over the Cascade Range from the west side. Stunning scenery.

 

Thanks for the couple confirmations of TAs scouting deals in FL.

[gcuecruise]

Thought ya'll would fine this interesting.

 

Checking the price of our cabin for December 17, 2011/Oasis:

 

Current rate with no residency selected: $2065pp

 

Rate with Florida residency: $1799pp

 

We reserved in August 2010 and have our stateroom for $1009pp

(It's a C1 Central Park Balcony)

 

Plus no airfare of course. 4.5 hr drive for us.

 

Other than that, no state tax, and my job, not much else to like about living in Florida.

 

 

OK, so I am the OP of this thread. And I did say other than the things listed above that there was not much else to like about living in Florida.

 

We do think it is a beautiful state. However, we don't frequent the beaches, frankly, because it is often too hot. We are not retired and do not live in sight of a beach so we can not enjoy it at any given (cooler) moment. We do love Siesta Key though. That is a great beach.

 

My wife and kids have issues with allergies to mosquito bites, so while that is an issue, it is actually better here than in North Carolina, but still troublesome enough to enjoy the cooler evenings outdoors here.

 

Actually we rarely see our neighbors in the summer because it is too hot. Nobody goes outside. I always feel bad for the kids when they want to ride their bikes in the summer, as they last for about 10 minutes. Although, I do know it is not the hottest place in the U.S., and the breeze from the gulf does help keep temps from being worse.

 

I feel the school system trains the kids to take the FCAT, the standardized state test, which of course school ratings are based on. I don't agree with that system, or rather how the teachers approach it, although I am sure many other states have similar testing systems that are not appreciated by parents.

 

I grew up in Pennsylvania, enjoyed the snow as a kid, but do not miss it at all. Love the fall/winter/spring, aka the "not hot season" here in Florida. Love the fact that we can pick and choose our days at the theme parks without feeling rushed to take in as much as possible, etc.

 

We hate the roadkill armadillos, but the turkey vultures are so nice to take care of them for us. Sandhill cranes are kind of neat, but are rather annoying when they decide to cross the street and you have to wait for them. They are never in a hurry! Love telling friends from afar that we have alligators right around the corner. I can't agree with anybody who suggests alligators are a negative aspect of Florida. All I have ever seen an alligator do is lie there.

 

We do wish we could cruise more to take advantage of the ports in Florida. Currently living in Tampa for 7 years now and never cruised from Tampa.

 

So I think you can see that I see both sides of the debate. I actually do believe we would enjoy the state if we were retired. But being young (I mean, not retired) and raising a family, and not being a native (meaning, not used to the heat, and all the native Floridians I know do love FLorida), it is not ideal. But I do agree that every state has its issues.

 

With all of this said....still loving my rate on the Oasis. :)

[m4hami]

the time to move to florida is now for insanely low home $$$$.

No state income tax , and 7 months of wonderful weather.

 

However , better have income from somewhere else as good paying jobs are scarce and you will need $$$ to cruise with . Hence all the retiree's here.

( A great place to retire! )

[mathewsmom425]

Nice try but I really don't think any snow storm does the damage that the hurricanes do. Guess you just have that delusional factor to the extreme. Those of us that live in the northeast are the ones that have to subsidize your insurance. So, not only is Florida an ugly state, it's also a financial drain. Another point, a previous post mentioned the crystal clear turquoise water, that poster must be looking at a pool, because the water around Florida is neither crystal clear nor turquoise. Those terms are complete exaggerations when describing Florida!

 

WOW..not nice..a trip to the Florida Keys to see the clean, gorgeous, crystal clear water should be in your future.

[esther e]

The largest retirement community in the world, I believe.

 

I saw a great video on the computer of golf carts (mandatory) in the Villages. Everyone has one and they are all decorated differently and it is quite a status thing how you "do" them up. Loved that video. I think this be the link:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrpq5A-KAoA

 

If not, Google golf carts and the Villages.

[jackdiamond]

Folks, we Floridians are best advised to ignore the rants of this naysayer since they are generally not based upon verifiable factoids. By the way, we are retired, and we live in SWFL; and, I am either in the pool or at the beach virtually every day of the year. And, I love the humidity since it is so efficacious for my sinuses and skin.

Additionally, with the rare exception of periods of extreme rain, virtually all of water on the beaches on the west coast are of a turquoise color, and the sand is delightfully white.

Also, the beaches on the east coast are also very beautiful, although the sand is fairly brown instead of white.

[esther e]

That is coquina sand. It is a mixture of ground shells and white sand. The only thing wrong with Florida in my opinion, is we don't have good jurors. And you who live here know exactly what I mean ;)

[OGCFreddie]

That is coquina sand. It is a mixture of ground shells and white sand. The only thing wrong with Florida in my opinion, is we don't have good jurors. And you who live here know exactly what I mean ;)

 

Understand perfectly, Esther :D :D :D. And actually the coquina sand played a vital role in Florida's history. Many of the buildings and Forts of the early settlers were actually made of coquina stone. If interested, visit St. Augustine and you will see many examples of this architecture. I love that city!

[LivetoCruise412]

There's nothing wrong with Florida I moved here 30 years ago, before that did the work on wall street thing and all. And no I am not retired, but I would never go back. If you don't like Florida you should move to where you want to be, I can't imagine Florida having an employment that you can't find where you want to be. One day when I do at least semi-retire I will move to the mountians of North Georgia or Western North Carolina. You only live once so try to be happy.

[goouchjac]

The largest retirement community in the world, I believe.

 

That is so not true:eek:,,people are totally wrong thinking only the "elderly"live here,,,there are many young families with kids living in our area, and this is only one of many...I hate when people generalize:mad::mad::mad:

[CruisesOnMyMind]

That is so not true:eek:,,people are totally wrong thinking only the "elderly"live here,,,there are many young families with kids living in our area, and this is only one of many...I hate when people generalize:mad::mad::mad:

 

I believe Jack was talking about The Villages, not Florida in general.

[jackdiamond]

I believe Jack was talking about The Villages, not Florida in general.

Thank you, since you are correct.

[jackdiamond]

That is so not true:eek:,,people are totally wrong thinking only the "elderly"live here,,,there are many young families with kids living in our area, and this is only one of many...I hate when people generalize:mad::mad::mad:

It is my understanding that the Villages is the largest retirement community in the world; and, that residents must be over the age of 55. I also understand that children and even grandchildren are allowed for visits, but home ownership is restricted to the 55 plus age group.

Are you a homeowner in the Villages? If so, are you under the age of 55?

[esther e]

Understand perfectly, Esther :D :D :D. And actually the coquina sand played a vital role in Florida's history. Many of the buildings and Forts of the early settlers were actually made of coquina stone. If interested, visit St. Augustine and you will see many examples of this architecture. I love that city!

 

We live 30 minutes south of St. Augustine, right on the ocean. I know the area well!!!! :)

[jackdiamond]

We live 30 minutes south of St. Augustine, right on the ocean. I know the area well!!!! :)

And, is it not the oldest city in the continental U.S.A? And, it is beautiful.

[esther e]

Right on both counts! A Hilton was built a few years ago and unless you looked carefully and knew what it was, you'd have no idea. It had to conform to the architecture of old St. Aug. The old cobble back streets barely fit a car. We acted like tourists one day and went on a horse/carriage through the city. And interestingly enough, if you drive A1A north to Jacksonville you will past some of the most enormous sand dunes you can imagine. Flat Florida? Not so. And if you go to Tallahassee (go 'Noles) you have hills, forsythia, birch trees, etc. This is a very interesting state if one has the desire to check it out. The uninformed think of Florida as merely, flat, hot, humid, and dull.